The picture shows a Southern Hawker dragonfly(Aeshna cyanea) laying eggs in damp moss on a log in my pond, between 30-35cm above the water. They will remain there through the winter in a state of suspended animation (diapause) before hatching in the early Spring. My Dragonfly guide says that among the prolarvae that hatch from these eggs the mortality rate may be high as they try to reach the water after hatching.

I shall have to ensure that the moss is kept moist if we have a dry spell of weather in the weeks to come - and I wonder how well the eggs cope with frosts?