I was about to give up hope of finding the Finedon Willow Emeralds, when I spotted this male perching among the branches. My first shots were back lit, so I moved around to get a better image, but still had to crop substantially to get something that shows what it is - not great but a satisfactory record shot after many hours of searching.
I think I only saw 1 male but did see some fresh ovipositing scars in the new Willow growth so there must be at least two adults present (out of 160 or so scars I found!). Probably brother and sister!
If you visit Finedon Pocket Park, look among the Willows that are growing out of the water. The Emeralds are very hard to spot, so look for movement within the trees. I only ever saw this one (and the ones last year) on the bear branches - whether the leaves disguise them too much I don't know.
The key feature to look for is the light wing spots (pterostigma) which are distinctly different from the dark ones on the regular Emeralds. Also, the males lack the light blue colouration to the thorax and end of abdomen that are clear on regular Emeralds.
