It’s dragonfly week in the UK, and I’m seeing lots of great pictures of dragonflies on Twitter (the Twitter experience is much more enjoyable if you mainly follow naturalists). I spotted a Common Hawker dragonfly emerging from its larva shell on Saturday. It climbed up to the top of a plant, waited for its wings to dry and then fluttered off on its first ever flight.
Common Hawker larva – you can see where the adult burst out of its shell. It really looks like a little monster.
The newly emerged Common Haawker adult dragonfly, just after emerging from its larva shell.