Percheron

I realised this morning that, due to a combination of inappropriate weather conditions and lack of leisure, I hadn't been up to Cleeve Prior to record the Odonata at the Community Orchard for a whole month. As it was warm and bright today, and I had a couple of hours to spare, I decided to remedy the situation, but for the first twenty minutes of my visit I wondered why I'd bothered: all I managed to find were two Banded Demoiselles.

My mood wasn't improved when I walked out onto the public footpath at the western end of the orchard, to test a theory I'd had that I might be able to use it to access a small local fishing lake called Stubbs Pool, and discovered that I probably could... but only if I was prepared to throw myself off the cliff that gives the village its name, and brave a hundred-foot drop through dense woodland. I'm determined to get to this pool one day soon, but on balance I think I'll probably choose to go the long way round.

I was stomping mardily back towards my car, with coffee and biscuits very much on my mind, when all the dragons suddenly decided to come out to play, and in a flash I went from photographic famine to feast. I've chosen to feature this portrait of a male Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) because I find its simplicity pleasing. He was my last subject of the morning, but by perching (as they do) on the safety rail of the Big Pond he gave me the easiest photo opportunity, against a clean, well-diffused background. My extra is not as good a photo, but I've included it because it marks the addition of the Emerald Damselfly (Lestes sponsa) to my 2024 list. I used to find these damsels very readily at Trench Wood, but I haven't seen one there for several years now, and previously this season I hadn't spotted one anywhere else either, so finding about a dozen at Cleeve today was very satisfying.

R: C4, D2.