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Dragonfly larvae.

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Its 2 years since we installed our pond and have watched dragonflies especially the common Hawker circle it and deposit eggs in what seems every nook and crannie.

The southern Hawker been a less frequent visitor .

Dragonfly larvae are known to have voracious appetites and can decimate tadpoles as they emerge.

Apparently larvae can live between 1 – 5 years before emerging to adulthood , they dont have a pupa stage like moths and butterflies so thrilled to find these on bullrush if a little surprised by them..

Having emerged from the water the larvae anchor themselves by threads so as to break through their casing from the back in a position approximate to where their wings would be.

As you can imagine this process leaves them extremely vunerable as their bodies are soft and wings need to dry and stiffen.Many emerge over night to reduce risk of predation.

This image taken late last night by flash and think it shows head emerging. Can take several hours and as fascinated as I was bed was calling ..

Disappointed to find they had fully transformed over night leaving behind casing.

Hopefully many more will appear – one attached to iris and another on bullrush and they might develop during more social hours , would love to be able to capture their full development so hope you dont mind me sharing even if missed the main event .

Guess you wouldnt be sat if dragonfly was still around ..

Having emerged over night the wings still wet and soft takes a few hours to dry and fully stiffen.Hardly seems possible such a large insect transfomed from that larva casing.

As sun rises can almost see wings dry and soon prepared for maiden flight.

Once reached adulthood this is the shortest span of a dragonflies life..3 – 4 months if lucky.

Somewhat less if not.Such is nature.Its tough out there.Pics by Jane except those on nightshift .

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Comments

 

Incredible photography by both you and Jane, this was amazing Bb! You have quite taken my breath away.......stunning!

22 Jul, 2010

 

Oh thank you Flori...it was fascinating to watch...until the blackbird leapt across...fluttered onto the bullrush and grabbed it ! Thats nature for you !!

22 Jul, 2010

 

Wonderful pics,Bb, you must have stood still for ages !! well done.

22 Jul, 2010

 

Thanks Grandmage...just a couple of hours early this morning...very early lol ..

22 Jul, 2010

 

Fantastic, an amazing set of pictures. As for the last photo nature can be so cruel at times but well caught.

22 Jul, 2010

 

Thanks Sue..it was a bit of a shock !

22 Jul, 2010

 

Wow, and wow again. Well done to both photographers - absolutely brilliant. Something I would never see - thank you so much - really fascinating stuff and amazing photographs, and that last one, oh dear!

22 Jul, 2010

 

Thank you Gee...were almost too transfixed to take the photos....and the poor thing never even got its maiden flight...thought it would be safe in the middle of the rushes.No wonder they usually shed at night !

22 Jul, 2010

 

fantastic blog jane and ray, how wonderfull to see this happen in your own garden, i love to see them hovering over the pond, great pics by both of you, well done ;o))) x

22 Jul, 2010

 

Thanks San...it was brilliant to see..but the blackbird was fast to grab it ! :o(

22 Jul, 2010

 

i bet it was, a tastey breakfast for her jane, nature is wonderfull but sad to, only like us having our bacon and sausage breakfast lol

22 Jul, 2010

 

Great photos you have got here, brill blog and photos as always.))x

22 Jul, 2010

 

Yes you are right San...everything has to eat :o) x
Thank you very much Clarice x

22 Jul, 2010

 

What a fantastic experience for you both and how great to have the pictures of the different stages, well done to you both for your patience and skill, just a pity about the sad ending!

22 Jul, 2010

 

Thank you PP we thought they might be safe amongst bullrushes but blackbirds almost hover to pick them off sad after all that effort .

Sure blackbirds feel the same about sparrowhawks . Good news is many more appear to have hatched during night as our pond covered in empty larva cases still left clinging to rushes.

22 Jul, 2010

 

Really interesting Jane/Ray :) The cases look quite ghostly don't they ?
Sad ending but down the chain you have your tadpoles breathing a sigh of relief :))

22 Jul, 2010

 

Lol Aster..what with these and the ducks earlier..no wonder we only had a few baby frogs that made it...Its a harsh world out there !!

22 Jul, 2010

 

Amazing photos and blog ... photo 2 is wonderful ... beautiful insects ... I've looked at this 3 times now and am still amazed at the wonder of Nature ... thankyou for sharing this. Love it ... think you can tell though !

22 Jul, 2010

amy
Amy
 

A fascinating story come to life with your excellent photos Jane , your saw a whole life through from the beginning to the bitter end .... stunning ...

22 Jul, 2010

 

Thank you Shirley...it was amazing..could hardly take the photos..xx
Amy..tried to divert the blackbird...but no chance..ignored mealworms and insect pellets I put out..and homed in...determined to get the prize..Nature for you...

22 Jul, 2010

 

What a stunning set of pictures Ray/Jane, great story but not a fairytale with a happy ending, very sad but as you say that's nature for you. Glad I caught up with it at last, don't know how I missed it, thanks for putting the other photo on. Must add gone to my favourites.

23 Jul, 2010

 

what an interesting blog..super shots.well done Jane and BB

23 Jul, 2010

 

well done to you both fantastic pics.....

23 Jul, 2010

 

Thanks Drb would love to capture the whole sequence but mainly occurs over night as blackbird proves why ..no need to apologise not late only posted yesterday I ve missed some that have been on a while .. thats the problem with Goy the more popular it becomes the harder to keep up , the older I get the slower I type ..Catch 22 eh ?

