New species, to me at least, of dragonflies on the pool at Compton Park. Three male ruddy darters yesterday, contesting for territory.
The largest area of open water remaining at the pool, by the decking, has been divided up for territory between three male common darters. Yesterday afternoon at another patch of open water, smaller and more hemmed in by reeds, the insect pictured here would briefly pause resting on the broken reed which was its look-out post before repeatedly taking off to repel one or both of a couple of challengers. When the insects stayed still for a moment and could be seen more clearly, they looked just like miniature versions of the common darters which were ten or twenty yards away.