The month of May sees the first damselflies and dragonflies emerge from their watery nymphal nurseries where they have spent from one to three years feeding on small water creatures.

The first damselfly to appear is the large red,a bit of a misnomer perhaps because it is small and slim.However,there is also a small red damselfly but not in our region,being rather scarce and confined to the west and far south of Britain.By June,blue damselflies begin to join them.

Dragonflies are larger,fast flying and robust.First on the wing is a small neat hawker species,namely the spring hairy hawker, so called because its thorax and head are uniquely covered in a greenish-yellow fuzz,almost as if it has forgotten to shave!(see picture)However,our chances of finding one are limited as the species is declining,very localised and found almost solely in the south.

Imagine my delight therefore when,during a visit to the London Wetland Centre in early May,one male and a mating pair were spotted and watched for several minutes.

The hairy hawker is in fact now breeding at the London Wetland Centre,a superb habitat which suits its lifestyle ideally.Indeed, the centre is not just for the birds but dragons, damsels, butterflies, moths, water voles, bats, otters, snakes slowworms and a wide range of wild flowers abound there.