Hawker Dragonflies

Sunday, September 20th 2020

Friday was fairly warm although at times the breeze was cool. Keith and June visited the reserve to have a look at our dragonflies and damselflies. On the wetland a Common Hawker was spotted on a fence post. You can see that it was having a 'wash and brush up'.

What you can't see on Keith's photo is all the background and surroundings. As usual it did not land in the best of places.

Stealth and patience meant good photos were taken.

Foxglove does its best to provide just the right habitat, large or small, for the many species that live within its boundaries. Instead of the lovely vegetation surrounding her, a Water Vole latrine was the favoured place for a Southern Hawker to lay her eggs. She had found an area of soft wood. These eggs will result in adults in two to three years time.

Keith and June's report gave us some interesting information -

'A Brown Hawker was recorded. We had a brief but better sighting of a male Migrant Hawker on the wetland this afternoon. This is a new species for the reserve. Only saw it in flight and no time for a picture. It was a surprise as the more suitable habitat is the Phragmites beds in the Scrapes and on the main lake but they were relatively quiet for dragonflies.

Plover's Pool had a number of Black Darter males present. Liking the conditions with the increased vegetation.'

Caring for the habitats at Foxglove is always a balancing act to ensure that we do our best for the flora and fauna that live there. Plover's Pool has much vegetation in it and a discussion has started about looking at how we manage it. Now we have the additional information that the Black Darters like it as it is. Watch this space.

Brown Hawker records were checked and it has only been seen at the time it was first recorded, in a survey in August 1995.

Common Darters were also flying and can often be seen as you drive up the access road as well on vegetation away from ponds.

Thank you to Keith and June for thier updates on our 'dragon' populations.

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