Pretty In Pink!
It was amazing to see so many Blue-tailed Damselfles while we were walking round Tollesbury Wick Marshes yesterday!
The Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans) is one of our commonest species of damselfly and is abundant from May to September in lowland habitats around still and slow-moving water. It avoids fast flowing and acidic water but is tolerant of brackish and sewage-enriched waters.
The abdomen in both sexes is mainly black on top with the exception of S8 which is blue or, brown in some females. Both sexes have two-toned wing spots (pterostigma) on the front wings, which are whitish towards the tip and twice as long as they are wide.
Apart from the typica form the female occurs in four other colour forms. The violacea form with violet sides which will mature into the typica male type colouration or the olive-green thorax with brown S8 of the infuscans form.
The rufescens form with orange - pink sides which will mature into the pale brown colours, with dull brown S8, of the rufescens-obsoleta form.
These are the most likely Damselflies to be observed 'in cop' as they can typically stay in the mating wheel position for up to six hours....in some of the Dragonfly species, such as the Chasers, it can be as little as a few seconds!
Pretty In Pink!
It was amazing to see so many Blue-tailed Damselfles while we were walking round Tollesbury Wick Marshes yesterday!
The Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans) is one of our commonest species of damselfly and is abundant from May to September in lowland habitats around still and slow-moving water. It avoids fast flowing and acidic water but is tolerant of brackish and sewage-enriched waters.
The abdomen in both sexes is mainly black on top with the exception of S8 which is blue or, brown in some females. Both sexes have two-toned wing spots (pterostigma) on the front wings, which are whitish towards the tip and twice as long as they are wide.
Apart from the typica form the female occurs in four other colour forms. The violacea form with violet sides which will mature into the typica male type colouration or the olive-green thorax with brown S8 of the infuscans form.
The rufescens form with orange - pink sides which will mature into the pale brown colours, with dull brown S8, of the rufescens-obsoleta form.
These are the most likely Damselflies to be observed 'in cop' as they can typically stay in the mating wheel position for up to six hours....in some of the Dragonfly species, such as the Chasers, it can be as little as a few seconds!