Exciting news - species No 19 has been spotted at New Lount Nature Reserve by a local expert Ian Merrill, who writes:
'You may wonder how they were spotted in January - it came in the form of Willow Emerald Damselfly ovipositing scars. Willow Emeralds are the only UK species to lay eggs into trees rather than plant tissue. They are always in new growth branches overhanding water, most often willow. The eggs will hatch in the spring, drop into the water below and complete their life cycle in just one season. They are truly fascinating creatures and I’ve spend the last couple of months tracking them down as it is much easier to detect the scars in winter than unobtrusive adults in summer. They form distinctive lines, as in photos below form the site today. They have spread right across VC 55 (Leicestershire and Rutland) in just the last year, as the attached atlas shows, an incredible feat in itself. This just shows what a great site you have for aquatic invertebrates, so please look after it, keep those encroaching trees cut well back (except for a couple of choice willows!) and keep the reeds from taking over the open water. I have also found them at Snibston Ponds)' Our sincere thanks to Ian Merrill for his help and expertise.
1 Comment
|