These beautiful damselflies are my constant companions along the riverbank during the summer. I took so many pictures of them that I'm only just getting around to going through them all so I can share some with you!
The males are the most visible with the striking dark band on their wings.
Male banded demoiselle Calopteryx splendens
The females are more camouflaged with their green bodies and plainer wings but I think there are also less of them. I quite often come across them further from the water - resting up on a tall plant. Perhaps they are getting a break from the attention of the many males.
It's always amazing to zoom in on insects and in this case we can see just why these guys have a reputation as the fierce carnivores of the insect world. I wouldn't want to be a midge in those mouth parts!
Finally I was lucky enough to come across this mating pair. Aren't they beautiful? I love that they make a heart shape! The male clasps the female's neck whilst the female bends her body round to join with the male.
The last word of this post must go to my patient golden labrador, whose walk is often put on hold whilst her owner gets lost in a world of macrophotography. I call this photo 'I won't look at you until you put the camera down!'
I have made some changes to the usual formatting codes I use for getting all my photos in the right place......it looks good on the preview - just hope it works in the actual post!
Happy Snappy Ecologist: Rambling through nature makes me very Happy and I can't resist getting Snappy with my hand-held Panasonic Lumix FZ45 with clip on Raynox 150 macro lens. This helps me share my love of Ecology with others and reminds me to identify and find out more about different species when I get home. Enjoy!