A fascinating field trip to Windmill Farm today with a dozen people unearthed a new world of fascinating macro subjects. Led by Steve Jones and Dougy Wright, we were introduced to water-based insects, dragonfly exuviae, butterflies, grass snakes, crickets and ovipositing! Many thanks to all those present for sharing their specialist knowledge. The images below are a small selection of today's highlights.
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| Blue-tailed Damselflies in the copulation wheel |
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| Common Darter, approx one day old |
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| Common Darter recently emerged from its' exuviae. |
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| Female Emperor ovipositing |
The image below is a fascinating collection of Emperor exuviae. Steve Jones is monitoring the area - 268 were collected yesterday from just two pools. Counting exuviae gives a more accurate picture of how many adults are in the area, most of which disperse.The collection is just a small sample and the actual total is probably three or four times this amount.
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| Emperor Dragonfly exuviae, a selection of 268 collected from just two pools at Windmill. |
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| Female Golden-ringed Dragonfly - we witnessed an Emperor devouring another Golden-ringed Dragonfly! |
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| Great Green Bush Cricket, female. |
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| Water Stick Insect with freshly devoured beetle (top right) and the eggs of the stick insect growing inside the reed. Opposite the pale eggs are the breathing tubes (small spikes). |
Great pics Steve. It was a good turn out and a good day out.
ReplyDeleteSuper shots Steve. I've put a link on the Windmill Farm blog.
ReplyDeleteDefinitly a successful afternoon. Thanks for organising it. Steve
ReplyDelete