Question 1: Dragonflies and Damsals

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n30_mkii

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I have finally located an area near me where there are both of the above. I tried getting close to the damsals today but as it was the middle of the day. They were far too active and flew off. I however went back at around 7:30 and they were not to be seen at all.

So the question is if I went in the morning when it is a little cooler *hoping it's a nice day* would they still be flying around a little or is it a case of looking at all the reeds etc where they will be warming up? Where do they like to sleep / warm up? are reeds a good place to look? I have a couple of field guides but they seem pretty useless.

Also I noticed a lavae on a leaf outside the water, at which point I belive they eventually emerge out of the lavae as adults. How long is it for that process to happen? My field guide implies it's pretty instant, but the one I saw has been there for a few hours now?

Any tips info or advice is greatly welcomed
 
in the morning is the best time. Most of them will be on the sun facing side of leaves so easy to find as they need the suns heat to warm up :)

I think that is...
 
Ok that's what I was hoping to hear. What sort of time is best to look for them? Where would they be when I went to look for the earlier? I thought they might have been in the foliage preparing for sleep / night time, but could not see any?
 
If you wanna get dragonflies or demoiselles then a good technique is to take a cane or stick along with you. Shove it into the river bank where they're flying around and then sit very still and wait. If you watch them you'll see that they tend to alight on the end of sticks and branches etc. So then it's just a matter of patience. They will get used to you and perch there I promise.

As for the Larvae/nymph (can't remember what stage it is) it may already be empty. If there's a small hole behind the head then the beastie has already exited. The shedded part tends to stay there after they've gone. AFAIK they tend to emerge in the early morning so they have a good amount of time in the sunshine in order to power up.


HTH?
 
Erm times of day you will have to find out yourself, but on a bright sunny day i was around about 9 o clock and they we're just about warming up
 
Sticks/canes are great but not all dragons perch. Those that do tend to stick to one perch, leave to hunt and return afterwards. The common darter is very good for this and generally very friendly - they will perch on you and your gear as well. Hawkers tend to fly all day and eat on the wing but will follow set routes so you can pre-focus and catch them in flight. Others such as the emperor tend to stay over open water and are quite hard to capture, females laying eggs are often the best chance.

Ideal conditions are a clear still day but not too hot so they're less active. Spend some time watching them and you'll quickly pick up their habits and figure out how to be in the right place at the right time.
 
I'd also like to add that very good places to see all species are lakes, in particular places where they have statics and log cabins all around! We have been to 4 different such places recently and you would not believe how many there are zipping about between 9 -11am! It was crazy on Sunday at Tattershall Country Club lakes! Just a shame I couldn't get close enough to the lake banks as my knees where particularly bad yesterday :(
 
Thanks for the advice everyone, I'm really getting a picture of what I should be doing. Does anyone know the answer to where they sleep? Do they sleep?
 
I seem to recall they like to sleep somewhere fairly high such as a tree. I've often spotted them resting about 30 feet up early morning but they are pretty hard to spot as they blend right in.
 
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