Sunday 24 May 2020

Broad-bodied Chaser - Hothfield Common: 24 May 2020

After snapping a couple of Tiger Beetles, we moved to the raised bog for some hot Odonata action...

No Keeled Skimmers yet, but a lovely chunky female Broad-bodied Chaser put on a good display has she oviposited her eggs in the shallow waters. Not once did she land and take a rest: she had a job to do and she was going to complete it.
Broad-bodied Chaser (female) - the venation patterns on the black patches are great (in my humble opinion!)
Would she rest? Would she b******!



Tiger Beetles at Hothfield Common: 24 May 2020

Enjoyed a couple of hours out to Hothfield Common - the first trip out with the kids to this lovely reserve since confinement. The main target of the trip was to photograph some of the solitary bees and wasps along the sandy tracks, but clearly the timing and/or the high footfall meant that this was not the ideal date...

In a sandy pit there was a limited amount of hymenopteran action but the sight of a Tiger Beetle suddenly looked more photographically appealing. It was a fun ten minutes spent watching a mating pair which then decided that social-distancing was the right thing to do, so went their separate ways...
Tiger Beetle - and my favourite image of the day! 
Tiger Beetles - I hadn't realised the gender size different before seeing these two 'getting it on'
Tiger Beetles - mating pair
Tiger Beetles - Stunning... but mean bastards... !