Image-of-the-Day by Subject

Image-of-the-Day by Subject

Dragonflies & Damselflies Page 13

Image Taken on 29 Jun 2026 at 13:15 Image of day on 19 Aug 2026

A female Common Blue Damselfly shows how well their apparently gaudy appearance blends well with the foliage.

Ref: 20260819_r80_20260629_1315_027 common blue damselfly female (blue form) camouflaged on bramble stem(r+mb id@576).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.

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.

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.

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 2026 at 12:52 Image of day on 09 Aug 2026

This is a female Common Blue Damselfly - the Blue form of the 3 possibilities.

Ref: 20260809_r80_20260624_1252_113 common blue damselfly female blue form(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 29 Jun 2024 at 13:32 Image of day on 26 Aug 2024

A female Common Blue Damselfly (blue form) perched on a grass blade.
In flight we find that these insects are almost like 'flying ghosts' with transparent wings and body easily lost against foliage.

Ref: 20240826_r70_20240629_1332_400 common blue damselfly female blue form(r+mb id@576).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.

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.

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.

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'

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 05 Aug 2026 at 14:44 Image of day on 01 Oct 2026

This female Common Blue Damselfly is in one of three colourations females can have. This is called 'drab' in some books but it seems to be called different things in different books.

Ref: 20261001_r5w_20260805_1444_071 common blue damselfly female drab form (orig)(r+mb id@768).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

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