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It's always a pleasure to visit the land of the dragons A visit to the Sun Lane Nature Reserve in Burley is always a pleasure, especially on a warm, sunny afternoon, and, at this time of year its stream, ponds and scrub attract several species of dragonflies. We were there a couple of weeks ago, eagerly scanning the water surface, reed-beds and surrounding vegetation. Dragonflies tend to whizz past leaving only an impression of size and a trace of colour, which makes identification difficult. However, we found a most obliging pair. A wooden seat has been thoughtfully provided in a sunny spot halfway up the hillside, just the place for a peaceful siesta, and there, resting and enjoying the sunshine, one on each of the arm of the bench, were two dragonflies. So comfortable were they that we could approach quite close, near enough to pick out 3 all the detail. They were medium sized, but the position of the two pairs of wings, held straight out horizontally, and differentiated them from their . close relatives, damselflies, which close their wings when perching. The male's body was a rich ruddy brown, the female's a paler shade, more straw-coloured - a pair of Common Darters, common perhaps, but no less a delight for that. This is a good time of year for dragonflies so look out for the larger, more spectacular hawkers. Probably the easiest to see is the Southern Hawker, with its apple-green and pale blue markings, a very handsome creature. The Brown Hawker is about too, with brown body and an unmistakable caramel tinge to the wings - we saw one recently in the Darwin Gardens. Our dragonfly expert told us about recently watching one hunting over a large patch of green vegetation, which had an occasional patch of withered brown docks. Whenever the dragonfly paused for a rest it invariably chose a dock, instinctively selecting a perch which offered superb camouflage. The showy gold-ringed dragonfly can turn up in the most unlikely places - one once flew into our garage and another WNS member reported a pair mating on his house wall. However, you're most likely to see one on the moors as they lay their eggs in moor streams. Because this is a cold, nutrient-poor environment, the larvae may have to wait five or six years before at last emerging as the glorious gold and black-striped masters of the air we so admire. Should you catch a glimpse of any of these larger dragonflies it's
worth waiting around for a few minutes as they usually quarter the
same area for some time and will probably come round again and again
- and may even perch so you can get a closer look. |