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Dragonflies & Damselflies Page 5

Image Taken on 09 Jun 2019 at 15:32    Image of day on 24 Jul 2019

On the last sunny day before the rains the Beautiful Demoiselle Damselflies still flutter around us along the sunny walks. This is the female.


Ref: 20190724_df5_20190609_1532_123 beautiful demoiselle damselfly female(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 24 May 2019 at 12:21    Image of day on 29 Jun 2019

The site is wonderfully awash with Beautiful Demoiselle Damselflies. 'Beautiful' is part of the common name, as well as being a good description. About 20 individuals flutter about as you pass a sheltered warm patch.
The females bodies are iridescent and vary in colour from green to gold according to the lighting. Females also have the white dot (pseudo-pterostigma) near the upper tip of all 4 wings, though it is sometimes hard to see.


Ref: 20190629_df5_20190524_1221_166 beautiful demoiselle damselfly female(r+mb id@1024).jpg


Image Taken on 20 Jun 2018 at 17:57    Image of day on 02 Aug 2018

A detail from another female Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly highlighting the wonderful intricacy of the veins in the wings.


Ref: 20180802_df3_20180620_1757_090 beautiful demoiselle damselfly female (crop)(r+mb id@432).jpg


Image Taken on 11 Jun 2018 at 10:43    Image of day on 25 Jul 2018

A female Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly keeping still long enough for a photo. These creatures (male, female and both Beautiful and Banded variants) have a characteristic & we think delightful fluttering flight.


Ref: 20180725_df3_20180611_1043_022 beautiful demoiselle damselfly female(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 10 Jun 2017 at 12:52    Image of day on 03 Aug 2017

This is the female Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly. Note the golden iridescence and complex egg laying machinery at the tail end.


Ref: 20170803_df3_20170610_1252_030 beautiful demoiselle damselfly female(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 01 Jun 2017 at 16:02    Image of day on 23 Jul 2017

Next day a female Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly arrived. Compared to the male note the lighter coloured wings, a more golden tail end (not very obvious through the golden wing here) and the different sexual organs at the tail tip


Ref: 20170723_df3_20170601_1602_044 beautiful demoiselle damselfly female (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 22 Jul 2016 at 18:04    Image of day on 10 Sep 2016

This is the female Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly, with iridescent brown-green body.


Ref: 20160910_df3_20160722_1804_060 beautiful demoiselle damselfly female (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 09 Jun 2021 at 12:53    Image of day on 12 Jul 2021

At last we see a Female Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly. Only the females have the white 'pseudo-pterostigma' on both Demoiselle species.
Many other Odonata have these marks in a similar position, but there are usually black or Brown, hence the 'pseudo' for these white ones.


Ref: 20210712_d73_20210609_1253_148 beautiful demoiselle damselfly female (1st female of 2021) (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 03 Jun 2018 at 16:16    Image of day on 15 Jul 2018

A female Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly (one of 3 individuals spread over our patch) on the first day of the year warm enough to draw them out.


Ref: 20180715_d72_20180603_1616_055 beautiful demoiselle damselfly female (1st of 2018) (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 03 Jun 2018 at 16:17    Image of day on 15 Jul 2018

A female Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly (one of 3 individuals spread over our patch) on the first day of the year warm enough to draw them out.


Ref: 20180715_d72_20180603_1617_062 beautiful demoiselle damselfly female (1st of 2018)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 01 Jun 2019 at 11:56    Image of day on 11 Jul 2019

A female Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly has a wonderful green and gold iridescent body here shown as the detail of the head.


Ref: 20190711_df5_20190601_1156_034 beautiful demoiselle damselfly female (detail crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 22 May 2020 at 15:07    Image of day on 23 Jun 2020

A female Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly makes final approach to land on this fresh leaf. Beautiful and Banded Demoiselle Damselflies are the largest UK species at about 48mm long, while more often seen Damselflies like the Common Blue are about 35mm long and appear much more delicate
These creatures are Midge hunters & have no interest in vegetation apart from somewhere to perch.


Ref: 20200623_d73_20200522_1507_080 beautiful demoiselle damselfly female approaching landing on leaf(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 01 Jun 2019 at 11:47    Image of day on 11 Jul 2019

A female Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly has a wonderful green and gold iridescent body. Note the complicated tail tip of the female as opposed to the male.


Ref: 20190711_da1_20190601_1147_158_ft1 beautiful demoiselle damselfly female in flight (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 01 Jun 2019 at 11:49    Image of day on 11 Jul 2019

A female Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly has a wonderful green and gold iridescent body. Note the complicated tail tip of the female as opposed to the male.


Ref: 20190711_da1_20190601_1149_170_ft1 beautiful demoiselle damselfly female in flight (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 09 Jun 2019 at 17:45    Image of day on 24 Jul 2019

A few female Beautiful Demoiselle Damselflies appeared over the 'Duck-shaped' pond, perching on the Hop-sedge and then dashing off after prey (too small for us to see). This female flew into the frame from the right, looped around and landed into the breeze at a crease in the leaf which she had left a second or two before. All this in about 2/3 of a second.
The sequence is middle right, left along the top, middle left, bottom on leaf. The Montage is fairly accurate but slightly adjusted to avoid overlaps.
We can supply the camera originals if you should want them. Both of our 'favourite pic of the week'.



Ref: 20190724_df5_20190609_1745_031-035 beautiful demoiselle damselfly female in flight lands on hop sedge 1-5 of 9 (adj montage @7fps)(r+mb id@1024).jpg


Image Taken on 21 Jun 2018 at 15:56    Image of day on 02 Aug 2018

A female Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly (judging from the brown wings not the very similar female Banded) flicking her wings momentarily so you can see them spread out.


Ref: 20180802_df3_20180621_1556_013 beautiful demoiselle damselfly female momentarily fluttering wings (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 18 May 2020 at 13:00    Image of day on 16 Jun 2020

This female Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly spent a minute or two perched on this leaf, a few times opening her wings as if to take off but not doing so. The sun is nearly vertically above her providing shadows through the wings.


Ref: 20200616_d72_20200518_1300_074 beautiful demoiselle damselfly female momentarily opening wings while perched 2 of 3 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 04 Jun 2022 at 17:33    Image of day on 17 Jul 2022

A female Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly managing to perch on 3 leaves simultaneously - and still look elegant.


Ref: 20220717_d72_20220604_1733_017 beautiful demoiselle damselfly female perched on 3 leaves(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 21 Jun 2019 at 08:15    Image of day on 10 Aug 2019

The Beautiful Demoiselle 'invasion' is winding down, but some pristine insects are still about. This one is perched on a Privet leaf above some flowers (in which it will have no interest - these insects are hunters).


Ref: 20190810_df5_20190621_0815_051 beautiful demoiselle damselfly female perched on flowering privet hedge(r+mb id@1024).jpg


Image Taken on 20 May 2023 at 12:45    Image of day on 11 Jul 2023

Our now (and hopefully continuing) annual appearance of Beautiful Demoiselle Damselflies (the common name of the species) is underway. Their usual appearance on the sunny side of the inner hedge near the South east corner is this year limited to just a couple of insects, but they are also appearing at various sunny patches on warm days.


Ref: 20230711_df3_20230520_1245_060+1246_064 beautiful demoiselle damselfly female perched on leaf flutter down to lower leaf (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg


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