Common Darter

I found these two obliging Common Darters Sympetrum striolatum basking on canes in the late summer sunshine at Whitecross Woods in Oxfordshire. I drove out to Whitecross in the hope of photographing an elusive Brown Hairstreak, but finding none spent an enjoyable couple of hours chasing Dragonflies instead! Common Hawkers love to sun themselves on twigs or warm surfaces such as paths and can be quite approachable and easy to photograph.

Male Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum - Whitecross Woods, Oxon, 11/08/2012

Female Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum - Whitecross Woods, Oxon, 11/08/2012