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Dragonflies and Damselflies 2010

Mothman · 2010-05-27 10:18:49

I'd love to have great intentions for this thread, giving identification pointers etc, but time will not permit this type of indulgence. Instead I'll start this, hopefully as encouragement for you to notice these stunning creatures and refer back to here with any queries. I'll add photos, but I use a compact point and…

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#32 19-06-2010 11:11pm
Mothman

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Angus Og wrote: »

I think this is a female blue-tailed damselfly.

It is. There are many colour forms

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#33 20-06-2010 12:32am
littlebug

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It's amazing what you don't see when you're not looking . I've started taking the camera everywhere with me. After a run this evening I decided to have a nosy around on the edge of the lake and spotted loads of these flitting around and hanging out on a wall. From looking at the dragonfly Ireland website I think it's a Black Tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum).

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#34 20-06-2010 4:52am
Mothman

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littlebug wrote: »

It's amazing what you don't see when you're not looking . I've started taking the camera everywhere with me. After a run this evening I decided to have a nosy around on the edge of the lake and spotted loads of these flitting around and hanging out on a wall. From looking at the dragonfly Ireland website I think it's a Black Tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum).

It is and at rest on stone which is typical. Have only ever seen one myself, at my pond on the only stone around my pond. I've rectified this now and have more stones.
The female is mainly yellow.

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#35 21-06-2010 10:38pm
Mothman

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A pair of Common Bluet. She is about to comence ovipositing/lay eggs which she did underwater into plant stem. The male let go when she went under!

He waited above

She may stay under water for more than 30 minutes before coming up for air. When finished, she is so saturated she can't fly, but they can be very efficient in using their wings to propel along surface of water to plant so she can climb out to dry off.

Common Bluetail

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#36 25-06-2010 12:42pm
Gerard G

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Yesterday a dragonfly struck my son in laws van mirror and as the window was open it finished up inside the van where it died. He had never seen anything like it before and out of curiousity he brought it home to us. We had never seen anything like it either and as it was such a beautifiul specimen I contacted a friend to see if he could mount it ( dont know if this is politically correct anymore ).
When I looked up the internet it seemed to me that the specimen most closely resembles a Green Darner Dragonfly - native to the Americas. From my research it appears this species has not previously been recorded in Ireland and only once in the U.K. ( Scilly Isles ) in 1998 following hurricanes in the Carribean.
When the specimen is mounted and dried out I will post some pictures. I could be totally wrong as I know absolutely nothing about dragonflies and any advice would be appreciated.
The incident occurred in West Cork between Skibbereen and Ballydehob.

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#37 25-06-2010 12:52pm
Mothman

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Can you get any sort of photo for now?
There is very little visual difference between Green Darner and Blue Emperor of which the latter is well established in Ireland including West Cork.

If you have considered Emperor when making your determination then please explain why you think it is not this species.

There are a couple photos of Blue Emperor in another thread though they may be female and males look a little different.

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#38 28-06-2010 8:55pm
wgsten

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Is this a common Blue female?

wgsten
http://www.irishflyfisher.ie/

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#39 28-06-2010 9:18pm
Mothman

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wgsten wrote: »

Is this a common Blue female?
wgsten

Yes it is

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#40 28-06-2010 9:30pm
wgsten

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Mothman wrote: »

Yes it is

Thanks Mothman.
wgsten
http://www.irishflyfisher.ie/

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#41 28-06-2010 9:35pm
nilhg

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A couple from yesterday morning on Pollardstown Fen

And finally a slightly different view

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#42 29-06-2010 10:35pm
Mothman

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Nice variations in the Bluetails.
The 2nd last one is a male Variable Damselfly/Variable Bluet. It hasn't featured in this thread before. Often the antehumeral stripes (blue stripes on top of thorax/body) is broken. not complete as in this specimen

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#43 29-06-2010 11:11pm
littlebug

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no 1 taken by my 5 year old

Then he spotted this one on the ground ??

Is this a Beaded Demoiselle ? Not great angles... I couldn't get close.

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#44 05-07-2010 11:14pm
tomahawk101

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brilliant shots lads and was just thinking what a great resource this is. I have been meaning to learn more about damsels and dragons as I spend a lot of time just enjoying watching them. Ask me whatever about birds but to have your posts and excellent photos and explanations on here is a gem.
Seriously, thank you for posting.
Tom

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#45 06-07-2010 7:03am
Mothman

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Sorry, Littlebug, overlooked this lot

littlebug wrote: »

no 1 taken by my 5 year old

A male Common Bluet/Common Blue Damselfly. Nice shot!

Then he spotted this one on the ground ??

This is what is called a teneral. One that has just emerged. It takes a few hours before they get any colour and a few days before they have the full mature colouration. This one is so recently emerged, I can't tell what species it is.

Is this a Beaded Demoiselle ? Not great angles... I couldn't get close.

