Abington Naturewatch: Large Red Damselflies in High Street

Sunday, 22 May 2016

Large Red Damselflies in High Street

Jennifer writes:

A few members have reported seeing large red damselflies in the last couple of weeks.

Here is a photo I took of a mating pair that I saw on my pond on the morning of 22 May on a curled up waterlily leaf; the one on the left is the male, brighter than the female.

If you see red damselflies they are almost certainly large red damselflies as the small ones are very rare and not likely to be seen in our part of the country. These large ones are about 5cms (2 inches) long. Please let me know if you see any, most likely on a pond.

The next damselflies we could be seeing at the end of this month are the Banded demoiselles, and a good place to see them is on the edge of the river just upstream of the Millennium footbridge.

Jennifer Hirsh
Naturewatch Insect recorder

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The Aims of Abington Naturewatch

At their meeting on 9 April 2005 the members approved this revised version of the aims of Abington Naturewatch:

To monitor and record the wildlife (fauna & flora) within the borders of the Abingtons;
To encourage protection of our wildlife, maintain its quality and foster its diversity;
To promote awareness of the richness, potential and problems of the natural environment of the Abingtons;
To cooperate in improving access to the local natural environment for the benefit of all Abington villagers.

Pat Daunt, Founder

The organisation is informal and communication is by email if possible; members are notified of events from time to time. Contact details are maintained by a small "project team". There is currently no membership fee as costs are covered by voluntary contributions at events.

Members are encouraged to report notable sightings of flora and fauna within the Abingtons to the appropriate sector coordinator and an illustrated record is published annually.

A map of the area covered, with some features noted, is available here: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=213774935674882866424.00000111dca2be9f06ab8&z=13>

For more information or to join, please contact David Farrant on (01223) 892871.

Contributions to our records should be sent to sector contacts or either of the above. Photographs may also be submitted to Andy Merryweather (amerryweather61@gmail.com)