Black Darter (adult male): Toady I visited a lovely local reserve on the edge of Warrington, one that I have' spent much time there before. Risley Moss has always been famous fro its Odonata and one dragonfly I have been wanting to catch up with is the black dater.
Black Darter (immature male): These small narrow-bodied dragonflies make moorlands, heaths and bogs their home and are are on the wing from June to October. Their name is pretty apt as they seen darting back and fourth in flight, moving forward suddenly from a hovering position to catch their insect-prey.
Black Darter (adult male): It's the males who possess a slender 'nipped' abdomen and immature males who are adorned with prominent yellow flashing toward the front of the abdomen.
Unfortunately this species is scarce in Cheshire but they are doing very well at Risley Moss, you'll find them in abundance here.
Black Darter (female): Females are golden bronze with a black strip along the length of the abdomen and lack the lender 'nipped' abdomen.
If you want to see black darter here your best bet is to hard down to the boardwalk which takes you across what they have names the Mini Moss. Look out for the darters as they rest and recharge in the sun by bathing on the wooden fence which lines the walk way.
Common Darter: There are also plenty of male and female common darter along the fences and also plenty at the small pond at the back of the visitor centre.
Southern Hawker (female): These gang dragons were also seen along the Mini Moss boardwalk, this female was observed ovipositing. It was fascinating to watch as she extended and twisted her abdomen looking for crevices amongst the mosses and litter, just a few centimetres over the pond surface to deposit her eggs.
This large and inquisitive dragonfly, with its vivid apple green, yellow and black pattern seemed to purposefully approach me when I was walking along the boardwalk, possibly intersecting her flightpath. Pretty cool things.
