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Dragonflies & Damselflies Page 7

Image Taken on 13 Jun 2018 at 15:49    Image of day on 25 Jul 2018

From another image of the same individual here is the detail of the 'Anal Appendage' used to grip the female (and different for each species) that looks more like that of the 'Beautiful' than the 'Banded'.


Ref: 20180725_df3_20180613_1549_026 beautiful demoiselle damselfly male (1st of 2018) (anal appendage detail)(r+mb id@288).jpg


Image Taken on 27 Jun 2011 at 08:19    Image of day on 09 Aug 2011

Last year we glimpsed what might be a new species here, and this year we have the confirmation of the Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly. This is the male - we have only glimpsed females so far. This insect requires running water for laying eggs, and we will be trying to work out where they are breeding off our site. But the corner we find them is also 'midge corner' and we think they visit for 'eat-on-the-hedge' meals.


Ref: 20110809_df1_20110627_0819_015 beautiful demoiselle damselfly male (1st sighting) (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 26 May 2019 at 10:14    Image of day on 30 Jun 2019

This is the detail of the head and thorax of a male Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly.


Ref: 20190630_df5_20190526_1014_086 beautiful demoiselle damselfly male (head and shadow detail crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 10 May 2024 at 12:58    Image of day on 03 Jun 2024

Our first sighting this year of a Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly, this one a male.


Ref: 20240603_df3_20240510_1258_030 beautiful demoiselle damselfly male - 1st of 2024(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 08 Jun 2024 at 16:29    Image of day on 09 Jul 2024

A male Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly flicking his wings. Some do this and some don't - we haven't worked out any pattern. Demoiselles are, at their own scale, voracious hunters.


Ref: 20240709_r70_20240608_1629_217+1630_239 beautiful demoiselle damselfly male fluttering wings 1+2 of 2 (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 08 Jun 2021 at 09:17    Image of day on 12 Jul 2021

There are perhaps a dozen male Beautiful Demoiselle Damselflies around the various places they frequent as the 'sun moves round the heavens'.


Ref: 20210712_d73_20210608_0917_044 beautiful demoiselle damselfly male immature(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 08 Jun 2021 at 12:31    Image of day on 12 Jul 2021

Detail of a male Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly shows the intricate spines and hairs.


Ref: 20210712_d73_20210608_1231_072 beautiful demoiselle damselfly male immature (head detail)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 01 Jun 2019 at 11:12    Image of day on 10 Jul 2019

A male Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly with his blue iridescent body and dark wings.


Ref: 20190710_da1_20190601_1112_036_ft1 beautiful demoiselle damselfly male in flight (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 01 Jun 2019 at 11:14    Image of day on 10 Jul 2019

A male Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly with his blue iridescent body and dark wings.


Ref: 20190710_da1_20190601_1114_042_ft1 beautiful demoiselle damselfly male in flight (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 01 Jun 2019 at 13:36    Image of day on 10 Jul 2019

A male Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly with his blue iridescent body and dark wings.


Ref: 20190710_da1_20190601_1336_228_ft1 beautiful demoiselle damselfly male in flight (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 01 Jun 2019 at 13:54    Image of day on 10 Jul 2019

A male Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly with his blue iridescent body and dark wings. The Grey wings are accentuated here as he shows overlaps of 2 and 3 wings.


Ref: 20190710_da1_20190601_1354_251_ft1 beautiful demoiselle damselfly male in flight (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 23 Jun 2015 at 14:50    Image of day on 25 Aug 2015

A male Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly basking in the sun from a Hazel leaf.


Ref: 20150825_df3_20150623_1450_174 beautiful demoiselle damselfly male on hazel leaf(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 14 Jun 2019 at 16:00    Image of day on 01 Aug 2019

Even in the wet, windy and quite cold weather a few Beautiful Demoiselle Damselflies are still hunting over the Duck-shaped pond. This is one of the males.


Ref: 20190801_df5_20190614_1600_033 beautiful demoiselle damselfly male on hop sedge over duck pond(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 25 May 2020 at 12:56    Image of day on 23 Jun 2020

A male Beautiful Demoiselle clearly showing his iridescent colour and details of his tail end clasper he uses to grab the female 'by the neck'.


Ref: 20200623_d73_20200525_1256_009 beautiful demoiselle damselfly male perched on blackberry leaf(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 12 Jun 2021 at 16:40    Image of day on 17 Jul 2021

Here is a male Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly - more commonly seen that the females at the moment. The 'break' in the body may look alarming, but the insect can bend substantially at join of each of the 10 abdominal segments. This joint between segments 2 & 3 contains the male's sexual organs.


Ref: 20210717_d73_20210612_1640_075 beautiful demoiselle damselfly male perched on twig showing sharp bend between segments 2 & 3(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 13 Jun 2021 at 15:09    Image of day on 17 Jul 2021

This male Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly catches the light showing how the veins of the wing create corrugations that give this incredibly lightweight structure surprising strength. A form of natural origami!


Ref: 20210717_d73_20210613_1509_059 beautiful demoiselle damselfly male showing wing veins ridges very clearly(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 05 Jun 2015 at 15:16    Image of day on 10 Aug 2015

Much more detailed views of the teneral male Beautiful Demoiselle perched in a hedge


Ref: 20150810_df3_20150605_1516_385 beautiful demoiselle damselfly male teneral(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 05 Jun 2015 at 12:28    Image of day on 10 Aug 2015

You see the beautiful blue sheen of the body of this male Beautiful Demoiselle.


Ref: 20150810_df3_20150605_1228_375 beautiful demoiselle damselfly male teneral(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 04 Jun 2015 at 13:41    Image of day on 10 Aug 2015

This immature (teneral) male Beautiful Demoiselle was flitting about in the hedges. The left and centre images were two perching places on the edge of the same Hazel leaf. The right was a flyby just over the same leaf (note that the legs are folded which takes a few wing-beats to accomplish).


Ref: 20150810_df3_20150604_1341_163+164+1345_229 beautiful demoiselle damselfly male teneral on hazel leaf and in flight 1+2+8 of 8 (impression montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 26 May 2019 at 10:21    Image of day on 30 Jun 2019

Beautiful Demoiselle Damselflies thoraxes are covered in fine hairs, but they don't show well in most photos. Here backlighting makes them more obvious.


Ref: 20190630_df5_20190526_1021_115 beautiful demoiselle damselfly male with backlighting highlighting body hairs (crop with 2x insert)(r+mb id@576).jpg


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