Dragonflies and damselflies are the essence of summer. They are a delight to look at and fascinating to watch in flight. They are also one of the most interesting insects and lend themselves to what are known nowadays as ‘fun facts’. We will look at some of these facts shortly, and then conclude by examining the dragonflies and damselflies you’re likely to see around Bredfield.
Dragonflies and damselflies belong to the same order of insects – Odonata. Damselflies are smaller and slenderer, whereas dragonflies are larger and more robust. Damselflies usually rest with their wings held closed and aligned over the top of the abdomen. Dragonflies rest with their wings held wide open. The names of dragonflies often reflect their hunting techniques: darters, hawkers, chasers and skimmers. (For brevity here, and when not distinguishing between the two, I will often refer to both dragonflies and damselflies simply as ‘dragonflies’.)
Interesting Facts
- Dragonflies were one of the first insects to inhabit this planet – dating back around 300 million years ago.
- Dragonflies are amazing fliers – fast and highly manoeuvrable. Hawker dragonflies have a top speed of 36 km per hour. They can fly in any direction, including sideways and backward, and can hover in a single spot.
- Dragonflies feed on other insects and catch their prey in mid-air. Being such skilled fliers, they have up to a 97% success rate when hunting.
- Large eyes occupy nearly all of the dragonfly’s head, so they have incredible vision. They are able to see in-front, to the side, and backwards, all at the same time
- Dragonflies lay their eggs in or very near water When the larvae hatch, they live underwater, usually for two years. In their aquatic stage, they are voracious predators, consuming other insect larvae, tadpoles, fish, and even other dragonfly larvae.
- Dragonfly larvae ‘moult’ up to seventeen times as they grow larger. At the end of its larval stage, the larva crawls out of the water, and then its exoskeleton cracks open and releases the insect’s abdomen and its four wings. The wings dry and harden over the next several hours.
- Dragonflies can adopt very contorted postures whilst mating, with males clasping the head of the female (see image below).
- Dragonflies prove beneficial to humans by controlling populations of ‘pest’ insects, including mosquitoes and biting flies. A single dragonfly can eat anywhere between 30 and hundreds of mosquitoes per day. Good on them!
Common Blue Damselflies mating
Damselflies and Dragonflies around Bredfield
There are no large lakes, surrounded by reeds, in Bredfield. Byng Brook is usually dry come summer, and there are no other streams. Hence, the situation isn’t the best for dragonflies. Nevertheless, there are a number of ponds and most gardens provide shelter and a source of prey. You won’t go a summer without seeing a good number and a fair variety of dragonflies in and around Bredfield. Let’s look at what you’re likely to find.
Blue-tailed Damselfly 
Common Blue Damselfly
Banded Demoiselle 
Large Red Damselfly
The first to emerge and to be seen in flight are the Large Red Damselfly, the Blue-tailed Damselfly and Common Blue Damselfly. Here, the names point clearly to which species you’re seeing. However, there is another blue coloured damselfly – the Azure Damselfly – which might also make an appearance.
An extremely beautiful and distinctive type of damselfly is the Banded Demoiselle. It is usually a denizen of clear flowing streams, but it has been seen around Bredfield.
Come the start of autumn, another dainty damselfly might be seen in the garden. This is the Willow Emerald Damselfly. This species was not known in Britain before 2007, but it is quickly colonising the south-east.
Willow Emerald Damselfly
The darter dragonfly that you are most likely to find in your garden is the Common Darter. It is one of the smallest dragonflies and can often be seen sunning itself on a perch or on the ground. Very similar to this species, is the Ruddy Darter, but the male has a much redder appearance.
Common Darter 
Ruddy Darter
Two very grand and thick-set dragonflies might be seen in summer: the Broad-bodied Chaser and the Black-tailed Skimmer. Both of these have a relatively fat abdomen, and, in both species, the males look very different from the females.
Blue-tailed Skimmer 
Broad=bodied Chaser
Later in the summer, some of the larger and typically-shaped dragonflies emerge. The one you are most likely to see is the Southern Hawker, but you might also come across Migrant Hawker and Emperor Dragonfly. The Southern Hawker is extremely inquisitive and will often fly very close to your head to inspect. Sometimes, they can fly into your house through an open door or window and create quite a commotion! Though some people might find this behaviour a little scary, the dragonfly is, of course, perfectly harmless.
Migrant Hawker 
Southern Hawker
The above is by no means a comprehensive list of the damselflies and dragonflies you might see, but it does cover the most common and likely species. Enjoy them all.
All photographs taken by Stewart Belfield
