Rodley Nature Reserve damsel updates

Having finally resolved some technical glitches, here's the first installment from last weekend's jaunt to Rodley Nature Reserve which provided a great opportunity for damselfly sightings. My favourite was this lovely juvenile male Banded Demoiselle, basking on pondside vegetation. Last summer, we found good numbers of Banded Demoiselle on a stretch of the River Aire near Kirkstall Abbey, only a couple of miles downstream from Rodley.

There were lots (20+) of male Azure Damselfly amongst the vegetation bordering the ponds and along the hedgerow leading up to the visitors centre.

And smaller numbers of Large Red Damselfly in closer proximity to the ponds.

We also caught sight of a pair of Broad Bodied Chaser dragonfly, too quick for a pic. Here are views of some of the dragonfly ponds at Rodley, well worth a visit.

Demoiselle in my garden

Dropping in to the front garden this weekend was this female Banded Demoiselle where it settled on the foliage of a Mexican Orange Blossom for a few minutes. Up until a couple of weeks ago I'd never knowingly seen one, then one turns up right outside my door, luckily Andrea was on hand to mark the occasion with a photo.

Here's another female, this one taken on the banks of the River Aire, next to Kirkstall Abbey. Both have the metallic green body colouring, with a distinctive white pseudo-pterostigma near the tip of the wing.



Kirkstall creatures - Banded Demoiselles

Walking along the riverbank by Kirkstall Abbey, I encountered my first Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens). Yipee! On a sunny, south facing bank males and females settled amongst the leaves of tall growing nettles and Himalayan Balsam. The males were easily identifiable, with their dark banded wings and appeared more restless than the females (pictured above) which lack the coloured wing band. The body colouring of the male (below) is a metallic blue green, the females are a metallic green with a bronze coloured tip.

More information about Banded Demoiselles on the Yorkshire Branch of the British Dragonfly Society.