Thank you Deida they are beautiful creatures but the size of those larvae lurking at the bottom of the pond must terrify everything else.

Thanks Hollyeves Jane deserves all the credit but hey I m grateful for any so thanks very much x

23 Jul, 2010

 

Fabulous !!! :~)))

23 Jul, 2010

 

Brilliant!!!

24 Jul, 2010

 

Thanks both.....

24 Jul, 2010

 

Fantastic Ray/Jane. Wonderful pics and blog. Very educational actually. I show my young granddaughter all the pics I think will catch her attention, and am amazed how interested she gets, looking at them and asking questions. Have only just read this, so will show her later. :o)))

24 Jul, 2010

 

Oh thank you very much Lindalooloo...glad you enjoyed the blog and hope your granddaughter does too.Hope she asks lots of questions !

24 Jul, 2010

 

Well I never, amazing. Thanks for this Ray, wonderful to see what happens, I'll be keeping a watch on ours now.

24 Jul, 2010

 

Have just shown her, and yes she did ask a lot of questions. I showed both her and Anton your blog. He was answering her questions, as he's the more capable one to answer her correctly. Plus he loves the wildlife also. :o)))

24 Jul, 2010

 

Thanks Dawn......
Is Anton your grandson Lindalooloo? Glad they enjoyed the blog !!

24 Jul, 2010

 

Really enjoyed this Jane and Ray.......fantastic photos and explanations, such a shame at the end, all part of the food chain....:o((

24 Jul, 2010

 

No, Anton is my Hubby. He was explaining to her, the different stages it goes through, to become a beautiful Dragonfly, and telling her what the cocoons were. It's surprising how the little ones sit and listen.I expect, to her, it's a story she hasn't heard before. :o)))

24 Jul, 2010

 

Thank you Janey..expected at least a maiden flight.....:o(
Thats great Lindalooloo....and lovely that the children want to know..:o)

24 Jul, 2010

 

Having been ordered by Jane to have a look at this blog I'm so glad that I obeyed as it's wonderful. Thank you both.

25 Jul, 2010

 

You are most welcome Toto...glad you enjoyed it !

25 Jul, 2010

 

fascinating!!! Who needs the telly? Especially with that final pic!!!!! :-D)))

25 Jul, 2010

 

truly exquisite!!

25 Jul, 2010

 

I totally agree with David. I didn't turn the telly on, on Saturday, I was so engrossed with what was happening here on GoY. Yesterday I turned the telly on at 8pm to watch a programme I wanted to see, but came on GoY, and never got around to watching it. Too much interest on here. Lol. :o)))

26 Jul, 2010

 

amazing ..wonderful pics bb..brilliant..

26 Jul, 2010

 

Thank you David..Cate..Lindalooloo and Joanella...for your very kind comments....

26 Jul, 2010

 

I'd forgotten that you can now add blogs to favourites so have now corrected that and on favourites it has gone.

27 Jul, 2010

 

What a fascinating and informative blog, with wonderful photographs. It shows how gardens aren't just places for flowers, but for interesting wild life, too. And for hunting: you must have had great fun stalking the dragon flies in their various life stages. And to judge from the comments above, we've all enjoyed reading about the life of the dragon fly and viewing your terrific pix, even if there was a rather unhappy ending! Who needs David Attenborough?

27 Jul, 2010

 

My thoughts entirely Kowhai. :o)))

27 Jul, 2010

 

Aw thanks Toto if known that would have made Jane a pack up and flask to get some night shots ..

Thank you Kowhai its quite a chain the larvae eating tadpoles the birds grabbing dragonflies the blackbirds caught by sparrowhawks ..as for David Attenborough just couldnt imagine watching wildlife and nature without him ,rather like the stars and planets without Patrick Moore.

Thanks Lindaloo .. oh you may be interested in Kowhais experiences with wisteria on blog wisteria tips.

27 Jul, 2010

 

What a fascinating blog it is great to be able to see something like this, shame that it did not have a happy ending , but thats life.

29 Jul, 2010

 

Thanks Mavis true indeed happily many that emerged overnight seem to have made it as found many empty larval cases .

31 Jul, 2010

 

Very interesting blog. Keep up the good work both of you.

18 Aug, 2010

 

Thank you Fractal.

19 Aug, 2010

 

As expected Ray and Jane an excellent blog with the usual high quality photos, I am a great fan of these magnificent insects, we used to have a lot in the garden a few years back, and I really miss not seeing them around any more, like you I would have been out half the night trying to get a pic.....so thanks for doing it for me.

29 Oct, 2010

 

Thank you very much Dd...it was worth the wait...they are truly fascinating creatures.Glad you enjoyed the blog..

29 Oct, 2010

 

great blog..so enjoyable to read..thanks..:-)

30 Oct, 2010

 

Thank you Sandra...so glad you enjoyed it......... :o)

30 Oct, 2010

 

WOW....., who needs the Discovery channel with you and Jane around ! I've lived on the lake all my life and never experienced anything like this, but you can be assured I'll be on the look out for this little miracle of life from now on.! I do believe I'm down right jealous at the moment...lol. You two never cease to amaze me !

31 Oct, 2010

 

Aww Flower...you are too kind.Seems like a long time ago now as we head towards winter.......Hope you and the family are all well and decorating finished ??

1 Nov, 2010

 

We're putting the wood perservative on the exterior siding this weekend then we're calling it done for the season. Yeeaaah !

5 Nov, 2010

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