Parc Penallta. 22/04/2026
Hi everyone, the new season as started. A nice sunny day but a bit windy I managed to get out and about initially looking for butterflies. The first thing I came across was a Large Red Damselfly, there was no water nearby. Although I walk around most of the water pools on this site I did not see any other Damsels.
While doing some work in my partners garden a hawker came through hunting and decided to rest up in a bush so managed to get a pic. A female Southern Hawker.
A return visit to this site and nothing has improved, Dragons were few and far between and like Pysgodlyn Mawr not a lot of Damsels about. I only found a few Blue-tailed Damsels and a couple of Common Darters.
My 2nd visit to this site and nothing as changed, Dragons were few with only male Common Darters around the pond although I did catch a glimpse of a male Black-tailed Skimmer. There were a few Damsels about but again not many, Azure and Blue-tailed.
In an area nearby which is a forestry tree fell area I found more Common Darters and a single Male Golden-ringed Dragonfly plus a hawker flying high and hunting.
I then moved onto Llanerch Wood.
A few hours spent walking around Forest Farm NR today was very productive for Demoiselles, on the stream which runs along side the reserve (The Melingruffydd) I found between 15 to 20 male Banded Demoiselle displaying to around 3 females, also among them were a couple of male Beautiful Demoiselle. They were also present by the footbridge over to the allotments a bit further down.
I did not see any Dragons on the pools near the hides, so carried on to the canal where the lily pads were thick on the water covering nearly all the canal, there were a lot of Damsels on the pads mainly male Azures and a few male Blue-tailed Damsels with a lot of Azures in tandem and ovipositing.
I did find one Dragon along the canal a Golden-ringed Dragonfly. there were also quite a few male Banded and Beautiful Demoiselle up by the lock.
Strange how there is a shortage of Dragons about! What could be wrong?
While up in Merthyr I popped around to Cyfarthfa castle for a quick look at the ponds behind the castle. There were a lot of Damselflies about, Common Blue, Azure and Blue-tailed but I only saw two Dragons. One being an male Emperor who flew across a pond and then disappeared, the other being a Golden-ringed Dragonfly which did stop for a picture and then that too disappeared. Whether it was the rain showers or the wind I do not know but there is a lack of Dragonflies at this site at the moment.
Visited the lower half of the park where there are a number of ponds, the first is in a field near to the car park on the Nelson/Ystrad road. On the way to the pond I found a Broad-bodied Chaser on some bramble plus a few Blue-tailed Damsels.
At the pond there were a lot of Dragons and Damsels flying around, over the water I saw 5 male Broad-bodied Chasers and a male Emperor. In the vegetation around the pond a single Keeled Skimmer plus male and female Black-tailed Skimmers. Damsels were Blue-tailed and Common Blue.
I then moved on to the fishing ponds were again there were a lot of Damsels and a few Dragons. Damsels were Blue-tailed, Azure and Large Red, Dragons were again Male Black-tailed Skimmers, male Emperor and a single male Broad-bodied Chaser.
