In message , Broadback
writes
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.

When I went over to Ness Botanic Gardens last weekend there were
blue-tailed damselflies, azure damselflies (I think), southern hawkers,
a possible brown hawker (I didn't get a good view) and a common darter.
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley