First time ...

Due to health reasons, we've not been able to go out looking for butterdamseldragons this year. Until this past weekend, that is!

Saturday gave a beautiful warm sunny day, and we decided to go to Eyeworth Pond to open our 2024 damsel/dragonfly account.

Lots of odo activity! We saw a total of 12 species, including both species of red-eyed damsels.

Really nice to see so many damsels and dragons, for the first time this year. Here are the usual tables for Saturday (one = 1; few = 2-4; several = 5-9; many = 10+):

Sunday started overcast and windy, with some drizzle. We decided to go to Rushbush Pond at Ipley Cross, which is normally good for a range of odo species.

Walking through the heather on the way to the pond, we saw dozens of silver-studded blues, the first ones this year.

But arriving at the Pond, we saw exactly zilch, nada, zero odo activity ...

After about an hour and a half, the sun broke through the clouds, and it warmed up considerably! Didn't take long for a four-spotted chaser and a few emperors to make their appearance! As well as several common blue damsels.

A sole teneral blue-tailed damsels showed itself.

And then I saw a pair of damsels fly across the pond. One settled first in the grass ...

... and subsequently on a tree trunk. 

And it really stumped us! Posted the pictures on the British Dragonflies and Damselflies FB group, asking for help identifying this damsel. Turned out to be a teneral female emerald damselfly. 

And then the clouds closed in again, ending all odo activity ... walking back across the heather, among many silver-studded blues, we saw a large skipper!

Just as we got to the car, a male beautiful demoiselle flew over!

Because of the weather, not nearly as many species as yesterday; here are the tables for Sunday (one = 1; few = 2-4; several = 5-9; many = 10+):