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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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