Of Dragons and Damsels

Words and Pictures by William Bowell

Flaming June!

The lazy, hazy days of summer really kick off in ‘Flaming June’ and on the sweltering hot days, my attention turns away from the sky and our feathered friends and more towards our waterways and grassland, looking for legendary Dragons and Damsels.

Willow Emerald

From a young age, the life cycle of Odonata (the family to which Dragonflies and Damselflies belong) has always fascinated me. From the tiny nymphs found when pond dipping, to the emergence on reed stems, then bursting out of their skins to create a beautiful flying insect; they are beautiful, fascinating creatures.

Our local area is littered with waterways which in turn attracts a wide array of different Dragonflies and Damselflies and June is a peak month for many of them.

Since 1995, an incredible eleven species of Dragonfly or Damselfly have been recorded in Britain for either the first time after apparent extinction or for the first time ever. Whilst greater observer awareness almost certainly plays a part, much of the reason for these new occurrences is the widespread expansion of many species across Europe, because of climate change.

Many of these ‘new’ species have subsequently established themselves as breeding residents. The Small Red-eyed Damselfly was only recorded for the first time in 1999 and only started breeding locally in the 2000s, but now is a fully-fledged common resident of our local pools and slowmoving rivers. Back in September 2020, dear reader, I reported in this marvellous publication, about Willow Emerald Damselflies spreading into our area. Their establishment here has been incredibly successfully over the past three years and now late summer and warm early autumn visits to the likes of Deeping Lakes and Baston Fen will see hundreds if not thousands of these delicate damsels, dangling in the wind.

Another, this time larger, coloniser, which arrived in our area for the first-time last summer, is the Norfolk Hawker. Also known as the Green-eyed Hawker, this large dragonfly, could be easily mistaken for the regular Brown Hawker, but the for the difference in eye colour (brown/blue in Brown Hawkers).

Several Norfolk Hawkers were found at Baston Fen last summer and almost certainly bred, and this spring one has been found in Peterborough, so signs are encouraging for this summer and June is a peak month for them. Twenty years ago, this species was very much restricted, in Britain to the Norfolk broads or the south coast of England and it is still considered endangered.

Not only are there new colonisers but we also enjoy nationally scarce Dragonflies which breed in good numbers in our area. Scarce Chaser is one such beautiful dragonfly, which is considered near-threatened in status in Britain. Locally, they are best found in ditches and drains south of the River Nene, with the Great Fen and Woodwalton Fen in particular, being hotspots.

Males are very blue, with blue eyes and blue bodies, whilst females are brown. They are very similar to Broad-bodied Chasers; however, BBCs tend to favour ponds and puddles. In fact their fondness for puddles make BBCs often the first species to appear at new garden ponds.

Scarce Chaser Norfolk Hawker

If this June is a particularly hot one in Europe and the airstreams are from a southerly direction, then Britain can expect to see influxes of other species of Dragons and Damsels. In 2006 Red-veined Darters were found across southern Britain and bred in large numbers, including locally at neighbouring gravel pits in the Deepings. Males are bright red and as their name suggests; their wings have wonderful red veins running through them, which makes them distinctive from familiar Ruddy or Common Darters. The following year, more appeared in the spring and this time, Lesser Emperor dragonflies came with them. Our Emperors are our biggest dragonfly and simply

stunning, as they patrol rivers and drains. Lesser Emperors may be smaller but are just as stunning and one morning in 2007, a couple of us found nine different individuals at Maxey pits, including a pair ovipositing – the first breeding confirmed in Cambridgeshire. But both species never took hold like Small Red-eyed or Willow Emerald, or perhaps Norfolk Hawker will do. However, maybe this year will see them return and with our ever increasingly warmer summers, perhaps this time they Lesser Emperor will decide that they would rather be in Deeping…. forever?!

Will works at Grasmere Farm in Deeping St James (with a butcher’s and deli in Market Gate, Market Deeping) but in his spare time enjoys wildlife watching locally and across the country. He is also a keen photographer. Many of his images can be found at http://justwildimages. blogspot.co.uk/ and photo cards can be found for sale at Market Gate Deli in Market Deeping.