A pond-dipping session in the Jubilee Pond and Stream, and in the Mirror Ponds at Exbury Gardens in late February revealed the richness of life in the underwater environment. As well as snails, water beetles, water boatmen, whirligigs and freshwater shrimps we found the immature forms of mayflies and caddis flies, a lovely water stick insect and, most interestingly to us, some damsel and dragonfly nymphs. Exbury is known as a dragonfly hotspot and many species can be found in summer. We discovered a breeding population of Golden-ringed Dragonflies on Jubilee Stream, a good population of Azure damselflies in Jubilee Pond, and both Emperor and Southern Hawker in the ponds.