Ponds, Dragonflies & Water Life

Britain's biggest dragonfly; males have a striking apple-green thorax and sky-blue tail.

Delicate upright wings and long tail threads dancing above the water in early summer.

Slender needle-like body; holds its wings closed along its back when resting on reeds.

Shiny black beetle spinning dizzying circles across the water surface in groups.

Tiny, thin-legged flying insect whose wiggly larvae grow in still rainwater pools.

Walks magically on the surface film of the pond using water-repellent hairy feet!

Three feathery tail filaments; crawls across submerged stones feeding on algae.

Fierce underwater predator with a hinged extendable jaw to catch tadpoles!

Slender body with three leaf-shaped gills at the tail tip for breathing underwater.

Rows through the water with long oar-like hind legs, carrying an air bubble.

Flat, coiled shell shaped exactly like a ram's curved horn; grazes on pond plants.

Pointed spiral shell; often seen gliding upside down on the underside of the surface.

Looks like a dead leaf with pincer arms and a long breathing snorkel at its tail.

Warty brown skin and golden eyes; walks rather than hops through the grass.

Spotted orange belly; swims gracefully in the spring breeding season.

Smooth green-brown skin with long leaping hind legs and a dark eye mask.

Jelly-like clumps of transparent eggs floating in shallow water in early spring.

Little wriggling swimmers growing back legs first, then front legs!

Rare mini 'dragon' with a jagged crest and bright orange belly with black blotches!