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Lavells Lake
Lavells Lake is a Local Nature Reserve on the outskirts of Woodley, a suburb of Reading in Berkshire. It is owned by Wokingham District Council and managed by the council and The Friends of Lavell's Lake. The nature reserve is part of Dinton Pastures Country Park. Geography and site The nature reserve is a lake made from an old gravel pit and it has several bird hides. History The lake was opened to the public in 1979 as part of the country park after the area was used for extracting gravel for 14 years. In 1992 the site was declared as a local nature reserve by Wokingham Borough Council. Fauna The site has the following fauna: Mammals *Soprano pipistrelle *Common pipistrelle *Daubenton's bat *Brown long-eared bat *European rabbit *Red fox *Roe deer *Muntjac deer *Stoat *Weasel *Wood mouse *Eastern gray squirrel *Field vole Invertebrates Birds Amphibians and reptiles *Common frog *Grass snake *Common toad * Smooth newt *Great crested newt *Red-eared slider Flora The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wood Mouse
The wood mouse (''Apodemus sylvaticus'') is a murid rodent native to Europe and northwestern Africa. It is closely related to the yellow-necked mouse (''Apodemus flavicollis'') but differs in that it has no band of yellow fur around the neck, has slightly smaller ears, and is usually slightly smaller overall: around 90 mm (3.54 in) in length and 23 g in weight. It is found across most of Europe and is a very common and widespread species, is commensal with people and is sometimes considered a pest. Other common names are long-tailed field mouse, field mouse, common field mouse, and European wood mouse. This species is a known potential carrier of the Dobrava sequence of hantavirus which affects humans and may pose serious risks to human health. Habitat and distribution Wood mice inhabit forests, grasslands, and cultivated fields, tending to seek out more wooded areas in winter. Almost entirely nocturnal and terrestrial, wood mice burrow extensively, build nests of pl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cordulia Aenea
The downy emerald (''Cordulia aenea'') is a species of dragonfly. It is metallic green and bronze in color, and its thorax is coated with fine hairs, hence its name. Like most other emeralds, the downy emerald has bright shiny green eyes. Adults are around 5 cm in length, and are in flight from May through July each year. This species lives in woodlands near lakes and ponds; like other dragonflies, it lays eggs in water and its larvae are aquatic. It is distributed throughout most of Europe. Although it has been eliminated from some of its historic native area in Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ... due to habitat loss, dense populations of the downy emerald can still be found there in spots where its ideal habitat remains. After the downy emerald ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Libellula Depressa
''Libellula depressa'', the broad-bodied chaser or broad-bodied darter,Hart. M., et al, (1978), ''The Naturetrail Omnibus'', London: Usborne Publishing Limited, page 157 is one of the most common dragonflies in Europe and central Asia. It is very distinctive with a very broad flattened abdomen, four wing patches and, in the male, the abdomen becomes pruinose blue. Identification The male and female have a broad, flattened abdomen which is brown with yellow patches down the sides. In the male the abdomen develops a blue pruinosity that covers the brown colour. Both fore and hind wings have a dark patch at the base. Both the male and female have broad antehumeral stripes. The average wingspan is approximately 70 mm. ''L. depressa'' is very distinctive and should not be confused with any other dragonflies in the region. Distribution and habitat ''L. depressa'' is found in central and southern Europe, central Asia and the Middle East. It range extends northwards to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Libellula Quadrimaculata
''Libellula quadrimaculata'', known in Europe as the four-spotted chaser and in North America as the four-spotted skimmer, is a dragonfly of the family Libellulidae found widely throughout Europe, Asia, and North America. The adult stage is found between April to early September in the United Kingdom, and from mid-May to mid-August in Ireland. Larvae have a two-year developmental cycle. Adults feed predominantly on mosquitoes, gnats, and midges; the larvae feed primarily on other aquatic insect larvae and on tadpoles. There is a variant form, ''praenubila'' Newman, which has exaggerated wing spots. This is believed to be related to water temperatures during larval development, and appears to be more common in Europe than in the Americas. The four-spotted skimmer is the state insect of Alaska. Habitat This active dragonfly mainly lives by ponds, vernal pools, and slow flowing rivers; they are most common in June and July. Identification The brown colour and the four spots on t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sympetrum Sanguineum
The ruddy darter (''Sympetrum sanguineum'') is a species of dragonfly of the family Libellulidae. Distribution The ruddy darter is to be found in temperate regions throughout Europe as far east as and as far south as the northern . Its is regarded as secure, and indeed numbers seem to be increasing in some locations such as central |
Sympetrum Striolatum
