Purple Toadflax and Black-Tailed Skimmer

Immature Black-Tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum) on Purple Toadflax (Linaria purpurea).

"Description: A medium-sized dragonfly with relatively broad, flattened abdomen, but not as broad as the two chaser species. Mature males have a pale blue abdomen with pale yellow spots on the sides and a dark tip. Immature males and females are unmistakable, being mostly yellow with black vertical stripes.

"Identification difficulty: Common and easily identified.

"Habitat: Often basking on bare waterside banks, in particular at recently dug ponds and gravel pits. Females are less bold and not encountered as regularly.

"When to see it: Late May to early August.

"Life History: This species only appeared in Britain in 1934. The adults feed from perches, often pouncing on butterflies, grasshoppers and damselflies. Mature males are territorial, protecting an area up to 50m of bank.

"UK Status: Fairly frequent over much of England south of the Humber and in south Wales, less frequent elsewhere in Britain.

"Further Information: The Black-tailed Skimmer, a species with a marked preference for recently created pools, was first recorded in VC 55 as recently as 1987. Since then it has become well established over the whole of the county and males basking on bare waterside banks are now a regular feature of the summer months, particularly in areas of mineral extraction."

Source: www.naturespot.org.uk/species/black-tailed-skimmer

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Taken in: UK / England / Vale of White Horse District / Cumnor (show map)

Taken on: June 14, 2023

Tags:

Orthetrum cancellatum

Black-Tailed Skimmer

Purple Toadflax « less

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Camera: Nikon D750, f/11.0, 1/200 sec, 105mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D750
Lens:	105.0 mm f/2.8
Aperture:	f/11.0
Exposure Time:	0.005 sec (1/200)
Focal Length:	105mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	On, Return detected
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Center-weighted average
White Balance:	Auto
Saturation:	High
Sharpness:	Hard
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic 12.3 (Windows)
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