Ovipositor

This female migrant hawker was deep in the reeds laying her eggs on rotting vegetation on the shores of Ripple Lake this afternoon. 

Having posted a fair few dragon shots over the years I've never posted the closeup of the egg laying scenario which you can quite clearly see here. Get the full picture in the Extra.

She has a blade like appendage with which she cuts a hole into the reeds as seen here in which she lays her precious eggs. There were no males around which was unusual - maybe it is the weather.

Back at home now