Cumbria images keep me posting.........Large Heath and Black Darter.

Despite 10 days in Kent i'm still relying on images from the other weekend due to a combination of torn calf muscle and major hip pain. Not been out birding or bugging once while i've been here but been out with my beautiful grandson a few times around the local country parks and beaches. That's a laugh. Well, what passes as a beach down here ranges between shells and shingle, oh for the wide open spaces of Northumberland. Speaking of Northumberland............here are a few more images from Cumbria beginning with a Large Heath, a butterfly you might not have encountered as, although it is primarily a northern species its habitat is mainly confined to boggy areas. Not an easy species to photograph although it has a slow lumbering flight. It tends to lift and fly for some distance before landing again with the underfoot conditions posing the biggest problem.

There is a large variation in the spot marking of this species depending where in the country you find it.

Away from the pools as we were leaving the site we encountered large numbers of newly emerged Black Darters perched on heather. Another species that tends to be found in and around bog pools and peat moss sites.

White-faced Darter adult male, Cumbria

Three different angles showing the markings of this bonny Darter.

 

 

As i mentioned in my previous post the female tends to keep away from the water unless ovipositing whereas the male will perch nearby on bare patches of ground or old or dead bracken while defending a small area of territory over the water. Not frightened to engage with other species as we saw on a number of occasions coming into conflict with Four-spot Chasers despite the difference in size.

White-faced Darter nymph

The images below shows how this particular species is quite rare in the U.K. Unlike other dragonfly larvae it is active during the day, feeding at night. This being the case it is more open to predation by fish so making its home in highly acidic pools where the fish cannot survive. This environment has been removed in the past, being drained and planted on. The species has suffered greatly from its loss of habitat but recently moves have been made to restore more of these bogs and mires by the felling of trees and blocking of drainage ditches.
The site in Cumbria i visited with Howdon Blogger last weekend has in fact been used as a donor site for larvae that were reintroduced to Foulshaw Moss near Kendal.

The naiad spends its time in the Sphagnum Mosses in the pools.

They exist as larvae for 1-3 years before emerging in the adult stage.

Male and female adults mating......the female only appearing over the water to lay her eggs in the Sphagnum
Don't forget..........double click does the trick.

Beautiful female Blue

Female Common Blue

Early visit to Big Waters this morning brought me 7 new Hawker exuvia but far too late to see any emerging, didn't arrive 'till 4.45a.m. Fairly quiet on and around the water as i had a wander around the site with the exception of feeding Common Terns, a fine sight in the improving light. The temperature was fairly cool early on and it was apparent there had been plenty rain overnight so there wasn't much in the way of insects on the wing. The sun eventually began to make its presence felt and the mercury must have been rising with a number of damsels appearing along with a few butterflies. A few Whites, possibly a score of Meadow Browns and a single female Common Blue caught the eye. I was in fact stopped in my tracks by the Blue. Being a female it had that brown tinge to it and i always think , initially,  that i have some other species.

Emerged Dragon

Images of Dragonfly next to exuvia.

Aeshna genus......possibly Cyanea, Southern Hawker.

Another look at the exuvia........you can see where it has emerged.

Hawker Exuvia, Big Waters.

Following info. from Dick (City Birding) of  location of exuvia at Big Waters i called there on Tuesday of last week. I found 3 attached to Flag Iris stems and reeds in very close vicinity to each other. Having seen these i decided i would call up early one morning to see if i could watch a specimen emerging from the exo skeleton. Yesterday morning (Sun.) i arrived in the car park at around 5.15a.m. and made my way to the area in question. I immediately came across an individual but unfortunately for me it had already left the exuvia but was resting right next to it as it finished its metamorphosis. I hung around for about 90 minutes watching it slowly prepare itself for flight. While doing so i scanned more of the reed bed and again found another 2 empty exuvia. They were in  different positions to the ones i saw the other day but in the same locality.
I decided to have a wander round the site and come back later. I didn't see any Dragonflies elsewhere while walking about but had large numbers of both Common Blue and Blue-tailed Damsels in and around Seaton Burn and the surrounding trees and grasses. Also sighted were large numbers of Meadow Brown and Small Skipper butterflies and a few Ringlets and Whites. I returned to the dipping pond to see how things were proceeding at 9.15a.m. to find that the Hawker had taken to the wing and was left with only the empty case. I managed to rescue it and took it home to photograph. Here are a couple of close up images. i will post some images of the Dragon and exuvia soon.

 

Amazing creatures........i wish i had seen it emerge.