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Dragonflies & Damselflies Page 12

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'


Ref: 20181004_df3_20180813_1500_001 common blue damselfly female blue form perched on blackberry leaf(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 28 May 2023 at 13:33    Image of day on 25 Jul 2023

A female common Blue Damselfly perched in hazy sunshine.


Ref: 20230725_df3_20230528_1333_451 common blue damselfly female blue form perched on leaf(r+mb id@768).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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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'


Ref: 20110808_db1_20110627_1040_059 common blue damselfly female imm eating midge (head detail crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 20 May 2024 at 15:56    Image of day on 16 Jun 2024

This female Common Blue Damselfly momentarily touches down on this dead blackberry stem, but immediately takes off again. Read this montage bottom upwards.


Ref: 20240616_df3_20240520_1556_062-064 common blue damselfly female lands momentarily on blackberry stem 1-3 of 3 (approx montage @7fps)(r+mb id@768).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.


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.


Ref: 20190929_df3_20190808_1055_009 common blue damselfly female perched to eat prey insect (crop + detail insert)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 01 Jul 2022 at 15:50    Image of day on 20 Aug 2022

A male Common Blue Damselfly delicately perches on a dead grass stem. In recent years Azure Damselflies dominated the Damselfly population, but this year it is about 50-50 Common and Azure.


Ref: 20220820_df3_20220701_1550_053 common blue damselfly male(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 31 Jul 2017 at 10:58    Image of day on 15 Sep 2017

On warm parts of days we get to see several Common Blue Damselflies in among the taller plants in the meadow. This is a mature male.


Ref: 20170915_df3_20170731_1058_009 common blue damselfly male(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 24 May 2020 at 10:03    Image of day on 23 Jun 2020

A male common blue Damselfly warming himself in the sunshine.


Ref: 20200623_df3_20200524_1003_022 common blue damselfly male (1st of 2020)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 05 Jul 2019 at 14:11    Image of day on 25 Aug 2019

A male Common Blue Damselfly sunning himself on a grass stem. The 'Blue' is that of a mature male. Really almost Cyan.


Ref: 20190825_df3_20190705_1411_034 common blue damselfly male horizontal perched on sloping grass stem(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 06 Jul 2013 at 15:05    Image of day on 23 Aug 2013

This 3 cm long male Common Blue Damselfly is photographed soon after emergence from a nearby pond. It will change colour as it matures.


Ref: 20130823_df1_20130706_1505_129 common blue damselfly male imm (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 07 Jul 2022 at 18:14    Image of day on 20 Aug 2022

Damselflies go through several appearances after emergence from 'teneral' (newly emerged) to 'over-mature', each species following it's pattern and timescale. This one is a male Common Blue Damselfly but yet to develop the blue colour along the middle abdominal segments.


Ref: 20220820_d72_20220707_1814_066 common blue damselfly male immature not yet developed blue colouring(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 23 Jul 2019 at 16:08    Image of day on 11 Sep 2019

This immature male Common Blue Damselfly has chosen to perch on the shaded side of a blackberry cluster. A heat-wave has produced an air temperature of about 36c and the insect does not need to warm itself in the blazing sun.


Ref: 20190911_d72_20190723_1608_009 common blue damselfly male immature perched on blackberry fruit staying in shade(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 23 Jul 2019 at 16:09    Image of day on 11 Sep 2019

This immature male Common Blue Damselfly has chosen to perch on the shaded side of a blackberry 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.


Ref: 20190911_d72_20190723_1609_015 common blue damselfly male immature perched on blackberry stem staying in shade(r+mb id@576).jpg


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