30 Days Wild : Day 1 : Dragonfly Identification Day and a Sunset Safari

I've had an excellent start to 30 Days Wild this year :)

I did a day long course with Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and David Goddard from the British Dragonfly Society then spent the evening out on a Sunset Safari with the Eastern Moors Partnership.


The dragonfly and damselfly  identification course had a focus on the larval forms (but did cover adult insects too of course), which is what made me book a place... adding an extra level of knowledge for any future pond dipping sessions.

After a very interesting morning in the classroom...

We visited Hoe Grange Quarry and Hopton Hall in the afternoon to look for dragons and damsels and identify a few.

There were lots of tadpoles in the ponds, as well as plenty of newts and other pond creatures such as diving beetles and water boatmen.

Of course, when a group of nature enthusiasts head outdoors, anything and everything catches the eye so we spent as much time spotting other insects and flowers as much as looking for dragonflies!

Wood tiger moth

Common blue butterfly

Large red damselfly

We also had a Hurricane and a Spitfire fly overhead... not nature I know, but always nice to see!

Small skipper butterfly

Thick-legged flower beetle

Small heath butterfly

Small leaved lime

Large red damsels ovipositing

A recently emerged damselfly, colours not yet developed

The pond at Hopton Hall

An alder fly laying eggs on flag iris

sawflies (I think)

blue tailed damselfly

I didn't take many photos of the dragonflies or damseflies but we also saw broad bodied chasers, four spotted chasers, common blue damselflies and azure blue damselflies. Not as many as we had hoped to find, but still a great day.

As I was getting back in the car later on, to head for the moors, I spotted an orange lacewing on my car. I've never seen an orange one before. I've looked it up and learned that this type is known as a black lacewing, Nothochrysa capitata.

The evening was spent in the Burbage Valley, spotting wildlife at dusk. This is a view down the valley as the group set off...

and another view later on, when we were stood in a plantation watching a woodcock fly around it.

With the fading light and moving targets, I didn't take photos this evening really, but here's a list of some of the species seen and heard...

Short eared owl
curlew
willow warbler
red grouse
ring ouzel
woodcock
nightjar
cuckoo

🐦 What did you do on Day 1 ? 🐌