Interesting Damselfly at the pond

I was going to write a short update on our trip to the Danube Delta, but that will have to wait. I was down at our pond today, planting some Water Figwort, when a damselfly flew in and landed on the young Alder trees.

It looked like an Emerald Damselfly, so I ran and got a camera and a book. It turned out to be a male Willow Emerald, Chalcolestes viridis.Soon after there was a second male and then a pair in tandem. The female proceeded to egg lay in the branches of the Alder. This species is unusual amongst British Odonatans an laying its eggs in this way. It has also only really colonised Britain since about 2007. However, it is spreading, possibly due to climate change.

Male Willow Emerald Damselfly on young Alder

 Later in the evening, to add to the attraction of the pond, I disturbed a Green Sandpiper.