I’m still amazed that I can see species that are new to me, even though I have been watching the wildlife around me for as long as I can remember.
I was taking my dog for his usual lunchtime walk down the Cuckoo Trail when we saw a Great Tit take a swipe at something in the foliage, and the next second a dragonfly crash-landed on the tarmac in front of me.
I gently picked it – or her as it turns out, her – off the cycle track and saw that she seemed winded but generally ok. She sat on my fingers for a few minutes before I gently encouraged her onto a branch in the sunshine before continuing with my walk.
If you ever rescue an insect (and you absolutely should) remember that they are ectotherms, so always put them somewhere warm and preferably sunny to stimulate their metabolism and help them on their way.
She had gone by the time I came back along the same stretch so hopefully she went off to find a mate. I realised I didn’t recognise the colouring so wondered about which species I’d had the pleasure of meeting.
I looked in my Collins guide and the only one I could find that fitted was a Downy Emerald. You can see the fuzzy down – and the emerald sheen – quite clearly here:
It turns out that they are not common, although they have a stronghold in the south-east. What a beauty though, and the habitat along the Cuckoo Trail is excellent for them so hopefully I will see more over the summer. We have three small ponds here in our garden and we definitely get damselflies, but last year the pond in the front garden was emptied so we need more dragonflies to lay eggs in order to replenish the population, and as the larvae take 2-3 years to mature, it will be 2027 at the earliest before they emerge as adults.
Here is a quick gouache sketch of the Downy Emerald:
