Ian has sent this beautiful photograph of a male emperor dragonfly (Anax imperator) perching among vegetation bordering one of the wetland scrapes in Lambrok Meadow.

While we have known for several years that emperors visit the reserve, we haven’t been sure that they were breeding here. But below is another of Ian’s pictures, this time of a female emperor laying eggs in one of our ponds.

Images taken in the reserve by Ian Bushell

While he was chasing butterflies through the reserve’s lush hedges, Clive Knight found and photographed this beautiful female ruddy darter (Sympetrum sanguineum).

Common Darter

by Ian Bushell

Yesterday afternoon, at the bottom set-side in Village Green, I was chatting with an old chap who, as a boy had played in these fields, when I saw a pair of dragonflies flying by.

Southern hawker

A late summer southern hawker photographed in the reserve last week by Clive Knight. The southern hawker’s flight period runs from the end of May right through into November but each individual dragonfly lives for only around six weeks. This one, to judge by it’s faded colours and torn wings, is approaching the end of its life.

The summer’s drought made difficulties for our dragonflies. Many of the shallow pools along the Lambrok dried up completely and the big pond, Grand Central Station for our Odonata, was reduced to a mere puddle. Not only do all dragonflies and damselflies need standing water for successful breeding, but so do their flying insect prey: nowhere to lay eggs, nothing to eat, not a good year.