I spent some time yesterday at the seep on the track above our house looking for, and then finding, the golden-ringed dragonflies which I had seen there before. Sadly, the dragonflies were not in a mood for a picture or so I came home grumpy with disappointment - only to find....
....an absolutely stunning painted lady in our garden, sharing the buddleias with several other butterflies, including at least four red admirals.
I was back at the seep this morning determined to capture at least one good picture of the dragonflies, to find them in such a co-operative mood that I came away with at least ten pictures worth keeping, though....
....finding them against the background vegetation wasn't easy.
The female golden ringed is supposed to be Britain's largest dragonfly but these particular ones aren't very big, perhaps constrained in their growth by....
....the short, cool summers and long winters.
I sat for half an hour in warm sunshine watching them come and go, and chasing each other all over the place, these frantic flights often ending in vicious, buzzing combat which often resulted in them falling to the ground.
Wonderful photos thank you Jon! Your butterfly photos have been very enjoyable this summer, as are all of your updates on life all the way up there. Here in Cheshire today being outdoors has been like standing in a constant hairdryer wind. The weather is unnerving to say the least. I went past a lady in a shop today who said to someone else, we need to make the most of it, as though it was something to be enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind comments about the photos though I do feel at times that I am recording species which will soon be extinct. As for the weather, we managed 24C this lunchtime along with one or two sunny intervals, and after that it rained. No hope last evening of seeing the eclipse as we had 10/10ths cloud. Perhaps Scotland should promote itself as the grey, wet destination for those looking for a holiday and fed up with sun and warmth. Jon
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