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Dragonflies & Damselflies Page 10
Image Taken on 19 Jul 2015
at 15:38 Image of day on 19 Sep 2015
We think this Brown Hawker must have been hunting something we
can't see - they use their legs as a sort of 'net' to snare
insects in flight. Read the sequence from left to right - this
stuff is all too quick for our eyes to catch the detail.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20150919_df3_20150719_1538_210-212 brown hawker dragonfly maneuvering in flight 1-3 of 3 (accurate montage @ 7fps left to right)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 27 Jul 2021
at 14:28 Image of day on 07 Sep 2021
A Brown Hawker Dragonfly perches on a piece of dead wood high above a hedge.
.jpg)
Ref: 20210907_d73_20210727_1428_022 brown hawker dragonfly perched on high twig(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 26 May 2012
at 17:58 Image of day on 29 Jun 2012
A patch of warm weather at the end of May brought out the first
dragonflies of the year.
First a Common Blue Damselfly - actually not very common here
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20120629_df1_20120526_1758_209 common blue damselfly female (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 23 Jul 2019
at 16:24 Image of day on 11 Sep 2019
This mature female Common Blue Damselfly has chosen to perch on the shaded side
of a plant stem. A heat-wave has produced an air temperature of about 36c
and the insect does not need to warm itself in the blazing sun.
 aligned for shade from stem(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20190911_d72_20190723_1624_031 common blue damselfly female (blue form) aligned for shade from stem(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 21 Jul 2022
at 15:48 Image of day on 01 Sep 2022
This female Common Blue damselfly 'Blue' form is the most common here.
She is perched on a Dead Clover flower usefully providing scale.
She has yet to develop the full blue colour.
 on dead clover flower(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20220901_d72_20220721_1548_011 common blue damselfly female (blue form) on dead clover flower(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 08 Jul 2016
at 15:13 Image of day on 30 Aug 2016
A female Common Blue damselfly aligned along a grass blade.
Female common Blue Damselflies come in several forms, this
one nearest approximates what is called the 'Drab' form.
This hunting insect has no interest in Flowers as a food source.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20160830_df3_20160708_1513_003 common blue damselfly female (drab form)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 22 Aug 2012
at 18:03 Image of day on 24 Sep 2012
Last year the dominant damselfly was the 'Azure' - this year hardly seen.
Instead we have the 'Common Blue' which comes in a variety of colours!
This female blends beautifully with the ripe grass stems.
 in grass seed head (crop 2)(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20120924_df1_20120822_1803_107 common blue damselfly female (drab immature form) in grass seed head (crop 2)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 24 Jun 2020
at 10:22 Image of day on 30 Jul 2020
A female Common Blue Damselfly in the variant that actually IS blue.
We see that this blue becomes richer as the insect ages.
.jpg)
Ref: 20200730_d73_20200624_1022_006 common blue damselfly female blue form(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 15 Jun 2017
at 10:12 Image of day on 12 Aug 2017
The female Common Blue Damselfly comes in both 'Blue' and two 'Drab' forms.
This is the female 'Blue' form.
.jpg)
Ref: 20170812_d72_20170615_1012_004 common blue damselfly female blue form(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 31 Jul 2021
at 12:52 Image of day on 15 Sep 2021
At the edge of the farmer's undoubtedly insecticide drenched bean crop, we find
just this one female Common Blue Damselfly. This insect is a hunter of midges
and the like, and lays eggs in the ponds, so is probably less effected by the
chemicals than Bees, Butterflies and moths.
.jpg)
Ref: 20210915_d73_20210731_1252_177 common blue damselfly female blue form on dead weed in crop margin(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 13 Aug 2018
at 15:00 Image of day on 04 Oct 2018
The female of the Common Blue Damselfly comes in three colour variants,
given various names in various ID books, but they all agree that this one is
called the 'Blue' variant'
.jpg)
Ref: 20181004_df3_20180813_1500_001 common blue damselfly female blue form perched on blackberry leaf(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 13 Jun 2020
at 15:46 Image of day on 22 Jul 2020
When in flight these 'Drab' Common Blue Damselflies look almost like flying ghosts.
 form(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20200722_df3_20200613_1546_143 common blue damselfly female brown (aka drab) form(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 24 May 2007
at 16:36 Image of day on 10 Jun 2007
There are a number of damselfly species (smallest members of the
Dragonfly family) around. Expert opinion suggests this is
an Azure Damselfly Female of the green persuasion, rather than
our identification in the filename with (Q) to indicate '?' - unsure.
 (web crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20070610_d10_20070524_1636_019 common blue damselfly female brown form (q) (web crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 17 Jul 2022
at 09:50 Image of day on 01 Sep 2022
A female Common Blue Damselfly in the so called 'Drab' or 'Common' form.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20220901_d72_20220717_0950_293 common blue damselfly female drab form (orig)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 23 Jun 2017
at 08:50 Image of day on 12 Aug 2017
The female Common Blue damselfly comes in both a single 'Blue' form
and in two 'Drab' forms that gradually change with maturity.
This is the drab form of the immature female Common Blue damselfly.
It's unusual to spot damselflies unless they move, but this one was on a sprout
from a bit low boundary hedge but the light was too poor for a decent photo. It was
quite cold and the insect looked somnolent. On a whim next morning a check
showed that she was still there, and here she is decently lit.
.jpg)
Ref: 20170812_df3_20170623_0850_004 common blue damselfly female drab form overnighted on leaf above hedge(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 06 Jun 2018
at 15:03 Image of day on 17 Jul 2018
The Common Blue Damselflies continue to decorate the weeds.
This is one of the 3 forms that the female can take - called either
'Typical' or 'Drab' according to which reference book.
.jpg)
Ref: 20180717_df3_20180606_1503_093 common blue damselfly female drab form perched on stinging nettle(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 27 Jun 2011
at 10:40 Image of day on 08 Aug 2011
In the corner of our plot often plagued by midges we saw this
immature Common Blue damselfly (not a regular species here) which has
caught a midge and is chewing it.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20110808_db1_20110627_1040_047 common blue damselfly female imm eating midge (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 27 Jun 2011
at 10:40 Image of day on 08 Aug 2011
Another frame provides more detail at the 'business end'
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20110808_db1_20110627_1040_059 common blue damselfly female imm eating midge (head detail crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 17 Jun 2017
at 08:35 Image of day on 12 Aug 2017
The female Common Blue damselfly comes in both a single 'Blue' form
and in two 'Drab' forms that gradually change with maturity.
This is the drab form of the mature female Common Blue damselfly.
.jpg)
Ref: 20170812_df3_20170617_0835_078 common blue damselfly female mature drab form on hop sedge leaf(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 08 Aug 2019
at 10:55 Image of day on 29 Sep 2019
This Common Blue Damselfly is sucking the juices from some sort of Midge that she
has just caught. In the insert you can see the legs of the prey below the damselfly's eyes.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20190929_df3_20190808_1055_009 common blue damselfly female perched to eat prey insect (crop + detail insert)(r+mb id@768).jpg
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