Last week the country experienced some of the hottest days since records began, well, down south at least. So I thought Saturday would be a good day to catch up with some insects on the River Dee in Cheshire.
I drove to Farndon where the Dee forms the boundary between Wales and England. This area had proved very productive for insects such as the Banded Demoiselle in the past and I hoped to take some photographs of this delicate riparian species.
Unfortunately the weather was having other ideas as a strong breeze was blowing and the sunshine was intermittent to say the least. I struggled to find any damselflies and there were no dragonflies at all. I have seen the scarce Club-tailed Dragonfly at this site before but July is probably past the end of its flight period.
But there were a number of common butterflies on the wing including Small Tortoiseshells, Meadow Browns, Large Skippers and a solitary Red Admiral. I eventually found a few Banded Demoiselles but they were a bit elusive in the breezy and frequently dull conditions. Highlight of the walk was a Spotted Flycatcher with a beakfull of insects that perched on the top rail of a wooden gate; if only I had had my other lens on my camera and not my macro!
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| Meadow Brown |
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| Large Skipper |
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| Small Tortoiseshell |
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| Male Banded Demoiselle |
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| Female Banded Demoiselle |
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