Cragside

I made my regular August trip to Slipper Tarn on the National Trust's Cragside Estate in Rothbury to see the dragonflies.  I saw several common and southern hawkers but none of them would stop for a photo.  The emerald damselflies were much more obliging.

Slipper Tarn is also one of the best places to see black darters.

I met three small boys and ended up entertaining them while their mothers and grandmother had a peaceful picnic lunch.  I was fielding questions such as "do dragonflies eat tuna sandwiches?", "what does acidic mean?", and "have you ever seen a red squirrel?".  By the time the mothers had finished lunch I was in need of a lie down.