Awakening
Warmer weather heralds an awakening at the nature reserve. Dragonfly nymphs emerge to hatch. Tadpoles gather in the shaded shallow water at the edge of the lakes. Insects aid the pollination process as they move between plants. And birds court, nest build, and begin incubating their clutches.
There’s enough life there to fill pages, but today’s post highlights just a couple of recent sightings.
Orange-Tip Butterfly
Widespread through the UK, the orange-tip preferred habitats include meadows, woodland, and the banks of streams and rivers. Named after the bright orange wing tips of the male butterfly, the adults are seen between April and June.
Females have similar markings to the males, but have black wing tips in place of orange. Both female and male have mottled green underwings. Other white butterflies look similar to female orange-tips, but lack the moss green underside to the wings.
Orange-tip caterpillars are cannibalistic. They eat their own eggshell after hatching, and eat other orange-tip eggs and caterpillars nearby. The caterpillars pupate in July, which is how they overwinter, before hatching as butterflies the following spring.
Dragonflies
It’s the time of year for dragonflies to begin hatching. These insects begin life as eggs, laid in hundreds by female dragonflies during mid to late summer. Some varieties lay directly into water, others onto mud close to the surface, and others lay eggs higher among reeds and plants around the water’s edge.
Eggs either hatch within 2-5 weeks, or in some cases, the following spring. Dragonflies spend most of their life in the larval stage. Typically, this lasts 1-2 years, but can be from a few months, to over 5 years depending on the type of dragonfly.
Dragonflies do not have a pupal phase, transitioning instead straight from larva to adult. In preparation for emergence, the larvae wait in shallow water for a few days. This allows them to begin to breathe air, before they find an elevated position from which to commence the final stage.
During the first part of emergence, the larva redistributes its body fluids to allow the head, thorax, legs and wings to push their way out. There is a wait of around half an hour for the legs to harden enough for the final stage, when the abdomen is withdrawn. The adult dragonfly then remains in position while the body and wings dry. In all, the process takes around three hours.
There’s something almost alien looking about the exuviae which remain after dragonflies have emerged.
The dragonfly’s first flight is weak, and they are particularly vulnerable to predation during this time. Known as tenerals, the new adults spend around a week away from water. During this time, they darken in colour, and reach sexual maturity. At this stage, they return to the water to breed.
Further Information
Find out more about dragonflies, butterflies, and other insects at:
British Dragonfly Society
Butterfly Conservation
The Wildlife Trusts
Great observation spots include local wildlife trust reserves – find locations here – and RSPB reserves. Find ideas on how to connect with nature, and encourage life into your surrounding environment in this blog post published a couple of years ago.
