June Gets Under Way

June has started with some wonderful weather and some wonderful dragon & damsel activity. Wednesday I paid a quick visit to Durley Mill in search of Banded Demoiselles

Male Banded Demoiselle
Male Banded Demoiselle
Female Banded Demoiselle
Female Banded Demoiselle

On Friday I decided to check out a few New Forest locations, beginning at Testwood Lakes hoping to find Scarce Chasers which had recently been spotted there. No luck and no sightings of any dragons, but there were plenty of Common Blue damsels and Banded Demoiselles

Common Blue Damselfly
Common Blue Damselfly

From there I visited my favourite pond to observe Large Reds, Azures, Broad-bodied Chasers, Four-spotted Chasers, Keeled Skimmers, Downy Emeralds and my first sighting this year of a Large Red-eyed Damsel

Large Red-eyed Damselfly
Large Red-eyed Damselfly
Downy Emerald In Flight
Downy Emerald In Flight

Onwards to Latchmore Brook, my first visit this year, hoping to find some Scarce Blue-tails. None to be found but among the usual Large Reds, Azures, Broad-bodied Chasers and Four-spotted Chasers there were plenty of Beautiful Demoiselles taking the attention away from the tourists.

Mating Pair of Azure Damselflies
Pair of Azure Damselflies
Female Beautiful Demoiselle
Female Beautiful Demoiselle

On Friday I visited Bentley Wood, mainly to look for the Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary butterflies, but was elated to finally locate the two ponds where there was plenty of activity from Large Reds, Azures, Broad-bodied Chasers, Four-spotted Chasers and the largest population of Downy Emeralds I’ve encountered yet

Four-spotted Chaser
Four-spotted Chaser
Four-spotted Chaser Close-up
Four-spotted Chaser Close-up

Saturday was spent in the company of my partner, Sue, and a fellow enthusiast and proprietor of New Forest Dragonflies website, Doug Overton. We called in at Holmsley on the way to Silver Stream, where we encountered dozens of fresh Keeled Skimmers along with adults of both sexes and our first Southern Damselflies of the season among the usual suspects.Ober Water.

Male Keeled Skimmer
Male Keeled Skimmer
Female Keeled Skimmer
Female Keeled Skimmer
Female Beautiful Demoiselle
Female Beautiful Demoiselle

Onwards to Ober Water with our main objective being the first White-legged Damselflies of the season along with a few Southern Damselflies.

Mating Pair of Southern Damselflies
Pair of Southern Damselflies
White-legged Damselfly
White-legged Damselfly
White-legged Damselfly
White-legged Damselfly
Teneral White-legged Damselfly
Teneral White-legged Damselfly
Teneral Male Keeled Skimmer
Teneral Male Keeled Skimmer

On the way back we stopped briefly at Linford Bottom to witness a few Broad-bodied’s and the first Emperor we’d encountered that day.

A fabulous day to end a fabulous week.