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Image-of-the-Day by Subject
Dragonflies & Damselflies Page 1
Image Taken on 21 May 2014
at 12:18 Image of day on 25 Jul 2014
The warmest pond had a scattering of Azure Damselflies laying eggs in
the pond weed. The female is on the floating fibre.
The segments of the abdomen hinge without any ill-effects.
Ref: 20140725_df2_20140521_1218_351 azure damselflies laying in duck shaped pond (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 04 Jun 2010
at 12:32 Image of day on 13 Jul 2010
Azure damselflies are mating and laying in all the warm ponds.
Here a pair 'in wheel' on an Flag iris frond - the dominant marginal plant
in the main pond.
Ref: 20100713_df1_20100604_1232_010 azure damselflies mating on flag iris frond (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 01 May 2011
at 14:34 Image of day on 01 Jun 2011
The first damselflies of the year have made their appearance
Ref: 20110601_da1_20110501_1434_037+1459_103_ft1 azure damselfly female in flight with hop sedge (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 22 May 2010
at 16:18 Image of day on 02 Jul 2010
The Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) suddenly appeared
on Sat 22nd May so out came the insects in flight kit for some pics.
This is an Azure Damselfly immature (weak coloured) male.
Ref: 20100702_da1_20100522_1618_046+1629_062_ft1 azure damselfly imm male in flight with pond frond (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 25 May 2009
at 16:13 Image of day on 23 Jun 2009
Most blue damselflies here are the Azure species - a beautiful
rich blue.
Ref: 20090623_d01_20090525_1613_175+1631_209 ft1 azure damselfly in flight with willow sapling (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 01 Sep 2009
at 13:14 Image of day on 17 Oct 2009
Ref: 20091017_da1_20090901_1314_014_ft1 azure damselfly male in flight (web crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 01 Sep 2009
at 13:12 Image of day on 17 Oct 2009
What seems to be a new emergence Azure Damselfly was flying along
the bank of the pond and 'came in' for a 10 minute photo shoot.
Ref: 20091017_da1_20090901_1312_006+1327_024_ft1 azure damselfly male in flight with grass seed head (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 27 May 2019
at 12:31 Image of day on 04 Jul 2019
Still the only species of small Damselfly we are seeing, here a male Azure
Damselfly waited long enough to get this portrait. Unusually sharp image along
the whole length.
Ref: 20190704_df5_20190527_1231_036 azure damselfly male on hedge top(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 18 Jun 2024
at 16:11 Image of day on 19 Jul 2024
The Odonata family (damselflies and Dragonflies) seem rather reluctant to
appear this year. But one 10 minute session on a warm afternoon produced
these 3 encounters.
A male Azure Damselfly.
Ref: 20240719_r70_20240618_1611_021 azure damselfly male on hop sedge leaf(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 27 May 2022
at 12:53 Image of day on 06 Jul 2022
The colour of some mature Damselflies is quite remarkable.
If they were not so small they would be lauded as amazing.
Ref: 20220706_df3_20220527_1253_077 azure damselfly male perched on grass blade(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 17 May 2022
at 15:38 Image of day on 26 Jun 2022
We came across this Azure Damselfly perched on a leaf sucking dry a midge
(or something) it had caught. Perhaps half a minute later he dropped the
'empty' husk you can see below him.
Ref: 20220626_df3_20220517_1538_079+085 azure damselfly male sucking fluid from prey item & then dropping it (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 28 May 2012
at 13:23 Image of day on 29 Jun 2012
Here is our much more numerous blue damselfly - the Azure Damselfly.
Ref: 20120629_df1_20120528_1323_408 azure damselfly on iris frond (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 01 Jun 2009
at 14:41 Image of day on 06 Jul 2009
A common site at almost any decent wildlife pond is pairs of Azure
Azure Damselflies mating.
In August 2007 we pictured them in 'Wheel' position as the
male transfers his sperm to the female (male to the left arching over the
female):-
This year we picture them in 'Tandem'. The male is on the right
and they can fly in this position.
Ref: 20090706_db1_20090601_1441_140 azure damselfly pair in tandem on lily frond(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 28 Jul 2007
at 11:20 Image of day on 23 Aug 2007
A pair of Damselflies mating on a lily frond. See
image for 17 Aug 2007 for Dragonflies in similar position.
Ref: 20070823_d01_20070728_1120_016 azure damselfly pair in wheel position(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 07 Jun 2009
at 15:46 Image of day on 06 Jul 2009
The final act - the female depositing eggs onto pond weeds.
Ref: 20090706_db1_20090607_1546_002 azure damselfly pair laying eggs in duck pond(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 07 Jun 2013
at 12:56 Image of day on 22 Jul 2013
A pair of Azure Damselflies laying eggs in the main pond.
The female (lower) is ovipositing on a fallen stem below the
water surface, as you can see from the floating duckweed.
Ref: 20130722_df1_20130607_1256_054 azure damselfly pair laying in main pond (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 07 Jun 2016
at 14:38 Image of day on 17 Jul 2016
A pair of Azure damselflies mating on a Hop Sedge leaf at the duck shaped pond.
The male is blue. Odonata mating is interesting and worth looking up on the WWW.
Ref: 20160717_df3_20160607_1438_079 azure damselfly pair mating in wheel position on hop sedge leaf (crop)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 13 Jul 2006
at 18:14 Image of day on 20 Jul 2006
We often seen the (blue) male Banded Agrion flitting about but
we spotted the iridescent (green) female for the first time and
were lucky to see them together.
(We could not get them both in focus at the same time - so this
is an 'honest composite' of the pair overlaid with separate
individual images from the same sequence).
Ref: 20060720_d60_20060713_1814_822 (with 816+818 insects composited) pair of banded agrion damselflies(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 13 Jul 2006
at 18:19 Image of day on 21 Jul 2006
The female Banded Agrion perched high in the hedge.
Ref: 20060721_d60_20060713_1819_841 banded agrion damselfy female(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 13 Jul 2006
at 18:12 Image of day on 22 Jul 2006
The male Banded Agrion perched in the hedge.
Ref: 20060722_d60_20060713_1812_802 banded agrion damselfy male(r+mb id@576).jpg
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