The metallic blue/green of this Common Malachite - Malachius bipustulatus - caught my eye yesterday, as we walked through the local meadows. I read here at 'Bugs and Weeds', that the small buff projections at the base of it's antennae indicate a male.
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We crossed the river over a little wooden bridge, and stumbled into a damselfly wonderland. This female Azure looked like it was about to tuck into dinner.
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While a male Azure warmed in the sun. Apparently there are 5 common types of blue damselfly and it's hard to tell them apart. A lot depends on the marking on segment 2 (in the male Azure it is a U shape) and how much blue is on segment 8 and 9.
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Many thanks, again, to the folks at WAB.
Sounds like another enjoyable walk Omi and a great set of photos too. I didn't know that about sexingg the Malachtite beetles so I've learned something too!
ReplyDeleteI'm working hard to catch up with knowledgeable nature bloggers like yourself, Jason, so I'm glad to have passed on something useful! Thanks for all your kind comments on my posts :D
DeleteLovely photos Omi. I haven't seen any damsel or dragonflies yet this year. I must admit I find some of them very hard to id! Can never seem to get close enough views! I love the yellow ladybird on the buttercup in the previous post.
ReplyDeleteThanks Caroline! :D Getting close enough is a problem isn't it! Today, I leant heavily on a railing, over a river, to get a shot of mating damselflies, and only thought afterwards to check if it was stable (a bit pointless by that stage)! I was lucky this time. Didn't get the shot I wanted though, lol! That 16 spot is a cutie isn't it!
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