New species for North Wales
The Small Red-eyed Damselfly (Erythromma viridulum) is now breeding in North Wales! A healthy breeding population has been found at Parc Menai in Bangor. The species has been gradually expanding its range in Britain; however, the Bangor population is a long way from any other known population. The Damselfly may have arrived at the pond…
Scarce Blue-tailed Damselflies breeding in Cheshire?
An immature female Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura pumilio) was recorded last month by David Bowman at Woolston Eyes Nature Reserve east of Warrington. Immature females of this species are easily identified by their bright orange coloration, referred to as the aurantiaca colour form. Mature adults of the same species are often overlooked due to their similar appearance…
Norfolk Hawkers in Shropshire
Shropshire County Dragonfly Recorder, Sue Rees Evans, has made the first sightings of Norfolk Hawker (Aeshna isoceles) in Shropshire. She recorded three in total at a private site on the Isle Estate: a male and a mating pair. This is well outside the species core range which has, until recently, been limited to the south-east…
What to look out for in Early August
Most of our damselfly species will be past their peak in terms of numbers, although the majority will still be found, albeit in smaller numbers. However, August is when two of our damselfly species will be reaching their peak. The first is Small Red-eyed Damselfly, which first occurred in Britain in 1999 and is now…
Rare Winter Damselfly Spotted
Despite the date, a Winter Damselfly (Sympecma fusca) was spotted by Terry Crow on 5 May 2022 at Wildern LNR near Southampton. This is only the second ever recorded from Britain! It’s name relates to the fact adults can be found all year round as it over-winters in its adult form. Its native range includes…