Saturday 28 June 2008

Damselfly......

I believe this is the white legged damselfly......I have seen quite a few of them in the garden this week. I have an area of meadow in the garden. It has some wildflowers but I have many grasses there. This is by choice........some species of moths and butterfly will use the grasses as a host plant. It is also a wonderful area for grasshoppers, I get many, although this is not a good year for them. Also I have seen evidence of hedgehogs in this area, probably looking for insects. One patch of meadow has had a large creature in it. The grasses are flattened. I would think it is probably a fox waiting for the rabbits to come out of the warren. We have many young rabbits in the garden at the moment....although cute they are doing a lot of damage......hopefully the fox might take a few.
I love this space.....my love of nature started at a very early age....I can remember gazing from the classroom window looking at the trees and just wanting to be out there. Although we lived in London....in a very built up area....Mum and Dad would take my brother and I to the woods most Sundays. I loved it, I never tired of it and when I think of those days, I know that my parents knew I needed to run free in green spaces. My love of nature grows with age,my passion to keep the green open spaces for my grandchildren is a strong one..........our world is changing and if every gardener left just a little bit of space for wildlife, it would make a huge difference..............I leave you with that thought........happy wildlife watching.....

18 comments:

Anna Simpson said...

What a wonderful blog you have got going here. I love this picture of the Damselfly, it is excellent, well done. I love how you have shown it in its habitat. Fantastic. Keep up the fantastic work.

Cheryl said...

Thank you for dropping by Anna and your lovely comments.....

Lisa at Greenbow said...

An interesting damselfly cheryl. I have never seen one with white legs.

I could have written the sentence about being in school and looking out the window and wishing I was outside. I still do that at work from time to time. ha...

Cheryl said...

Hi Lisa.....I like this damselfly....probably because of my love of white!!!
I am still the same I have to spend sometime outside everyday, otherwise I feel imprisoned and I'm not joking.....I am like a caged tiger.

Rose said...

Your garden is truly a sanctuary for wildlife. I love that damselfly, especially now that I know it's a different species and not a female dragonfly:)

Cheryl said...

Hi Rose....Ithink this particular damselfly is very pretty......

Naturegirl said...

Dragonflies and bumblebees in your last two posts! I love to see them!
I also have been in love with nature from the time I was a little girl running into the woodlands to play hide and seek and look at the sky and imagine what I would become when I grew up..always a doggie or cat with me!
We are born to be keepers of the earth I think!

Meems said...

Cheryl, I just love the uniqueness of the damselfly... difficult to capture with a camera and you have done a splendid job. I can totally understand your love for wildlife and the discovery of it at an early age. My most favorite thing to do was to be in the wide open spaces and still is... just get me outside and everything will be all right. I even blog and read blogs sitting outdoors as often as possible... just love to be here where I can see and hear all the birding/butterflies/squirrels activity... well right now (at night) it is the frogs and crickets.

Meems @Hoe&Shovel

Cheryl said...

Hi Naturegirl....I think you are right some of us just love mother earth.....I have great respect for this wonderful planet.
You were lucky to have animal companions....I was never allowed them, my mother is not an animal lover.
When I married Mr Practical all that changed....there has always been an animal in the house. My complete happiness has come later in life....
tku for dropping by.....

Cheryl said...

Hi Meems....we to are being kept awake at night by the frogs.....also woken up early by the rooks.....still a silent world would be boring!!!!

Steve said...

Hi Cheryl....lovely picture of the White-Legged Damselfly. They are pretty scarce around here....again a really good thoughtful post

Cheryl said...

Tks Steve glad you enjoyed it.....

Baker Watson said...

Nice photo of the damselfly. Not sure I've ever seen one with legs that white.

Q said...

Dear Cheryl,
I find more and I more I like the wild places in my city garden the best. I am doing a balance of cultivated and wild.
Your Dramselfly picture is lovely, White Legged...lovely name too.
I am studying the Dragonflies and Damsels in my area. Just learning to id some.
I so love them.
Sherry

Cheryl said...

Dear Sherry....I to have cultivated and wild, I prefer the wild side of the garden. Mr. P. prefers the cultivated, it is a good balance.....

Dragonflies and damselflies are beautiful......I sometimes have trouble identifying them, they are so similar.....

Cheryl said...

Hi Baker it is a good damselfly, I like it very much....

Wendy said...

This is a beautiful post, Cheryl. Thank you for sharing a childhood memory and intimate part of yourself. I can say that I too am drawn to nature more and more as I age. And I can also relate very well to looking out the classroom window and wishing I could be outside playing.
I am learning lots from you about insects. This is an area that I have not thought about before. Plants, flowers, trees, animals, but not insects. I look forward to learning more.

Cheryl said...

We must look after our insects Wendy....they are important in the food chain......no sprays here.