Isle of Wight Dragons: A Busy Broad-bodied Chaser.

Wednesday 1 July 2015

A Busy Broad-bodied Chaser.

The females of some dragonfly species take on the colouring similar to the males.The Broad-bodied Chaser is one such species, for as the female ages the abdomen becomes blue.This female was seen at my garden pond recently busily ovipositing.

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Golden-ringed Dragonfly

This is our largest UK dragonfly and seems to be widespread on the Isle of Wight.It is readily found along suitable streams and small rivers.

The male has a swollen abdomen at the tip while the female can be identified by a long and pointed ovipositor which is used to jab repeatedly down into the bed of shallow water to lay its eggs.

The larval stage can last up to five years as the larvae will spend their time buried at the bottom of the watercourse,with eyes only protruding,waiting to grab passing prey.