Club Tailed Dragonfly (Gomphus vulgatissimus)
Photography by Chris Brooks
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Club Tail Dragonfly
This reasonably rare dragonfly gets its very apt name from the obvious swollen tip on its abdomen. This is present in both the sexes with subtle differences in the anal appendages.
It is confined to the southern half of the United Kingdom in a few specific sites.
This species prefers slow flowing rivers where they breed, although adults can be encountered far from water. One of their strongholds is on the River Thames.
I regard this species as rare in my part of the UK as there are only relatively small satillite populations on the River Kennet, which has been my only hunting ground for this dragonfly.
I have heard of them being on the River Blackwater but this is unconfirmed.
Perching adults are a rare site. The adult male is dull green & black and I have yet to see one, but I am still searching.
The adult female is yellow and black and closely resembles an immature specimen.
It is these immature Club Tails that you are much more likely to encounter on days of an emergence. On such days they can be quite abundant & you must make the most of the opportunity, it may not arise again.
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge the images)
Photographic Overview - The Club Tailed Dragonfly
All of my images are taken in handheld mode without the use of any camera support and this overview is written with that in mind.
This is a relatively difficult dragonfly to photograph purely because its quite difficult to locate in the first place. On the right day in May on the River Kennet you will catch a synchronised emergence, where you will see numerous immature specimens; however the next day they will be gone.
The immature specimens are fairly easy to photograph. They tend to sit on river side vegetation while their wings dry out. It is at this stage that they hold their wings closed in an upright position, as they dry out the wings will open into the crucifix position.
Take advantage of these photographic opportunities as they do not arise very often and if you miss an emergence that could be it for the season.
If you want to know more about this species, then follow this link - To Narrative
If you want to see the best of these images, then follow this link - To Slide Show
These images were obtained by stealth and patience alone, no other non photographic techniques were used. I hope you have enjoyed browsing and that you'll return again soon.
All of these photographs were taken by and remain the property of Chris Brooks
Page Updated 06/10
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Chris Brooks Photography
(www.dragonfly-images.co.uk)
