EARLY autumn is an excellent time to study dragonflies because these insects are only active as adults during the warmer months.

They therefore spend a lot of their time in the autumn mating and then the females lay their eggs close to or in the water.

The larval stages, which may last one or several years, are spent in the water.

I therefore set off to Foulridge Reservoir and explored the reed beds surrounding this interesting stretch of water which has a footpath all around it.

I was not disappointed because I had what can best be described as a dragonfly day.

The first dragonflies evolved around 250 million years ago and today there are around 5,300 species.

In Britain there are only about 30, which occur in East Lancashire.

Dragonflies are composed of an order called the Odonata.

These are divided into the zygoptera, which we call the damselfly, and the much larger anisoptera, which we call dragonfly.

Often in the Nature Spy records we see mentions of the blue damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum) but we need to take care because there are similar species which are common in East Lancashire.

What is needed is an up-to-date and accurate field guide to these wonderful insects.

Until fairly recently there have been good books but they have been very expensive.

This problem has now been rectified.

I took A Guide To The Dragonflies Of Great Britain with me and what a boon it proved to be.

I was soon able to identify the red common darter dragonfly (scientific name Sympetrum striolatum), which has a flight period from mid June to the end of October, so you have plenty of time to do some serious Odonata spotting.

Among the reeds around Foulridge I also found the bird life interesting.

There was a flock of swallows on their way south and also among the reeds were willow warblers, reed buntings and long-tailed tits.

On the water flocks of wildfowl were already building up, including tufted duck, pochard, goosander, Canada geese and wigeon.

The trouble with Foulridge in autumn is that you never know whether to look up or down.

A minute after counting a flock of 200 plus lapwings in flight I was identifying a long list of plants, including water mint, greater spearwort, water forget-me-not and marsh woundwort.

But soon I was identifying dragonflies and damselflies.

I really did need a good field guide and at last I had one that was accurate and affordable.

Book review

A Guide to the Dragonflies of Great Britain, by Dan Powell, published by Arlequin Press, £18

THIS book is crammed full with colour paintings with notes on flight patterns, identification details and distribution maps.

There are guidelines to distinguish between males and females, preferred habitats and life cycles.

Unlike many bird books, this confines itself to British species and therefore makes it much easier to arrive at an accurate identification.

Dan Powell is respected as a wildlife artist and his portraits of birds are excellent.

In this book on the dragonflies, however, he has surpassed himself.