'X' Marks the Spot!

Erythromma viridulum

Small Red eyed Damselfly

The last few years in Kent, England has seen an increase in the Small Red eyed Damselfly and luckily I only have to travel a few minutes from home to appreciate them. Nationally they are a very scarce Damselfly and can only be seen in the South East of England. There are a few colonies at Reculver, the Stour Valley and I even saw them in west Kent at Cliffe Marshes earlier in the year. Normally photographing them can be a challenge as they often spend their time over the water and don't seem to often come to close, especially when I am watching at least. One of the most reliable features to look for is the black 'X' on segment 10 which can just about be seen in some of the photos. I had a call from a friend saying that there were a couple of Small Red eyed Damselflies on show away from the water so with the sun trying to come out which it never really did I paid a visit to Highstead, just south of Reculver. After a brief search in the area I eventually found one and was soon taking a number of photos of this species, it was just a shame the sun never decided to come out when I was there. One of the shots worked out very well as it looks like the Damselfly is walking a spiders thread tightrope, an accidental shot but a nice capture I think. Hopefully this species will continue to spread in the area, it seems to be currently doing so anyway.

Small Red eyed Damselfly

Marc Heath