#white-faced darter

[michaelnordeman]

Hovfjället nature reserve in Värmland, Sweden (May 31, 2022).

[ifelten]

Lille kærguldsmed (Leucorrhinia dubia)

White-faced darter (Leucorrhinia dubia)

[ifelten]

Lille kærguldsmed (Leucorrhinia dubia)

En lille guldsmed på knap 40 mm. Kombinationen af sorte vingepletter og mørke basalpletter på både for- og bagvinger adskiller denne med nogen sikkerhed fra den lignende Nordisk kærguldsmed (Leucorrhinia rubicunda).

Lille kærguldsmed yngler i stillestående, sure og næringsfattige søer - gerne brunvandede skovsøer. Som hos flere andre guldsmedearter, opholder den nyforvandlede lille kærguldsmed sig langt fra vand indtil den er udfarvet og kønsmoden. Når dette sker, søger den tilbage til ynglelokaliteten for at finde en mage.

Flyvetiden er medio maj til medio august.

White-faced Darter (Leucorrhinia dubia)

A small dragonfly of about 40 mm. The combination of black stigma and dark basal spots on both front and hind wings distinguishes the species from the similar Northern White-faced Darter (Leucorrhinia rubicunda) with a degree of certainty.The White-faced Darter breeds in peatbogs with relatively deep, acidic pools. As with several other dragonflies, the newly emerged White-faced Darter keeps to dry habitats until it’s sexually matured. When this happens, the animal returns to the breeding site in search of a mate.Flying from mid-May to mid-August.

[dendroica]

Shy dragonfly of the boggy moss | The Guardian

I skirt the edge of lower Doolittle Moss, in Delamere Forest, treading through soft peaty soil and batting away the pungent bracken that has grown almost as tall as me. Hard green fruit are starting to appear on the brambles, and bumblebees are making the most of the last blossoms.

Surrounded by forest on all sides, the moss is black acidic water devoid of fish. Not the least bit inviting, even as the temperature climbs. But it is a boggy beauty spot in its own right. Half submerged islands of vivid lime-green sphagnum moss break the surface. Stands of cotton grass and sedge shoot upwards, and above them the sunlight catches on flakes of silver and gold.

After several days of rain, dragonflies and damselflies are on the wing in earnest. These insects are solar-powered: at their best on the brightest days, hidden among trees when it’s dull.

Red and blue damsels drift around me like filaments on the breeze but I am here to see a particular species: the white-faced darter. This dragonfly has recently been reintroduced to the county by Cheshire Wildlife Trust. On the south-facing bank, I bump into the project leader, Chris Meredith, who points out where the precious larvae were installed earlier in the year. According to their surveys 50 have emerged from their exuviae this year, so I’m hoping to glimpse a fully grown adult.

I strain my eyes, concentrating low on the open water channels between vegetation. I look for the white frons, black abdomen and “characteristic bouncing flight” of Leucorrhinia dubia that’s mentioned in my field guide. I’m searching for a needle in a wetland haystack.

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