Late Summer on Pevensey Levels

More often than not, the Wall (Lasiommata megera) manages to fit in three broods in a year. They have been on the wing for over a week on the downs but today, I saw three third brood individuals flying on Pevensey Levels.

 

 

Wall (Lasiommata megera) (female)

 

 

 

Wall (L.megera) (male)

 

 

 

The predominant species of dragonfly on the wing at this time of year is the Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta). In good years, they can be seen in their hundreds and they are quite easy to approach when at rest.

 

 

Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta) (male) 

 

 

Migrant Hawker (A.mixta) (mating)

 

 

 

On Friday, I saw several Fen Raft Spiders (Dolomedes plantarius) basking in the afternoon sunshine, including this female closely tending her egg sac. Today, I found her in the same place but now standing guard over her spiderlings within the nursery web. In the photograph, her right hind leg maintains contact with the web and you can just see the egg sac amongst the spiderlings. 

 

 

Fen Raft Spider (Dolomedes plantarius) (female with egg sac)  

 

 

Fen Raft Spider (D.plantarius) (female guarding nursery web)

 

 

Southern Hawker Emergence

During the last week of June, whilst we were checking the acid pools of Ashdown Forest, Bob and I came across a female Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea) in the process of emerging from the nymph. The last photograph in the following sequence was of a different female cyanea found in another pool, with wings fully expanded.

 

 

Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea) (females emerging from nymph)

 

 

 

In May, I watched this male Hairy Dragonfly (Brachytron pratense) hawking along a hedgerow on Pevensey Levels. It caught a bee and then settled on an ivy bush to devour its prey.

 

 

Hairy Dragonfly (Brachytron pratense) (male devouring a bee)

 

 

The Small Red-eyed Damselfly (Erythromma viridulum) is a species that has rapidly colonised south-east England from the continent in recent years. Its smaller size and the blue 'saddle' under segment 8 of the abdomen are diagnostic in separating this species from the very similar Red-eyed Damselfly (Erythromma najas). Both species can be found in similar habitats and the male in the following image was photographed at a Wealden pond during the second week of August.

 

 

Small Red-eyed Damselfly (Erythromma viridulum) (male)