Hairy dragonfly

A busy day again, the morning spent helping with the butterfly transect at Orton Pit, where we recorded eleven species including the first brown argus of the year. There were also plenty of dragonflies and damselflies around in sheltered corners, mostly hairy dragonflies, but also a single four-spotted chaser.

The hairy dragonfly is the first of the large dragonflies to emerge in the spring. It's named for its hairy thorax, distinguishing it from other hawkers. It lives in ponds, lakes, fens, ditches, and canals rich in vegetation. This dragonfly requires open and sunny areas with dense vegetation for protection. Here they are able to feed on flying insects. This female is actually crunching up a St. Mark's fly.

I nearly didn't manage my blip today! The afternoon was spent mowing the lawn and taking the dogs to the vet for their routine vaccinations. Then this evening we had a large group of young people round to share a Chinese meal with us - lots of food, drink and laughter, which has only just finished.

Tomorrow we have our Royal Wedding street party, so I probably won't have much time to comment until Saturday. Sorry I'm being a bit erratic at the moment!