Ashford in the Water Dragonfly Report – September 2023 by Simon Unwin

A rather more positive report for September after a generally poor summer.  The hot, sunny weather we saw in the first week was a welcome boost to my activities. 

Damselflies seem to have mostly given up the ghost by the end of August, becoming present only in odd ones and twos for the most part, and more or less absent from the Fin Cop ponds and the river.  The exceptions to this are the Small Red-eyed Damselfly which was seen in large numbers during the hot spell and the Willow Emerald Damselfly, which is generally the last damselfly to be seen on the wing as we go into autumn.  Both these species are newcomers to Britain (within the last two decades) and are now present in much larger numbers then last year when I recorded them for the first time in our area.  I also recorded the Willow Emerald in September on a slow-flowing stretch of the river Wye in Monsaldale, between the viaduct and the weir.

Late summer hawker dragonflies have been active throughout the area.  Southern Hawkers and Common Hawkers are the most widespread.  The Migrant Hawker is possibly the most numerous, but so far seems to be confined to the lakes at Thornbridge and Brock’s Pond.  The Brown Hawker was active during the hot first week of the month, but I haven’t seen any since then.  The Emperor Dragonfly is now well past it’s flight period.

The Common Darter is well named, being the most widespread and numerous of our dragonfly species.  It is present across our area, though in lower numbers than I would normally expect, especially on the ponds on Fin Cop/Pennyunk Lane.  This is usually the last dragonfly to be recorded and if the weather stays mild will be seen in flight well into October.  A more unusual record was the single female Black Darter I spotted among the Reedmace by the north lake at Thornbridge.  This is a second record for the site, following the single male I saw last year.  This is a species that requires acid waters with Sphagnum moss for breeding, so it is unlikely to ever breed at Ashford.  The closest breeding site I know of is a small pool on Longstone Moor 2 ¼ miles away.

September Species List

Emerald Damselfly                                                           

Willow Emerald Damselfly                                             

Common Blue Damselfly                                                

Blue-tailed Damselfly

Small Red-eyed Damselfly                                              

Common Hawker

Migrant Hawker

Southern Hawker

Brown Hawker

Common Darter

Black Darter