On the Wildside: Damsels and dragons benefit from the hot weather

They favour slow-flowing streams and still waters from peat bogs to garden ponds. Indeed, in some years there may be masses of emerging damselflies of this species from an individual pond. They will have crawled up onto a flower stem or similar emergent vegetation, and then the larvae pupated. Now transformed into the adult or imago, the insects dry and harden their exoskeleton and wings in the bright sunshine. You can tell immediately that this is a damsel rather than a dragon because of its small, delicate, almost matchstick-like body, and especially because when at rest, its wings are laid along the length of the abdomen.

Dragonflies are much bigger and heavier bodied, and at rest, their wings project outwards. The black legs and wing spots distinguish this damsel from its smaller cousin, the small red damselfly, the latter being an altogether rarer species of southern heathlands.

One of the first damsels to appear in spring, the large red damselfly generally has a two-year lifecycle during which it overwinters in a diapause condition, which is a kind of suspended animation.

Then, as conditions become suitable in the early spring, there will be synchronous emergence as the new adults appear at once, and usually over a period of just a few weeks. The male adults are territorial, but interestingly, so too are the aquatic larva.

This is unusual in dragonflies and damselflies. Male and female are similar though the female has more dark markings on the thorax. The species is widespread and common throughout most of the British Isles, and if you have a garden pond in a sunny, open situation then expect to see them.

Professor Ian D. Rotherham, researcher, writer & broadcaster on wildlife & environmental issues, is contactable on [email protected]; follow Ian’s blog (https://ianswalkonthewildside.wordpress.com/) and Twitter @IanThewildside