Two new Odanata species added to the Garden List

This month has seen two new Odonata species added to the garden list – bringing the total to six species recorded to date.

On the 2nd a single Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) was hawking over the grassland – and by the 11th at least four individuals were present comprising two pairs in cop. on both New Pond and Bucket Pond respectively.

An immature Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) spent the 14th patrolling the three small ponds and roosting at length on a bamboo cane standing in a nearby flowerpot. Early in the morning a teneral Large Red was drying out on the Japanese Maple (Acer cultivar) behind New Pond and later three full coloured Large Reds were present incl. a pair in cop.

The following day I found three Large Red exuvia attached to the Slender Clubrush (Isolepsis cernua) in New Pond.

Having returned from our Norway trip yesterday, I spent most of today in the back garden and saw another pair of Large Red in cop. I searched for more exuvia across all three ponds but did not find any.

Large Red Damselfly pair in cop. 11th May

Large Red Damsefly 14th May

teneral Large Red Damselfly 14th May

Broad-bodied Chaser 14th May

Large Red Damselfly exuvia 15th May

Of dragons and Damsels ..

Common Darter 27th Aug 2022

A Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) is photographed in the garden, resting on the side of the water-butt pond. It will stay most of the morning. Later, I set about clearing the filamentous green alga from both ponds.

I remove the alga in small clumps. Wash it gently in a small tub of clear pond water, remove as many of the aquatic invertebrates as is possible, from the sticky algal grasp. Once washed the alga is left to drain on the side of the pond(s), prior to disposal.

It is encouraging to see how much motile life, exists within these ponds - aquatic worms; ramshorn and other pond snails; daphnia; chironomids; mayfly nymphs. Along with those critters that remain a complete mystery to me?

In one of the small wash cycles, I observe a couple of nymphs who are both touting three tails, they do not not look right for mayfly nymph?

Transferring them to the shallow top of a specimen bottle, we view them under the dissecting microscope, and confirm that they are damselfly nymphs.

To date we have only recorded two species of damselfly in the garden: Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella), and Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans) - so it is likely that these nymphs belong to one (or both?) of these species.

damselfly nymphs 27th Aug 2022

Add to this the recent discovery of the dragonfly nymph (Sympetrum cf striolatum), and it bodes well for the water-butt pond as a wildlife habitat, if it is able to attract and support these predators.

see Blog entry:

Next year, I will be looking out for exuviae, in the hope that the ponds remain suitable to bring these species to maturity.

Bragging to R on Whatsapp about the damsel nymphs, the retort is a photo of Willow Emerald (Chalcolestes viridis), a LIFER that R has just seen, at a site in Hertfordshire. By coincidence this is the second time this week, that Willow Emerald had been drawn to my attention.

S had photographed a specimen at Buchan Country Park on Thursday. So I have decided to take a good long look for it, when next in the Park.

Enter the Dragon .. (Reprise)

It has been a quiet year to date for Odanata in the garden. On the 8th of July a male Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella) was noted resting on the Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris) at the water-butt pond. It was only seen that once.

On the 1st of August, a Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) was holding territory using the back of the garden chair as a lookout post. This encounter transpired to be an all but brief affair too, with only a single day's activity observed, before it disappeared from the garden.

Throughout this heat-wave, both small ponds have required continous top-up  and much attention has been given to removal by hand, of the filamentous green alga which threatens to completely cover the surface of the ponds.

During the course of one such clearing, I was delighted to find a dragonfly nymph (Sympetrum cf striolatum), in the water-butt pond.

water-butt pond

Azure damselfy

Common Darter

Sympetrum cf striolatum nymph
5th Aug 2022