Insects

[Billy]

So here is a selection of insects i saw some dragonflies some damsel can anyone give them a name... So far there known as fred and ohh fred...

[ladylouise62]

Fred eh? Obviously the number one name down in the woods

I'll make a stab at a couple of them, but hopefully the others will say what they think... damselflies etc are often different colours when new.. and sometimes different colours when older too

1 - Ischnura elegans - Blue-tailed Damselfly
2 -
3 -
4 - Anax imperator - Emperor Dragonfly (female)
5 - Calopteryx virgo - Beautiful Demoiselle (young male .. which you can see by the still not fully unfolded wing)
6 -


Annoyingly I was looking through loads of caterpillars a little earlier to ID one and I did se this one.. just can't remember what it was

[Catherine]

Really great pics, Billy!

Louise has sorted out three, and I don't know what the others are , but that second guy looks a nasty bit of work - chomping through that poor plant! (As they're all 'Freds', I would call him 'Fred the shred' maybe..? The last one isn't a hairy caterpillar, so I'd call him 'Fredbare' - well, perhaps!)

I hope someone has a better idea though!

[Chocky]

Second one is a Snout nose of some sort

Last one is a Mullein (Shargacucullia verbasci)
http://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?id=5341

[rolf]

Number 2 is a Scorpion Fly, number 6 is I'm sure a Mullein moth caterpillar, not sure about number 3, will have a look later.

[Chocky]

Already found the caterpillar

3. Looks like the Emerald Damselfly - Lestes sponsa

[rolf]

That's strange, didn't see your post Beryl.

[Chocky]

Did it late last night you can see by the edit
( Specsavers)

[ladylouise62]

I don't think that number 3 is an Emerald - the Thorax stripes don't work.

Ignoring the colur, the bans and stripes look like a Coenagrion puella - azure damselfly to me... maybe a new one or a variant?

[Chocky]

Maybe not . But looks to me like the female here
Emerald Damselfly

Azure doesn't have appear an orange band at the end of it's tail

http://www.brocross.com/dfly/species/sponsa.htm

[Billy]

oh thankyou guys, they gave me id card at the place but im useless at working out what they are, i love the dragonflys... they are hugggggggggeeeee...

[ladylouise62]

I'm still not sure what that Damselfly is, but I'm not convinced that it could be the Emerald Damselfly - colours can vary, but the striping pattern usually comes out the same.

Billy's has strong striping on the Thorax (Emerald has none, male or female) and a very different banding proportion between black and coloured on the tail.
It it were a not yet properly-coloured male Azure it would look very much like Billy's with the bandings on the Thorax and the tail.