Blue Damselfly

Beautiful demoiselle

From May to September, typically on a warm sunny day, you may see damselflies at the pond and along the canal, where they breed, and amongst the tall grass, where they feed. The adults eat flies, mosquitos and moths, catching prey on the wing with their hairy hind legs and then perching to eat.

Beautiful demoiselle

The damselfly head is broad and oblong with widely separated bulging eyes, and short antennae. Unlike dragonflies, at rest the wings of most damselflies lie along the body.

 

Their lifecycle is just one year. Eggs, laid by the female on plants under the water surface, hatch after a week or two. The nascent nymphs, which live in the water, then set to devouring midge larvae and other aquatic insects. After molting, perhaps up to ten times or more as they grow, new adults then emerge the following year, but they only live for a week.

Azure damselfly (U shaped mark below wing base)

Of the 17 UK damselfly species you might see five blue-coloured ones at the pond: beautiful demoiselle, banded demoiselle, common blue, blue-tailed, azure. The males of each species have distinct blue colouring and markings; females can look similar, but may vary in colour.

Azure damselfly

Links to further information and images

 

British Dragonfly Society

The Wildlife Trusts

Shropshire Dragonflies - distinguishing the commoner blue damselflies

What’s the difference?: dragonfly vs. damselfly