Country diary: The beautiful demoiselle lives up to its name | Nic Wilson

Exbury Gardens, New Forest, Hampshire: The male barely looks real, glittering in the canopy as if dusted with sapphiresOn the banks of Dragonfly Pond, family mutiny is brewing. My kids have just missed an azure flash across the water that vanished before I could call "Kingfisher!". They are not impressed. Having lured them to Exbury Gardens with the promise of winged beauty, I'm hoping the pond will live up to its name.I needn't have worried. Dragonfly Pond is one of just 10 dragonfly "hotspots" - as designated by the British Dragonfly Society - in England and, from the floating pontoon, we soon spot male small red-eyed damselflies perching on territorial platforms of broad-leaved pondweed. A pair of mating damsels fly past, clasped in a heart shape known as the wheel position. Male emperor dragonflies patrol the margins like feisty Chinooks, while females oviposit on the undersides of aquatic vegetation, their sturdy abdomens probing the water with surprising deftness. Within minutes we've identified five of the 22 species recorded in the gardens, but to find the jewel in the crown, we need to follow the streams. Continue reading...