Emerging Dragonfly (Orthetrum coerulescens)
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Emerging Dragonfly (Orthetrum coerulescens) by Hugh Venables as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Emerging Dragonfly (Orthetrum coerulescens)
Image: © Hugh Venables Taken: 18 Jun 2005
This Keeled Skimmer has spent at least 2 years as a larva in the muddy ditches here. It is now emerging from its last larval case as an adult for the last 2 months of its life where it will try to reproduce. The wings come out as tiny stubs that expand as fluid is pumped into the veins. They then open out and dry to become rigid. During this period they are very vulnerable to predation and damage as they can't easily move and the wings and body can be deformed before they are dry.
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Image Location
Latitude
50.829695
Longitude
-1.679054