A walk round the pond - Week 31

I deserved some luck.  I had just seen a female southern hawker fly past without stopping and while I was looking for it a slightly worn male emperor dragonfly landed on the hedge right in front of me.

There were more emperors than I remember seeing before, probably a dozen or so males.  There was a lot of fighting, up to three or four at a time, with an audible class of wings.  Later I got another brief glimpse of fairly fresh one at rest in almost exactly the same spot as last week.

I also had another attempt at flight shots but mostly they were too busy fighting.

Lots of the male ruddy darters are now in mature colours.

This common darter is an immature female.

And four-spotted chasers are still chasing.

I saw a female meadow brown with double eye spots.

Moe commonly there is a single pupil as here.

As in the rest of the country there are lots of painted ladies here, a locally bred second wave after the invasion of a few weeks ago.

Also a second flight of wall butterflies.

And a single peacock.

The hazelnuts are nearly ripe so I wonder what will eat them.  I have never seen a squirrel at the pond but that doesn't mean they aren't around.  Both red and American grey squirrels are in the area.

This is a Robin's pincushion on a rose leaf - more commonly it is on a stem.  Inside are the larvae of a tiny wasp.

I never did find the southern hawker.  Maybe next week.