Mature

I was rattling around the garden this afternoon, trying to capture a few inverts on camera before R's sister and brother-in-law arrived for a long-overdue visit, when I inadvertently scared this male Large Red Damselfly into flight. Luckily he just zoomed upwards a few feet, then dropped back down onto one of the iris leaves growing out of the wildlife pond. What's interesting about this is that it says he's mature and looking for a mate - and obviously I hope that when he finds one, they decide to lay at least some of her eggs in one of our ponds.

On which subject, two more Large Red Damselflies emerged from the patio pond this morning, and R found another two empty exuviae - giving a running total of ten successful eclosures from eleven attempts. In sadder news, a twelfth Large Red larva didn't even make it to the attempt stage, after falling foul of one of the voracious diving beetles that have now found and colonised this pond. At one point I saw the assassin and a second diving beetle who also wanted the nymph virtually pulling it in two. I remind myself at times like this that the beetles also have to eat - but I wish they'd choose something else and leave my Odonata alone.

Our family time with J and T has been excellent - even if so much talking was going on that dinner arrived on the table about an hour later than planned. I suspect I won't have much voice left by tomorrow, but that could be regarded as a blessing.