Female Golden-ringed Dragonfly (Cordulegaster boltonii) – Devon, UK
Canon 7D
Canon 300mm F4 IS plus 1.4 x Extender and Canon Extension Tube EF 25 II
1/200
F13
ISO 320
Tripod
Fill flash -2, Canon 580 EX plus Better Beamer (Flash Extender)
AV Mode, Evaluative Metering dialed to -2/3
Text adapted from – “Field Guide to the Dragonflies and Damselflies of Great Britain and Ireland”, Steve Brooks, Richard Lewington. ISBN 0-953-13990-5
“This is one of the largest British dragonfllies. Males are frequently encountered leisurely flying a few inches above moorland streams. The flight is usually unidriectional. Adults may also be encountered away from water, hawking over moorland or along woodland rides”
“Flight season lasts from the end of May until September. Adult males do not defend territories but will clash with other males they encounter. They feed on fairly large insects including other dragonflies, damselflies and even bumble-bees”
“After mating the female will oviposit her eggs alone, usually in the early morning, into the shallow margins of a stream. Her long abdomen helping to thrust the eggs into the stream bed reducing the likelihood of them being washed away”
Location: Devon_UK