From the rain into the sun- Emperor Dragonfly

[Shirley Roulston]

Not too many butterflies in Nefyn- North Wales, every day it seems to rain. When the sun comes out get out with that camera and make the most of it. To-day on the Buddlia a female Emperor Dragonfly rested for quite a while. At the other side of the garden in the Fever few a Large White Butterfly was sunning its self. The Peacock butterflies are very late as are many other species.

100_6053.jpg (55.51 KiB) Viewed 761 times

100_6070.jpg (101.77 KiB) Viewed 761 times

[thepostieles]

nice photos shirley.yes been hardley any

[Padfield]

Yes, nice pictures!

I don't want to be a pain, especially as I was wrong on the last dragonfly I identified on these forums ( ), but isn't that an immature southern hawker, Aeshna cyanea? I'm sure you know that's a green-veined white in the picture, though I don't doubt for a moment there were large whites there too.

I'm a school teacher - I was born with a red pen!

Guy

PS - Here's a female emperor I photographed this year:

[Shirley Roulston]

I stand corrected on the butterfly, but! with the Dragonfly if it was blue it just might be a Emperor and the female is green which mine is although the photo doesn't show it but yours does and the thing flew to these flowers and it is very green. Perish the thought that I might question a teacher, but do you think we might have a second opinion

100_6082.jpg (94.22 KiB) Viewed 705 times

My camera is a Kodak Easyshare P712

[Shirley Roulston]

Double Opps, I've just been on the internet to look for a Southern Hawker and I think you're right Mr. Padfield. Teacher's right again.

[Padfield]

I love it when people say that! But in my case teacher is quite frequently wrong.

Seeing the greener picture I retract the bit about it being immature. I would now suggest it is an adult female southern hawker.

Guy

[Shirley Roulston]

Regarding the Green Veined White, I sent it to the Garden Bird Web sight and he has actually put it as a Large White, he could be right.

[eccles]

The Garden Bird site is wrong. It's a green veined white.
And that dragonfly is definitely a female southern hawker. You can't always go on colouration as they can change with age, and even temperature. But the pattern markings are always consistent. Look for the marking at the top of the abdomen that looks a bit like a golf tee, the pairs of dots down the abdomen with the last pair fused together. These define it as a southern hawker. The long tail claspers with nothing between them means it's a female.