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on the pavement. There was only one possible course of action available: bring it round to my house for an expert opinion and a photo shoot.It was a female emperor dragonfly, Anax imperator, our largest and most colourful species, with a wingspan reaching 107mm

that wildlife would find it soon enough. And they have.Peering into the now clear water, after the initial algal bloom and water-flea dance auditions, I can see some squat mud-coloured gargoyles resting menacingly just below the water line. They are dragonfly

, using railway sleepers, three high (about 50 cm), to make a raised water body. Triangular in shape, 2 metres long, with a deep corner dug down a further 50 cm and a shallow corner for marginal plants. Three species of damselfly, two species of dragonfly

fences to prevent the geese from trampling some of the newly planted edges. And what's this hawking over the water surface? An emperor dragonfly, Anax imperator. Things are looking up.Maybe the heron will be a regular visitor. Nearby Dulwich Park has a

. Previous clearings of the weed have led to some interesting discoveries.The first signs of dragonfly colonization were revealed in the several large larvae dredged up at once. I had seen the common blue damselfly, Enallagma cyanthigerum, often enough

and dragonflies, with many flying well into October and November, but without that sudden change to wetter weather at the end of September, many late-season insects (and fungi) fail to thrive.This happened a few years ago, when August dry crept into September

this late in the year the dung-flies are ready to recycle. The adult flies, although only 7-10 mm long, are fierce predators, attacking other small insects they catch on the wing. Unlike houseflies, they do not come indoors, are not attracted to human food