Unfortunately Don Tagg was unable to lead this meeting, to which ENHS members were invited, through illness, but Bill Wayne deputised, guided by a local member of the Dragonfly Society. With five members of ENHS, 19 people attended in all.
On the way to Black Pond we noted an azure damselfly and meadow brown butterfly, but the hope of this expedition was to see a brilliant emerald dragonfly, and we were not disappointed. As soon as we arrived at Black Pond, one came to greet us and hovered before us obligingly for a considerable time. When we eventually moved to the west side of the pond, another brilliant emerald threw itself at us! We witnessed the emergence of a brown hawker dragonfly at the water's edge, and also recorded the downy emerald dragonfly, large red damselfly, and blue-tailed damselfly.
Continuing southwards we saw two large skipper, a common blue, and a green-veined white butterfly and a large yellow underwing moth. A kestrel passed overhead. At the first old water tank, several `exudia', the shed skins left by dragonfly nymphs as they emerge as adults, were found on the side of the tank. Further on, a southern hawker dragonfly posed for photos. At a small `water-hole' a common darter dragonfly was photographed as it dried its wings after emergence. On adjacent aspen shoots, several spectacular red beetles Chrysomela populi) were noted.
At the second water tank, near the A3, we witnessed a remarkable display of southern hawkers, freshly emerged and needing to escape through holes in the mesh covering the tank. We watched one succeed, but the bodies of two that had failed were floating on the surface, along with many exudia. A seven-spot ladybird was rescued from the tank, and a zebra spider patrolled the edge.
Lunch was taken beside A3 pond, where we were entertained by emperor and brown hawker dragonflies hunting, a large red damselfly egg-laying, and many tiny newts scurrying about in the shallows. An unidentified spider skated across the water between floating leaves. Also noted here were a harlequin ladybird, cinnabar moth larvae on ragwort and ?6-spot burnet moths flying.
Those people staying on for the `afternoon' session took a quick march to Middle Pond, only recording a ringlet butterfly en route. Clouds had moved in by now, and Middle Pond proved a bit disappointing, with only distant views of brown hawker and emperor dragonflies, and common blue damselfly. More interest was taken in a moorhen, bringing material to its nest in the middle of a lily bed. As we circled the pond, a song thrush sang, and a grass snake was seen.
Returning via the west bridge over the A3, we noticed a young horse chestnut which had been devastated by the leaf-mining caterpillars of the micro-moth Cameraria ohridella. At another little `water-hole', a male and a female broad-bodied chaser dragonfly were flying. Back at Black Pond, a brilliant emerald dragonfly was still about, and still keen to entertain its fans!
Dick Alder