The common darter (''Sympetrum striolatum'') is a dragonfly of the family Libellulidae native to Eurasia. It is one of the most common dragonflies in Europe, occurring in a wide variety of water bodies, though with a preference for breeding in still water such as ponds and lakes. In the south of its range adults are on the wing all year round. Appearance ''Sympetrum'' species are not easy to tell apart and in most areas more than one ''Sympetrum'' species will occur. Females and teneral individuals have light yellow thorax and abdomen. Males turn red as they mature. Females darken with age, becoming a dark chocolate brown, and sometimes develop a blue colouration to the bottom of the abdomen. The wings also develop a brown tinge with age. In all cases the legs have a cream or yellow stripe on a black background - this is a diagnostic feature of this species. The pterostigma of the females can be red, blue, pale blue or brown. Common darter dragonfly (Sympetrum striolatum) immat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orthetrum Cancellatum
The black-tailed skimmer (''Orthetrum cancellatum'') is a dragonfly belonging to the family Libellulidae. Distribution This species is widespread in Europe and Asia. It is found throughout European continent including the Mediterranean islands but is absent in the north of Britain and the northern half of Fennoscandia. This is one of the most common European species and it is still increasing its range northwards. To the east, the range extends over central Asia to Kashmir, Mongolia to the northern parts of China and Arunachal Pradesh in India. It is present in Albania, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France (Corsica, and mainland), Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brachytron Pratense
''Brachytron'' is a monotypic genus of European dragonfly of the family Aeshnidae containing the hairy dragonfly (''Brachytron pratense''), also known as the hairy hawker or spring hawker. Description The hairy dragonfly is named for its hairy thorax, distinguishing it from other hawkers. It has a long, narrow pterostigma (the coloured, sclerotized patch on the outer region of each wing). The antehumeral stripes are usually thin and green. The hairy dragonfly has coupled, oval-shaped markings on its abdomen, blue on males and yellow on females. It is smaller than other species in the genus Aeshna ''Aeshna'', or the mosaic darners, is a genus of dragonflies from the family Aeshnidae. Species within this genus are generally known as "hawkers" (Old World) or "darners" (New World). Description These are relatively large dragonflies. T .... It is the United Kingdom's smallest hawker.. Habitat The hairy dragonfly lives in ponds, lakes, fens, ditches, and canals rich in veg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aeshna Mixta
The migrant hawker (''Aeshna mixta'') is one of the smaller species of hawker dragonflies. It can be found away from water but for breeding it prefers still or slow-flowing water and can tolerate brackish sites. The flight period is from July to the end of October. ''A. mixta'' occurs in North Africa, southern and central Europe to the Baltic region. Identification ''A. mixta'' is a small ''aeshna'' which appears dark in flight. It is similar in appearance to other aeshnas but has a characteristic "golf-tee" shaped mark on the second segment of the abdomen (S2) which is diagnostic. In flight it looks like a small Emperor dragonfly with a blue abdomen which, when seen from the side, curves down. The main identification problem in the field is distinguishing this species from '' A. affinis'' where the two species fly together. The markings on the side of the thorax are different in '' A. affinis'' and ''A. mixta''. In '' A. affinis'' the sides of the thorax are greeny yellow with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aeshna Cyanea
The southern hawker or blue hawker (''Aeshna cyanea'') is a species of hawker dragonfly. Distribution The species is one of the most common and most widespread dragonflies in Europe. The total range is West Palearctic and covers a large part of Europe (to Scotland and southern Scandinavia in the North to Italy (without the Southwest) and the northern Balkans to the South); the Eastern boundary is formed by the Ural and the West by Ireland. It is also found in Northwest Africa (Algeria). In Central Europe the species is very common. Habitat These dragonflies mainly inhabit well-vegetated, small ponds and garden ponds, but they wander widely, and they are often seen in gardens and open woodland. Description ''Aeshna cyanea'' can reach a body length of about , with a wingspan up to .Richard Robinson Askew, The Dragonflies of Europe, Harley Books, 2004, p. 109. It is a large, brightly coloured dragonfly, with a long body. The thorax is brown, with two ante-humeral wide green longit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aeshna Grandis
The brown hawker (''Aeshna grandis'') is a large dragonfly about long. It is a distinctive species and is easily recognised, even in flight, by its brown body and bronze wings. At rest, blue spots on the second and third segments of the male's abdomen can be noticed; these are absent in female. The flight time is mainly July to September. The nymph has stripes on the side of the thorax and distinct banding on the legs. Distribution ''Aeshna grandis'' is common in central and eastern Europe. In Europe, it can be found everywhere from Ireland to the Urals, with some exceptions like Scotland, northernmost Scandinavia and the Iberian and Apennine peninsulas. There is a population in the Balkans. It is widespread in England but commonest in the south-east; local in Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Brit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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