We've had so many dragonflies and damselflies in the orchard these past few weeks, do you know how to tell the difference?
Well, dragonflies rest with wings outstretched whilst damselflies fold their wings together over their bodies when resting. Also damselflies tend to be smaller than the dragonfly and slower.
We get lots of hawker dragonflies, they spend their time hawking to and fro in search of their insect prey, they're wonderful to watch but normally too fast for me to identify. The one I seem to most readily identify is a damselfly, the large red damselfly.
A book like The Natural History of Britain & Europe, edited by Michael Chinery, can be really helpful when it comes to the identification of dragonflies and damselflies, and loads of other insects, birds, mammals etc, that is where the above illustration comes from.
It just so happens that we currently have a copy for sale in our secondhand book section for the princely sum of 50p. Now that's what we'd call a steal so if you want to know your Emperor Dragonfly from your Downy Emerald or your Brown Aeshna from your Banded Agrion you know where to come but you'd better be quick because it's unlikely to gather dust on the book shelves!
The Orchard Tea Room & Farm Shop
Redmoor Lane
Begdale
Elm
Wisbech
Cambs
PE14 0RN
Telephone: 07527 046184
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