The weather today was not ideal for Dragonfly hunting and I would normally have not bothered. However, this morning at work was quite stressful as I dealt with a major issue and I needed the break. Not having been to one of my favourite sites - Ditchford - recently, I chose to head off there. Have you ever had the feeling that you are fated to do something? Well, not long after arriving I spotted a male Variable Damselfly, a first for Northamptonshire (outside of the sites in Cambridgeshire which are inside the Northamptonshire VC32 recording area). I managed only 1 sharp picture, above, which clearly shows the characteristics to separate it from the more common Azure. I believe that this cannot have been the only one, but I couldn't find anymore, perhaps becuase of the weather. Looking at the photo, you can see that one wing is mal-formed suggesting that it can't fly too far. So, was this locally bred or a wind blown stragler from elsewhere? The other picture is a Red-eyed Damselfly eating lunch.
