Shropshire Birder
Dragonflies and Damselflies of Shropshire
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Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
The most common and abundant blue Damselfly found near a most diverse range of water habitats both still and flowing with a long season for observation. This species will be on the wing during June, July and August with overlap either side. Easily recognised by the broad blue antehumeral stripes on the thorax and abdominal segment 2 which has a stalked spot. .
Portraits of an adult male showing the key features of this most abundant damselfly in Shropshire ....
Another male, stalked spot on S2 and broad antehumeral stripes clearly seen....
A teneral Common Blue damselfly, very pale and difficult to assign to a sex at this stage, the markings will soon colour up and become visible...
Immature males are a rather drab flesh colour but all other markings and features remain the same. If you look in the second image, you can see the blue coloration starting to develop.
This immature male is now colouring up but clearly not the bright blue of the adult.
The female has a thistle shaped black mark on segment 2 and extensive rocket shaped black marks on all the other segments. Two different base colours are seen in females, this is the blue form, seen here slightly immature...
The mature female blue form has the same pattern against a deep blue base colour ...
This is the female green form pictured below.
When fully mature, older green form females take on greenish brown tones as seen below...
A female eating small insect prey, despite their small size, they are fearsome predators .....
Seen in close up.....
A pair in tandem mating.....
Another pair in the 'wheel' position.....
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