Lesser Emperor nymph in Seaford!

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A National First. Congratulations to Mike Kerry!

Mike writes: You may remember my article in the July newsletter, about an interesting find in the pond at South Hill, Seaford Head. I had identified it as an Emperor Dragonfly nymph, and presumed it to be the larger Emperor, normally seen in the UK.

However, the experts on the UK Dragonflies Facebook page felt that it was the less common Lesser Emperor, and encouraged me to submit the sighting to iRecord.
Months went by without comment, confirmation or denial. Then this week (November 15th) I received the good news that it had been confirmed by an experienced Odonatologist from Malta as Lesser Emperor, Anax parthenope.

This dragonfly occurs primarily in Southern Europe, North Africa, and Asia, although the occasional migrant has been seen in Britain, especially at Rye Harbour. This sighting on Seaford Head is the first sighting of a live nymph of this species in Britain and has been described as “a really exciting record” by Simon Linington of iRecord. It shows that this species has now bred in the UK. David Pritchard, one of the UK Dragonflies experts commented: “I’m so pleased for you. We all dream of a national first”.

It is great to see the value of the re-vitalised Dewpond, just a few months after restoration began. If you are interested in helping with future Dewpond renovation, or would like more information about the Friends of Seaford Head Dewpond, please contact:

Paul Baker (prbaker2ep@btinternet.com),
or Shirley Duda the Administrator (shirley.duda@yahoo.co.uk)

The Seaford Naturalist (produced by Seaford Natural History Society)