I was doing some gardening yesterday and saw this damselfly zipping around so I thought I'd get a shot of it

At first it flew away from me but after a while it seemed to become interested in the camera and eventually rested on my index finger!

Unfortunately the pictures don't really do justice to it as the irridescence of the wings when the light hit them was amazing, but despite that they do show how beautiful these creatures are.

I'd say this was a female Banded Demoiselle,Calopteryx splendens having looked it up on the excellent British Dragonfly Society site.

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Thanks you for sharing these beautiful pictures

It looks more like the female Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo) picture in my book. They are similar but the Banded female has greenish-yellow wings where the Beautiful has brownish and I would say the one you have has brownish wings.

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Don't worry, be happy.
Sandy
Carried it in full, then carry it out empty.

I have been told ours are C. splendens
heres the male and the female. Taken in dull light i am afraid but good illustrations





no doubt I will be corrected!

Thanks for the comments.


Those wings are more golden to my eye than brownish or greenish but then again so are the wings of the Beautiful on the Brit Drag Soc site.





Not easy is it.

Nice photos WP

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Only comparing the pictures to the ones in my book I would agree they are C. splendens. You can see the wings in the female are a yellowish-green where the ones in the OP are brownish.

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Don't worry, be happy.
Sandy
Carried it in full, then carry it out empty.

The thing that caught me is that the legs on your lady have a blue sheen to them, as do various pics on the web of the C.Virgo and the eyes tend to look more like the gem stone Tigers eye. Whereas C. splendens seem to be darker. Which could be terribly unscientific but I dont have keys to know what the real difference is.... except wing colour.
It may be a case of emailing through to Stephen Brooks at the NHM and seeing what he has to say about the difference. It what boffins are there for!!

Sent the sighting in to the Ceredigion County Recorder for Butterflies and Odonata - had this reply from him.

Most counties in Britain appear to have this recording scheme on the go so if you do have any info it will be of interest to them.

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I managed to snap this pair in egg-laying (ovipositing) action. Only my phone-camera so apologies for poor focussing.

SharkeyP

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Often thinks not travel widens,
Stay at home the Trout obliges.

Nice one Sharkey.

Forgot to mention a list of local recorders for damsels and dragonflies can be found on page 23 of the Darter Magazine, on the net here - LINK -

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