Nature watch: June

Long, sunny midsummer days are the perfect time to see the magnificent emperor dragonfly in southern England and Wales. Males have dazzling blue-black abdomens; females are greener. Damselflies are more delicate, with fluttering wings that fold up when at rest and needle-thin bodies. My favourite is the aptly named beautiful demoiselle, whose dark amber wings glitter like smoked glass as it hovers over clumps of yellow iris. June is also a good month to start looking out for day-flying moths such as the hummingbird hawkmoth, an exotic continental migrant that loves to buzz around red valerian flowers, extracting nectar with its long watch-spring tongue.