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Keep
an eye out for dragonflies whizzing about rooftops One morning during the recent heatwave we were enjoying a cup of coffee in our back garden with friends when one of them excitedly pointed upwards - she'd spotted a large dragonfly. Silhouetted against the sky, it looked like a miniature helicopter as it whizzed over our rooftop and went slip-sliding out of sight into our neighbour's garden. That evening our friend rang to tell us that a dragonfly had just flown into their dining room and was buzzing against the window like a gigantic wasp. Before politely ushering it out they were able to identify it - a southern hawker, resplendent in vivid shades of green and blue. It's a good year for dragonflies, and, though they need water for egg-laying, they spend quite a lot of time away from it, cruising about looking for their prey - smaller flying insects. This summer, the Wharfedale Naturalists Society has been getting some exceptionally good dragonfly records from Timble Ings in the Washburn Valley where Yorkshire Water's forestry management, with some financial support from the Nidderdale AONB, has implemented a really imaginative policy. As a section of timber is cleared, a group of small shallow ponds is created - an attraction to a whole range of wildlife, including the dragon-flies, which seem to particularly enjoy this new habitat. Some of the species recorded in good numbers are broad-bodied chasers - the male a stylish powder blue, the female starting off golden and passing through ever-darker shades of brown as she matures; the brown hawker - both sexes shiny brown with browny-gold wings, like barley-sugar; and the magnificent emperor, a recent addition to our Wharfedale list, - males electric blue with green thorax and black stripe along the back, the female also bright but rather greener. All these handsome creatures are hawkers. Fierce predators, they quarter the ground seeking their prey and then give chase. As they can twist, turn and even fly backwards the outcome is in little doubt. Another member of the same group is my favourite, the gold-ringed dragonfly, with its black body ringed with vivid yellow. This insect lays its eggs in peaty streams, so can often be seen on the edge of the moor or along woodland tracks. It's certainly worth keeping a lookout for all these spectacular insects. You might encounter them anywhere - in the woods, on the moors, beside the river - even in your dining room! [Back] |