In flight

A Southern Hawker in flight showing those bright yellow/green headlights behind the eyes that make this species so distinctive in flight.

First Flight

We watched as a dragonfly lava climbed from the pond up to  the underside of a lily pad leaf. It split it’s case and a pale ghost of a dragonfly hung out … dangling down to the water. After half an hour in one swift movement it escaped its prison and hung correct way up; wings crumpled. Over the next half hour the wings expanded and dried moving from vertical to horizontal. The emerged insect now quivered in the heat of the day and suddenly took flight.

Egg Laying Dragons in October

It’s not unusual but still not common to see a Southern Hawker egg laying in October. Photographed last week.

 

 

Eye eye.

Eye to eye with a Southern Hawker on a tour the other week.

 

Egg seller

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Watching a female Southern Hawker alight on a damp log the other week I was surprised to see her start laying within the clefts of the bark.

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Draped on bushes

There have been some very beautiful dragonflies this year on our tours. This Southern Hawker for example. It hung itself, nay draped itself in the garden last week as we were talking away with friends.

Taking the heat out of a Dragon

When the sun goes in cold blooded dragonflies rest a while. It’s then they can be photographed. Finding them is however another matter.

I watched a Southern Hawker the other day repeatedly fly up and down a hedgerow on a patrolling mission; very territorial these creatures. Up and down it went; time after time. At last a cloud covered the sun, the temperature dropped and it rested for a while.

So beautiful are these things … and so delicate too.