Wiltshire Wildlife Trust – Jill Orme Photography

4 May 2024

Happy

by JDO | posted in: Dragonflies, Invertebrates, Odonata, Wiltshire | 0

Finding that a free morning had coincided with the return of sunny weather, I whisked off down to Lower Moor in Wiltshire, in search of Downy Emeralds. To my intense satisfaction it turned out that there was a mass emergence … Continued

16 Aug 2023

Vagrant

by JDO | posted in: Damselflies, Dragonflies, Invertebrates, Odonata, Wiltshire | 0

My back, which has been niggling me for about a fortnight now, was so bad when I woke up this morning that it took me nearly an hour to get myself upright, and even then it needed heavy strapping before … Continued

24 May 2023

Empress

by JDO | posted in: Dragonflies, Invertebrates, Odonata, Wiltshire | 0

Voting for the coveted Dragon of the Day award resolved down to a nail-biting head-to-head between this teneral female Emperor, and a male Four-spotted Chaser whom I photographed mid-emergence. In the end the Emperor (Empress?) won because I’ve never seen … Continued

10 May 2023

Downy

by JDO | posted in: Dragonflies, Invertebrates, Odonata, Wiltshire | 0

I went to Wiltshire today on an Odonata hunt, and while I failed to find any Hairy Dragonflies or Four-spotted Chasers at Lower Moor, I was gifted sightings of two Downy Emeralds (though one was sadly crippled, with deformed wings … Continued

17 May 2022

Downy Emerald

by JDO | posted in: Dragonflies, Invertebrates, Odonata, Trees, Wiltshire | 0

Time was when Lower Moor at Oaksey in Wiltshire was one of my my go-to summer places, because of the plethora of Odonata I could confidently expect it to provide. I didn’t visit during 2020 because of Covid, and then … Continued

1 Jun 2021

Circle of life

by JDO | posted in: Damselflies, Invertebrates, Odonata, Wiltshire | 0

I made a return trip to Lower Moor today in search of dragons, but dragons continue to be in short supply there, so it’s lucky that the entire reserve was seething with damselflies, or I’d have come home with nothing … Continued

25 May 2021

Pink

by JDO | posted in: Damselflies, Invertebrates, Odonata, Wiltshire | 0

“How did you get on?” said R when I arrived back from the Cotswold Water Park. “Not as well as I’d hoped,” I said, “but better than I’d feared.” In fact I had a thoroughly engaging time at Lower Moor, … Continued

16 Jul 2019

Wounded

by JDO | posted in: Dragonflies, Gloucestershire, Invertebrates, Odonata, Wiltshire | 0

Emperors are Britain’s largest dragonflies, with an abdominal length of 5 to 6 cm, and the males are highly territorial and aggressive. They don’t just fight each other: they will attack other dragonflies too, and are capable of eating smaller … Continued

28 Jun 2019

Fresh

by JDO | posted in: Dragonflies, Invertebrates, Odonata, Wiltshire | 0

I had such a productive session at Lower Moor Farm today that I’ve struggled to decide what to post tonight. In the end I’ve chosen this lovely fresh female Black-tailed Skimmer, because it’s the first time I’ve ever captured a … Continued

20 Jun 2019

Ruddy

by JDO | posted in: Dragonflies, Invertebrates, Odonata, Wild animals | 0

Another miserable morning in the trench we call home encouraged me to get out and about – though the weather forecast wasn’t much better for most of the places I contemplated visiting. One of the exceptions was the Wiltshire end … Continued