We
have already more than ten years a pond in the garden. We have for years no fish
in it. So a pump is not necessary. On a distance of 500 meters there is no water
except some ponds. Damselflies and dragonflies have to come from far.
Damselflies
Damselflies you can classify in several families.
Family Platycnemididae. (A small family) the family Coenagrionidae (a large
family with species like blue-tailed
damselfly, Large Red Damselflyand Azure Damselfly) Family Lestidae, commonly known as "Spreadwings." (a small family with species like the Willow Emerald Damselfly) Family Calopterygidae. (a large family, especially in the tropics. In the Netherlands you have
the Banded Demoiselle and the Beautiful Demoiselle.The males have coloured wings). Both damselflies and dragonflies catch
their prey with the forelegs (all kinds of insects). They can’t walk.
In May many species
lay the eggs in a tandem.Males
stand right over their females. It can
be dangerous. Once we saw a female disappearing under water. When we
looked better, we saw, a larva
of a dragonfly (nymph) was
the predator.
Mating: This
position, in which the bodies of the male and female damselflies form a circle,
is called “the wheel position.”
Large red damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula)
On
16 April I saw the first damselflies. It was the Large red damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) This species is very early. We every year see more
of this species in our garden.
It is a female because of the yellow bands around the abdominal segments.
The Large red damselfly
on the fallen chestnut flower is a male. The
Large Red is common and widespread throughout Europe.
Flying time: April - July
Mating
takes place in marginal vegetation and the pair lays their eggs in tandem
on submerged vegetation The eggs are being deposited on submerged
vegetation one by oneThe
females use the ovipositor to make slits in plant tissue and insert one to
several eggs into each slit.
The nymphs stay 2to 3 years
in the pond.
German:
Frühe Adonislibelle, Frühe Adonisjungfer French: Petite nymphe au
corps de feu
Azure
Damselfly
(Coenagrion puella)
The first, I saw in 2007 was on 30 April.
This damselfly is also common and widespread throughout Europe. It
is remarkable for its distinctive black and blue colouring. The eggs are also being deposited on the
water plants.
Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura
elegans) In May 2008 for the first time in the garden.
Segment eight is entirely pale blue. Females
are very variable in colouration.
They tolerate also unclear water.The pair
separate before the female goes off to lay her eggs in surface vegetation.
The female lives only 11 days. The nymphs stay
one yearin the pond.
Sometimes
the nymphs emerge
as adults after three months. Than there is a second generation in one
year.
Common and widespread throughout Europe. Not in Spain.
Flying
time: May -
September
German:
Große Pechlibelle French: Agrion élégant
Willow
Emerald Damselfly
(Lestes viridis or Chalcolestes viridis)
It is a commonl widespread damselfly. Male and female are
mainly metallic green and lager than the other damselflies.
The eyes are brown. The willow emerald
damselflies lay their eggs into incisons in the bark of overhanging
branches.The eggs hibernate and hatch next spring. The larve has no legs when it
falls in the water. Then it changes in a real nymph.After three
months appears the new damselfly.
In rest they hold their wings half open. Most damselflies rest with their wings folded together.
In our garden it often sits in the bays shrubs. There are not many willow
emerald damselflies in the garden. Perhaps because there are no overhanging trees or
shrubs near the pond.
German:
Weidenjungfer French: Leste vert
Common Winter Damselfly (Sympecma
fusca) (female)
This is also a damselfly. In September 2008 for
the first time in the garden.
The Winter Damsel is the only
damselfly, which overwinters as an adult. That's why it flies early in
spring.
Length: 3cm. Light brown with dark brown to bronze coloured spots on the
top.
In rest they hold their wings
not half open like other damselflies, but they fold them together
along one side of their abdomen
Two flyingtimes: April - May and August - September.
The only other Winter Damsel in the Netherlands is the rare Siberian
Winter damselfly (Sympecma paedisca).
Biotope: Shallow, nutrient-poor ponds in wooded area with sandy soil.
Dragonflies
are stronger than damselflies. The large eyes touch each other above the
head. All of
them have two pairs of membranous wings. Their wings are more or less
similar. The
hind wings are a littlebroader
than the fore wings.
The wings are held horizontally at rest.
Most dragonflies
are good aviators, betterthan the
damselflies. Like the damselflies they cannot walk.
There are several families.
Family
Gomphidae. Family Cordulegastridae. Family Aeshnidae with species likeEmperor
Dragonfly and Southern Hawker, Blue
Hawker. Family Corduliidae. Family Libellulidae with species like the Black-tailed
Skimmer and the Common
Darter.
Southern
Hawker, Blue
Hawker
(Aeshna cyanea).
The left photo has been taken mid- June at 8 o'clock at night. We
had almost overlooked him, because a minute later it flew away.
Some days later my woman has taken photos of an other metamorphose. When I
came home, it was almost finished. Click
here if you want to see the metamorphose.
The Southern Hawker, Blue Hawker is a common species, except in clay areas. Length
70 mm. Wings 100 mm. The
femalehas green markings on
the black bodies, and the male also has blue spots on the abdomen.
At young dragonflies the colours are less clear. Eggs are laid around
the edge of the pond, amongst pond-side vegetation, in dead wood.The
female lays the eggs without the female.
Adults are often found hunting a long way from water, usually alongside
trees and bushes.
The nymphs emerge
as adults in July and August after two years.
The
photo has been made 3 June 2007.Females lay
their eggs alone favouring the leaves and flowers stalks of Water soldier
(also on this photo) The larvae probably take 2 years to develop.It
requires clean water.
They are found in peat
bog area, but
also in the dunes. (in our neibourhood) It
has a yellow triangular mark on the second abdominal segment and it has
green eyes. The male and female are similar.
Flying time: May to August. It is not a very common species.
German:
Keilfleck-Mosaikjungfer, Keilflecklibelle
Black-tailed Skimmer
(Orthetrum cancellatum)
This also is a common dragonfly.
Length 30 to 35 mm. Wings 70 to 80 mm.
The Black-tailed
Skimmer often
sunbathing in the garden. (like here).
This is a female. It has
a yellowish brown body with black zigzag marks along the abdomen The
older females are more brown. The males are blue.
Flying timeMay to August.
German:
Große Blaupfeil French: Orthétrum réticulé, Orthetrum
bleuissant
Common
Darter
(Sympetrum striolatum)
Also a common species in Europe.
They
will often repeatedly return to a sunny spot as you can see on the photos
on this site.They
can stay for a long time, overlooking
their territory. They like to bask in the sun.
It is not difficult to take photos. When it
rests, it will position its wings forwards and downwards
Flying time June
to October
The
eggs are sometimes laid in a tandem. The male is often only watching.
German:
Große Heidelibelle French: Sympétrum strié
Common
Darter (Sympetrum
striolatum)
When
they are young, both sexes are pale yellow. The males then darken and
turn a dark burnt orange colour. The females darken with old age.
Vagrant Darter (Sympetrum
vulgatum)
So far (2009) I only
saw Common Darters in the garden. This time I have photographed an Vagrant
Darter. If I had known before, I had made more photos. Especially the
photo of the side isn't pretty. But is was important to indentify.
Nederlands /
Dutch
