Blue-tailed Damselfly

It's recently got a little harder to find new species I can easily identify. A bit of a worry as there's still another 80 or so days to go.
This was around our pond in July and August: the Blue-tailed damselfly Ischnura elegans. It is an early coloniser of new ponds (which ours is). It is smaller than the similar, but much rarer, Scarce Blue-tailed damselfly. (Clue in the name.)

Southern Hawker

A very enjoyable 24 hours with my friend Ian who now lives in France who also has an interest in #lifewildaroundus. Coupled with a recently acquired snazzy new Sony alpha6000 mirrorless digital camera and an array of lenses (including a proper macro) it has been something of a bioblitz!
Down in the 'orchard' looking for butterflies we couldn't help noticing this prehistoric monster whizzing around trying to choose as suitable perch. 
Although Ian has some cracking close-ups I must just mention that the full-length portrait is all my own (and my Nexus 5's) work!
This is one of the minority of species which is actually doing well in this country. It is expanding its range slowly northwards.
This Southern Hawker, Aeshna cyanea, is a chap who in all likelihood emerged in the last week or so. Our little pond might be enough for him to consider a kingdom for the next few weeks.

Close-up of Southern Hawker - Ian Lloyd (2015)

 

Marsh-marigold

Two rather over exposed pictures of Caltha palustris or Marsh-marigold. 
It is an almost garish, bold yellow flower which is a magnet for insects, the identities of which seem unknowable to me. 
However, they are one of the joys of the 'new' pond (it's two years old). 
Another late post. It's funny: I tried to do this (identify a new species each day) a few years ago, but was writing my findings down in a book. It wasn't long before I started missing days and long before March I'd stopped altogether. Despite the fact that I know of only a handful of friends who look at the blog from time to time, it's a remarkable psychological trick that makes one feel the need to post each day. A sort of 'invisible hand' peer pressure!

Greater Ramshorn Snail

Planorbarius corneus corneus or greater ramshorn snail is the other gastropod in our pond. I pinched a couple from a lovely pond in a local house we were visiting and put them in mine soon after I made it a couple of years ago. I thought they'd perished as I hadn't seen any until the other week. 
The pond, as all nature garden writers tell you, has been absolutely amazing for wildlife: loads of damsel and dragonflies. Toads, frogs and newts. Hoverflies.

Giant Pond Snail

This is Lymnaea stagnalis or the giant pond snail. It's pretty common but has been important in allowing us to develop an understanding of how neural networks work. They have a very simple nervous system of around 20 000 neurons which are all quite large. Consequently they have been the subjects of many experiments. This may explain why this one defaecated on me when I picked it up.
They are molluscs and belong to the gastropod class. They are hermaphrodite and demonstrate the Coolidge effect, something the chaps out there might know something about (nudge, nudge, wink, wink).

Water Measurer

Can  you spot it? It's the insect standing on the surface next to the green grass blade protruding through the water in the centre of the picture.
The water measurer, or Hydrometra stagnorum is a 9- 12mm long beastie found throughout Great Britain on still water. It spears mosquito larvae, fleas and other small prey through the surface with its beak.