The Only Way Is Inverts - 1st August 2015

On Saturday, Jonathan Scragg and I went down to Essex with the main targets being Scarce Emerald Damselfly and Southern Migrant Hawker. Wat Tyler CP had proved recently reliable for Southern Migrant Hawker and we were keen to see them. We managed to see at least 2 males and a female...incredibly blue dragonflies! We also visited Shoebury and on a very small pond in a park were 3 male and a female Scarce Emerald Damselfly. The males weren't THAT striking with their 2/3rds blue second segment and curved, blob tipped genitals. The female on the other hand looked almost like a Demoiselle being very chunky bodied with a very obvious blob tipped tail.
Moving back up north, we stopped at Aston Rowant and Otmoor and got views of Chalkhill Blues and Silver-spotted Skipper, plus a single Brown Hairstreak at Otmoor. A really cracking day

 Scarce Emerald Damselfly male

 Scarce Emerald Damselfly male

 Scarce Emerald Damselfly male

Scarce Emerald Damselfly female

 Male Southern Migrant Hawker

 Small Red-eyed Damselfly

Small Red-eyed Damselfly

  moulting Mediterranean Gull hawking flying ants

 juvenile Common Lizard

 Slow Worm

 White-letter Hairstreak

 Brimstone

 The very difficult to photograph Brimstone upperwing 

 male Ruddy Darter

 Silver-spotted Skipper

 Chalkhill Blue

 Chalkhill Blue

 Chalkhill Blue

Brown Hairstreak