Ruddy Darter, Ruddy dogs

This Ruddy darter (Symptrum sanguineum) was resting on this dead stem when the ruddy dog decided that it was a great time to run throught the plant !!! The result was I only managed to get 2 shots.

This year has not been good for dragonflies, the canicule here in France has resulted in extreme heat in this region, tempratures exceeding 40c. This has caused ponds and other wetland ares to dryout before many species had transitioned from the aquatic laveal stages. The Ruddy darter larvae like to live among the roots of Horsetails (Equisetum) nand Bulrushes (Typha) in boggy ground. On our land we have a couple of old ponds that are overgrown and shaded which provide ideal conditions for them and have actually remained largely damp. The eggs themselve are drought resistant not hatching until covered by water.

When they do emerge their flight season is quite long, extending into late autumn. In fact the season seems to be limited by food supply rather than cold weather.

This photo was handheld, Nikon D850, f11, 1/500 sec with the camarea set on manual and Auto iso enabled