On his first day on the job our new Assistant Warden, Ben Lewis, spotted 4 willow emerald damselflies on the site.

Willow emerald by Ben LewisNow, this is amazing news!  For those of us who know little or nothing about this sub-order of odonata, willow emeralds are very rare in this part of the world.  Apparently they are mostly to be found in Jersey, though sightings are not unusual in Kent or Suffolk either.

However, from the mouths of the experts and the extensive internet trawl I have just undertaken, no willow emeralds have ever been reported in Norfolk, so this is a first!  Editor's note - apologies this is incorrect.  Apparently one was spotted at Strumpshaw Fen in 2009. 

 

Typically, the very spot they were seen was then promptly closed for ditch maintenance work.  However we have opened up a section of the closed trail to allow those enthusiasts amongst you to go out and search for this rare beauty.  If you'd like to catch a glimpse of the willow emeralds (and I hear patience is the key) then please ask at our Reception Hide for directions.

 

 
For those of you who know diddly squat about these green insects, let me give you some basics:

  • They are unlike other damselflies in that they hold their wings at an angle to their body when at rest
  • They are in flight from late August to October
  • Unlike other damselflies they don't lay their eggs under water, but in incisions in the bark of willow or alder branches.  The eggs then develop at a good pace until they reach the diapause stage, which is a very slow moving period of development.  They will then over-winter in this state until the next spring when the eggs will hatch and drop down into water.  After a couple of months they will then emerge as adults and will continue to develop for a good while until they are physically mature enough to mate.

 
  And a couple of snippets of info which I'm sure everyone knows but I thought were pretty good!

  • Damselflies are damselflies and not dragonflies because their eyes will never touch each other...
  • They are of the sub-order of Zygoptera which means 'yoke-winged'
  • Both dragonflies and damselflies are known as Odonata which means 'toothed jaw'
  • Damselflies can land...  but they can’t walk! 

 Willow emerald by Ben Lewis

So there you have it, a new species for Norfolk and found right here at Strumpshaw Fen.  What else would you expect from such a diverse habitat as this?!