Down To The Waterline.

On Thursday I went to a local river to see if there were any signs of one of my favourite insects emerging, the Beautiful Demoiselle. An insect that definitely lives up to its name.

In all I saw 5 Demoiselles, 3 females and 2 males, but they all kept well away from the camera, so the following day I returned hoping for better luck. With very little sun and a chilly breeze I was very lucky to see a male, and this time I did manage a photo.

Teneral male Beautiful Demoiselle. (Calopteryx virgo).

I also spotted my first Mayfly of the season resting up in the riverside foliage.

Mayfly.

Numbers of Large Red Damselfly continue to increase, and this area can be very good for them. Their eyesight is ridiculously good so they can be very tricky to get close to, but with the cooler conditions I did come across one that let me get close enough.

Large Red Damselfly.

My 2nd Small Copper of the year was also seen as well as a handsome Drinker larva. I often see this moth larva in this area as well as on the local Downland. However, I have never seen the adult moth. The larva is a favourite food for the Cuckoo, especially as the large size is a decent meal!!

Drinker larva.