Dragonfly larvae.

Incredible photography by both you and Jane, this was amazing Bb! You have quite taken my breath away.......stunning!

Oh thank you Flori...it was fascinating to watch...until the blackbird leapt across...fluttered onto the bullrush and grabbed it ! Thats nature for you !!

Wonderful pics,Bb, you must have stood still for ages !! well done.

Thanks Grandmage...just a couple of hours early this morning...very early lol ..

Fantastic, an amazing set of pictures. As for the last photo nature can be so cruel at times but well caught.

Thanks Sue..it was a bit of a shock !

Wow, and wow again. Well done to both photographers - absolutely brilliant. Something I would never see - thank you so much - really fascinating stuff and amazing photographs, and that last one, oh dear!

Thank you Gee...were almost too transfixed to take the photos....and the poor thing never even got its maiden flight...thought it would be safe in the middle of the rushes.No wonder they usually shed at night !

fantastic blog jane and ray, how wonderfull to see this happen in your own garden, i love to see them hovering over the pond, great pics by both of you, well done ;o))) x

Thanks San...it was brilliant to see..but the blackbird was fast to grab it ! :o(

i bet it was, a tastey breakfast for her jane, nature is wonderfull but sad to, only like us having our bacon and sausage breakfast lol

Great photos you have got here, brill blog and photos as always.))x

Yes you are right San...everything has to eat :o) x
Thank you very much Clarice x

What a fantastic experience for you both and how great to have the pictures of the different stages, well done to you both for your patience and skill, just a pity about the sad ending!

Thank you PP we thought they might be safe amongst bullrushes but blackbirds almost hover to pick them off sad after all that effort .

Sure blackbirds feel the same about sparrowhawks . Good news is many more appear to have hatched during night as our pond covered in empty larva cases still left clinging to rushes.

Really interesting Jane/Ray :) The cases look quite ghostly don't they ?
Sad ending but down the chain you have your tadpoles breathing a sigh of relief :))

Lol Aster..what with these and the ducks earlier..no wonder we only had a few baby frogs that made it...Its a harsh world out there !!

Amazing photos and blog ... photo 2 is wonderful ... beautiful insects ... I've looked at this 3 times now and am still amazed at the wonder of Nature ... thankyou for sharing this. Love it ... think you can tell though !

A fascinating story come to life with your excellent photos Jane , your saw a whole life through from the beginning to the bitter end .... stunning ...

Thank you Shirley...it was amazing..could hardly take the photos..xx
Amy..tried to divert the blackbird...but no chance..ignored mealworms and insect pellets I put out..and homed in...determined to get the prize..Nature for you...

What a stunning set of pictures Ray/Jane, great story but not a fairytale with a happy ending, very sad but as you say that's nature for you. Glad I caught up with it at last, don't know how I missed it, thanks for putting the other photo on. Must add gone to my favourites.

what an interesting blog..super shots.well done Jane and BB

well done to you both fantastic pics.....

Thanks Drb would love to capture the whole sequence but mainly occurs over night as blackbird proves why ..no need to apologise not late only posted yesterday I ve missed some that have been on a while .. thats the problem with Goy the more popular it becomes the harder to keep up , the older I get the slower I type ..Catch 22 eh ?

Thank you Deida they are beautiful creatures but the size of those larvae lurking at the bottom of the pond must terrify everything else.

Thanks Hollyeves Jane deserves all the credit but hey I m grateful for any so thanks very much x

Fabulous !!! :~)))

Brilliant!!!

Thanks both.....

Fantastic Ray/Jane. Wonderful pics and blog. Very educational actually. I show my young granddaughter all the pics I think will catch her attention, and am amazed how interested she gets, looking at them and asking questions. Have only just read this, so will show her later. :o)))

Oh thank you very much Lindalooloo...glad you enjoyed the blog and hope your granddaughter does too.Hope she asks lots of questions !

Well I never, amazing. Thanks for this Ray, wonderful to see what happens, I'll be keeping a watch on ours now.

Have just shown her, and yes she did ask a lot of questions. I showed both her and Anton your blog. He was answering her questions, as he's the more capable one to answer her correctly. Plus he loves the wildlife also. :o)))

Thanks Dawn......
Is Anton your grandson Lindalooloo? Glad they enjoyed the blog !!

Really enjoyed this Jane and Ray.......fantastic photos and explanations, such a shame at the end, all part of the food chain....:o((

No, Anton is my Hubby. He was explaining to her, the different stages it goes through, to become a beautiful Dragonfly, and telling her what the cocoons were. It's surprising how the little ones sit and listen.I expect, to her, it's a story she hasn't heard before. :o)))

Thank you Janey..expected at least a maiden flight.....:o(
Thats great Lindalooloo....and lovely that the children want to know..:o)

Having been ordered by Jane to have a look at this blog I'm so glad that I obeyed as it's wonderful. Thank you both.

You are most welcome Toto...glad you enjoyed it !

fascinating!!! Who needs the telly? Especially with that final pic!!!!! :-D)))

truly exquisite!!

I totally agree with David. I didn't turn the telly on, on Saturday, I was so engrossed with what was happening here on GoY. Yesterday I turned the telly on at 8pm to watch a programme I wanted to see, but came on GoY, and never got around to watching it. Too much interest on here. Lol. :o)))

amazing ..wonderful pics bb..brilliant..

Thank you David..Cate..Lindalooloo and Joanella...for your very kind comments....

I'd forgotten that you can now add blogs to favourites so have now corrected that and on favourites it has gone.

What a fascinating and informative blog, with wonderful photographs. It shows how gardens aren't just places for flowers, but for interesting wild life, too. And for hunting: you must have had great fun stalking the dragon flies in their various life stages. And to judge from the comments above, we've all enjoyed reading about the life of the dragon fly and viewing your terrific pix, even if there was a rather unhappy ending! Who needs David Attenborough?

My thoughts entirely Kowhai. :o)))

Aw thanks Toto if known that would have made Jane a pack up and flask to get some night shots ..

Thank you Kowhai its quite a chain the larvae eating tadpoles the birds grabbing dragonflies the blackbirds caught by sparrowhawks ..as for David Attenborough just couldnt imagine watching wildlife and nature without him ,rather like the stars and planets without Patrick Moore.

Thanks Lindaloo .. oh you may be interested in Kowhais experiences with wisteria on blog wisteria tips.

What a fascinating blog it is great to be able to see something like this, shame that it did not have a happy ending , but thats life.

Thanks Mavis true indeed happily many that emerged overnight seem to have made it as found many empty larval cases .

Very interesting blog. Keep up the good work both of you.

Thank you Fractal.

As expected Ray and Jane an excellent blog with the usual high quality photos, I am a great fan of these magnificent insects, we used to have a lot in the garden a few years back, and I really miss not seeing them around any more, like you I would have been out half the night trying to get a pic.....so thanks for doing it for me.

Thank you very much Dd...it was worth the wait...they are truly fascinating creatures.Glad you enjoyed the blog..

great blog..so enjoyable to read..thanks..:-)

Thank you Sandra...so glad you enjoyed it......... :o)

WOW....., who needs the Discovery channel with you and Jane around ! I've lived on the lake all my life and never experienced anything like this, but you can be assured I'll be on the look out for this little miracle of life from now on.! I do believe I'm down right jealous at the moment...lol. You two never cease to amaze me !

Aww Flower...you are too kind.Seems like a long time ago now as we head towards winter.......Hope you and the family are all well and decorating finished ??

We're putting the wood perservative on the exterior siding this weekend then we're calling it done for the season. Yeeaaah !