Banded Demoiselle – Calopteryx splendens. These live up to their latin name – they are indeed splendid to look at. 😎 First place I ever noticed one was at “the Willows” a few weeks ago. Then I saw them again on a riverside walk in Bicester. And they are quite abundant here in Zgierz by the local boating lake. I love the way they fly. Very fluttery and butterfly like. Quite skittish (as I found out both times I tried to get anywhere near them in the UK). Yesterday I just sat down on the bank in a place where there were 3 or 4 fluttering about and waited for them to land near me (ish). Then you stick the camera to your face and approach gradually, taking shots along the way, never knowing which one will be the closest – because they will flutter away if you close in too quickly – or once their comfort zone has been invaded. As usual, click any image for an enlarged version (1000px – they do look a bit soft when shrunk to 600px to fit in the blog 😥 The high res versions 3008 px wide aren’t – but I’m not publishing those freely on the web 😛 ).
Banded Demoiselle - Calopteryx splendens. Male
Banded Demoiselle - Calopteryx splendens. Female
A pair of, what I think is White-legged Damselfly – Platycnemis pennipes. The blue one is the male and the white is the female. (I assumed it was the other way round, but apparently not). If you get too close to these when they are “busy” they will happily relocate by flying to another blade of grass or reed. They also posit their fertilised eggs in the water while flying together. Pretty amazing really.
White-legged Damselfly - Platycnemis pennipes.