tuin man

Perhaps slightly OT;
Last week as I went about clearing some blanket weed (pond) I somehow
managed to shove what pond weed was there into one area. Then just as I was
about to fish that out too, I noticed various dragon fly type creatures.
Small & almost fluorescent bright blue... damsels??? (some a lovely red)
Anyhow, they seemed attached to each other with the blue one on top looking
very upright and self assured, whilst the lower one like a grey bent twig,
which seemed to be doing something to the pond weed.
So I stopped and left them be.
It was a strange sight seeing eight or more of these partners all lined up
in almost a straight line and clearly having selected the little bit of pond
weed available.
Why? & why pond weed?

Patrick

sallynewsgroup

Um - well, I don't know how to say this - but you've heard of the
birds and the bees?<vbg>. Yes, these are demselflies. The male
clasps the female and they fly in tandem to a suitable place where the
female's eggs are fertilized and deposited, either on the water or
(depending on species) on submerged or semi-submerged plants. We see
them a lot doing what damselflies do on the long grass at the edge of
our pond, or sometimes on the waterlily pads. Pretty, aren't they.
We've also been thrilled to see Darter Dragonflies this year - they
are rather broad and stubby, with a powder blue back.


--
Sally in Shropshire, UK
bed and breakfast near Ludlow: http://www.stonybrook-ludlow.co.uk
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sallynewsgroup

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Whoops - should read damselflies


--
Sally in Shropshire, UK
bed and breakfast near Ludlow: http://www.stonybrook-ludlow.co.uk
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tumbleweed

Laying eggs on it. I believe they are stuck to it as part of the process.
Probably safer inside a mass of pond weed than just floating down to the
bottom, plenty of other animals lay their eggs there. Also when they hatch
they will be protected.

--
Tumbleweed

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tuin man

Well, thank you both.
Yes, having heard about the birds and the bees, neither of which should be
confused with damselflies, I had concluded by the mere proud unrighteousness
of the male and the simultaeonous hooverish depositing by the female, what
they were up too, What I couldn't figure out was why the selected pond weed
when they had other choices, none of which I had planned to eradicate and
this in turn made me wonder that pond weed may actually have some sort of
ecological value when it isn't fowling up the pumps, or affecting the pond.

Patrick

brian watson

Same here in Cambridgeshire.

Also been visited by a species with black and yellow banding - resembles the
Mother Of All Hornets, but the look of the wings is the giveaway.
--
Brian
"Stuck down a hole, in the fog, in the middle of the night, with an owl."

brian watson

pond.

Nature doesn't do electrical pumps of butyl liners, so puts a bit of effort
into redressing the balance to a world without them.

:-)

--
Brian
"Not quite an Angel"