Today I ventured over to Wicksteed Park in Kettering today to check on the colony of Variable Damselflies that I discovered here in 2019. While the day had begun rather unpromisingly with cloudy skies it did clear up quickly leaving a beautiful sunny day to enjoy. Wicksteed was not surprisingly very busy though the area around the fishing lake where I concentrated my efforts was mercifully peaceful.
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| The fishing lake at Wicksteed Park |
It didn't take long to find Variable Damselflies and it's safe to say that the colony appears to be doing very well. Outnumbering the normally much more common Azures by about eight to one I enjoyed my best ever day in the county for what remains a very local species in Northants. Mostly males were seen suggesting that many of the females were minding their own business elsewhere. The full range of variations were present which gave me a good chance to expand my growing Variable Damselfly port folio.
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| Variable Damselflies. |
Other damsels were responding to the fine weather and many tenerals were taking their first flights though a number of House Sparrows made this quite a hazardous undertaking. Plenty of Blue-tailed Damselflies included several colour forms of which rufescens was the most distinctive. Other species seen in smaller numbers were Banded Demoiselle, Large Red, Red-eyed and Common Blue though sadly no dragons were noted.
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| Blue-tailed Damsels, rufescens form below. |
Not much other wildlife to report with no birds of note while butterflies on the wing included Green-veined White, Orange-tip and Small Tortoiseshell.
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| Red -eyed Damselfly and Green-veined White |
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