I had a feeling that I’d see my first #dragonfly of the year today & I was right 🙂
A new species for me too – a male hairy hawker (Brachytron pratense) sunbathing in the grass 😻
Initially similar to other hawkers, like the migrant (Aeshna mixta) which I see a lot of, the hairy hawker flies much earlier in the year & is, well, hairy 🤷♂️🙂
Anyone know what the pink blob is under the anal appendages?
Was talking this morning about how lovely our garden is for damselflies & dragonflies in the summer, but didn’t expect to see my first Odonata of the season the same day 🙂
This is a large red damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula), usually the first damselflies of the year to emerge in April & May, in a quick iPhone picture.
The yellow shoulder stripes & abdomen appendages identify it as an immature male.