Another New Dragonfly

A large, strongly flying dragonfly dropped into the garden this afternoon, a Southern Hawker.

                                        Southern Hawker Dragonfly    Click to enlarge.

    Commonly breeding in  woodland ponds, lakes and canals, it is often seen in gardens, perhaps due to their resemblance to woodland clearings. The larvae take two years to mature  and in their second year can take quite large prey, such as tadpoles and small fish. Is this perhaps what happened to my tadpoles this year, they never managed to get anywhere near full size before disappearing.