Bob Hobden wrote:
"Sacha" wrote
after "Bob Hobden" wrote:
"Sacha" wrote ...
I was visited by this beauty this afternoon. I'm afraid the second pic
is
fuzzy:
http://i12.tinypic.com/6cf7rlj.jpg[/IMG]
http://i12.tinypic.com/5x933m1.jpg[/IMG]

Beautiful, looks like a Southern Hawker Dragonfly (Aeshna cyanea). Sue
finds
them beautiful too but I know of some of both sexes that would run a
mile.
:-)
Thanks for the ID, Bob. I'm woefully ignorant about such things. No,
they
don't worry me a bit, nor do bats or other garden critters. I'm just
cautious round bees and try not to annoy them!
I was doing a bit of weeding and taking some photos for the web site, too
and this glorious thing zoomed onto the Thalictrum. I'm poor at judging
focus on the digital camera so a bit more practice is needed!

A Brown Hawker seems to have taken over our pond and garden this year and
seems to be defending it against other intruders but we did have a Beautiful
Demoiselle flying around the room the other evening. My favourite Damselfly
is the Banded Demoiselle easily identified with it's dark blotch on each
wing, so pretty in flight.

Normally I have quite a number of "dragonflies" about my garden, this
year nothing. Not that I've been able to get out much to look, been
raining here all day as yesterday in North Staffordshire.