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Scarce Blue-tailed Delight at Latchmore

Latchmore Brook
Wednesday 11th June

The drop in wind on Wednesday was ideal for a revisit to Latchmore Brook. The downside was a belt of cloud which appeared to follow the length of the stream, reluctant to open up at first. Thankfully the Scarce Blue-tailed were here and in good numbers at the first flush after crossing to the north bank.

Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly - male
Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly – male

A good dozen or more males were decorating the length of the flush, and deep down in the emergent vegetation was a recently-emerged Common Darter – another new species for the season.

Common Darter - teneral female
Common Darter – teneral female

Making my way to the main area, I searched the surrounding heather and grass for glittering prizes, and struck gold with a pristine aurantiaca.

Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly - female immature aurantiaca phase
Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly – female immature aurantiaca phase

Further rummaging through the grass produced another female, this one in the transitional phase between orange and green

Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly - female immature transitional phase
Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly – female immature transitional phase

The set was completed by a mature female

Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly - female adult green phase
Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly – female adult green phase

Walking up the mire towards Gypsy Hollows a few teneral Keeled would rise and fall from the ferns, while closer to the stream were a decent number of Southern.

Southern Damselfly - female
Southern Damselfly – female

Also scattered among the foliage were a few Small Red.

Small Red Damselfly - immature male
Small Red Damselfly – immature male

Back downhill I carefully stalked a mating pair of Scarce Blue-tailed, the completion of my set – and more than I could have wished for today.

Scarce Blue-tailed Damselflies - mating pair
Scarce Blue-tailed Damselflies – mating pair

The perch they had chosen was both low down and swaying in the light breeze; something not even a tripod could overcome. Also potentially disastrous were a small herd of browsing Mares who were gradually drawing closer, at one point threatening to devour my quarry.

Thankfully they rose beyond their reach before disaster struck, and I let them be. Having had far more than I could have wished for I finished early, not wishing to push it.