A master of flight, and a fairly commonly spotted dragonfly along many of the small streams at this time of year. Appearance – striking black body with distinctive yellow bands. Green eyes.




A master of flight, and a fairly commonly spotted dragonfly along many of the small streams at this time of year. Appearance – striking black body with distinctive yellow bands. Green eyes.




Looking for Raft Spiders again in the New Forest, we found a good population in the usual place. Some 16 adult spiders along the stream were viewed. along with several nests which were full of baby spiders. The spider in the 1st picture was eating a “Daddy Longlegs”.






I was glad to see many raft spiders back in a stream where we had seen a good population last year. The raft spider is a large, chunky spider that lives around the edge of ponds and ditches, and on wet heaths and bogs.










A pictorial post today. Back to the New Forest again looking for fungi, some nice examples are now showing.

Panaeolus semiovatus. {egghead mottlegill}

Fomitopsis betulina {Birch Polypore}

Fuligo septica {Dog Vomit slim mould}


Species of Hylemya fly.

Fly agaric



I spent a couple of days concentrating on getting pictures of dragonflies, both at Titchfield Haven and in the New Forest, it will not be long before they are gone until next year they do not survive the fall in temperatures as we move into autumn.
Southern Hawker [female.]


Migrant Hawker.





Southern Hawker [male.]





Watching Dragonflies today reminded me of the 1969 film The Battle of Britain with those airmen engaged in aerial combat in the blue sky over Southern England. There were no Spitfire flights over the Solent today. In flight, combat was taking place, an “Emperor Dragonfly” was on the hunt on the wing chasing and then catching a smaller dragonfly a “Common Darter”. Taking it to a nearby perching stick first killing it by removing its head then eating the contents of the darter’s insides Nature is both cruel and fascinating at the same time. I have witnessed this hunting and killing before of wasps and bees but this was the first dragonfly catching another dragonfly observation for me.







The Raft Spider. Dolomedes fimbriatus




Today’s Dragons of the air from Titchfield haven.







A pictorial record of a short walk along a small New Forest stream.