Banded or Beautiful Demoiselle. Judging by the inflight photo, the colour on wing seems to be restricted to middle part which would make it Banded Demoiselle.

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#46 06-07-2010 7:28pm
wgsten

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Here is some from the banks of the river Barrow. The first picture is a Banded Demoiselle i am unsure of the second picture as to whether it it an imature Banded or a mature Beautiful Demoiselle. Mothman again i require your excellent help.

wgsten
http://www.irishflyfisher.ie/

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#47 06-07-2010 9:02pm
Mothman

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wgsten wrote: »

i am unsure of the second picture as to whether it it an imature Banded or a mature Beautiful Demoiselle. Mothman again i require your excellent help.

This is a female. Note the extra depth of the last 2 segments of the abdomen and the ovipositer (bit that lays eggs) can be seen underneath at very end.
While I'm not 100% sure it is probably Banded Demoiselle not only because of the fact that a male is nearby (though both species can be found together) but it looks more like this species also.

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#48 06-07-2010 10:07pm
wgsten

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Thanks Mothman. I have some more pictures of another female? if they are of any help i can post them here.
wgsten
http://www.irishflyfisher.ie/

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#49 06-07-2010 10:36pm
Mothman

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wgsten wrote: »

Thanks Mothman. I have some more pictures of another female? if they are of any help i can post them here.
wgsten
http://www.irishflyfisher.ie/

Won't help me, I've very little experience of female demoiselles.

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#50 12-07-2010 5:14pm
littlebug

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a couple I took today. I'm going round in circles on the dragonfly ireland website trying to find out what they are and all I can figure out is that the second one is a female.... something

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#51 12-07-2010 6:56pm
Mothman

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Common Darter and female Brown Hawker
One aspect to look at with the Hawker species are the antehumeral stripes on front half of thorax. I've circled it in the attachment. Brown Hawker has none. Note that Migrant Hawker and female Common Hawker/Moorland Hawker have short narrow stripes and from some angles they may appear to have none.
The wings on this one are quite tinted though females of other species can get dirty giving a tinted appearance

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#52 12-07-2010 9:54pm
wgsten

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Large Red Damsellfly from the lake in Donadea Wood.

wgsten
http://www.irishflyfisher.ie/

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#53 21-07-2010 2:55pm
Alliandre

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Can anyone give an indication as to the sizes of dragonflies? I saw one a couple of weeks ago that was larger than any I've ever seen. Unfortunately it was moving around too much and never landed so I didn't get a picture. It was easily two or three times longer than a common blue damselfly would be. It was mostly brown, and seemed to be somewhat striped with lighter colours along the side. Perhaps it was a brown hawker like the second picture that Littlebug posted. How big would they be?

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#54 21-07-2010 3:36pm
Durnish

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See the hawkers? They are big and you can hear them. When they fly in to hawk about they clack their wings at each other, like small chinook helicopters.

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#55 21-07-2010 4:11pm
Mothman

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Alliandre wrote: »

Can anyone give an indication as to the sizes of dragonflies? I saw one a couple of weeks ago that was larger than any I've ever seen. Unfortunately it was moving around too much and never landed so I didn't get a picture. It was easily two or three times longer than a common blue damselfly would be. It was mostly brown, and seemed to be somewhat striped with lighter colours along the side. Perhaps it was a brown hawker like the second picture that Littlebug posted. How big would they be?

The large ones such as Brown Hawker are about 3 inches 80mm long so this would fit

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#56 24-07-2010 2:37am
artieanna

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I remember the first time I met a couple of dragon flies when I was out for a walk. They were soo big they completly creeped me out.

Saw about six or so this year over drains in the bog, lovely to watch them. The images here are smashing, great to have a look at them closely.

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#57 08-08-2010 4:27pm
Half-cocked

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Comparing with the pic in a post above, this looks like a Common Darter in my garden today?

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#58 09-08-2010 8:04pm
Feargal as Luimneach

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Female Emperor dragonfly ovipositing (I think)

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#59 09-08-2010 8:31pm
Mothman

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Feargal as Luimneach wrote: »

Female Emperor dragonfly ovipositing (I think)

Where was this taken?, because this is a female Southern Hawker :eek: Emperor Dragonfly doesn't have spots
If this is in Ireland, this is very significant, only one confirmed record though I've heard of a sighting or 2 since but they never made it to the record books.

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#60 09-08-2010 8:32pm
Mothman

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Half-cocked wrote: »

Comparing with the pic in a post above, this looks like a Common Darter in my garden today?

Yes it is, I think a very mature female

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#61 09-08-2010 8:38pm
Feargal as Luimneach

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Mothman wrote: »

Where was this taken?, because this is a female Southern Hawker :eek: Emperor Dragonfly doesn't have spots
If this is in Ireland, this is very significant, only one confirmed record though I've heard of a sighting or 2 since but they never made it to the record books.

No such luck, I took it in Cambridge (england) at the weekend...

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