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CRICKETS & DRAGONFLIES: SUNDAY 16th JULY 2009

On a warm and sunny afternoon it was great to see both adults and children eagerly arriving to seek out insects around the park. Armed with nets,magnifying glasses and identification charts we set off with the first stop being the dipping pond besides the pavilion. The first spot of the day was a Ruddy Darter resting close to the water's edge. As we went to go onto the bridge a common lizard was seen basking in the afternoon warmth. We stood for a few seconds on the bridge and very soon we spotted our first Emerald Damsel fly flitting across the pond.

With little other action we moved off around the hill, stopping after a few hundred yards in silence to listen for the chirping sounds of both crickets and grasshoppers. With grasshoppers it is the male that makes the sounds to attract the females to mate. With ranger Mark identifying the areas where there was activity, we headed into the longer grass. With nets sweeping it wasn't long before we managed, after a little practice and effort, to catch Field and Meadow Grasshoppers, along with Roesel's and Short Winged Crickets. By use of the magnifying glasses we were able to see the clear and distinctive features on what we had caught.

As we moved towards the Pill Box we saw a clearly pregnant and beautifully coloured Wasp Spider sitting in the middle of an intricately weaved web. Just further along we also caught a glimpse of a beautiful Cinnabar caterpillar.

We then headed towards the lake with the hope of spotting some dragonflies and damsel flies. We were not disappointed as there was an abundance of both the Common Blue Damsel Fly and the Black Tailed Skimmer. Having waited a few minutes we were fortunate to spot to Hawker Dragonflies moving at speed along the edge of the lake, passing by on a couple of occasions before heading off towards the reed beds.

A thoroughly enjoyable afternoon was had by both children and adults.

Paul Clarke