The Emperor

Right now our local ponds are being patrolled by aerial killers - the dragonflies, of which the Emperor Dragonfly (Anax imperator) is the largest and bulkiest of the British species at 8cm in length. Its bright colours and active habit make it very obvious when hunting. It's range is restricted to the south of Britain.

Here, a female searches round the weed for a suitable place to lay her eggs. She is a greenish-blue colour, unlike the two bright blue and apple-green males who are fighting each other about a metre above her. They rarely settle, and even eat their prey in flight. They often fly with the rear of the abdomen bent slightly downwards.
I'd dearly love to get a close up of the male, but it is nigh on impossible.