damselfliy? (1 Viewer)

seb_seb

Well-known member

• May 20, 2003

• #1

flying today in garden.
thnig body, and long wings.
It was mainly black but had blue rings on its lower abdomen
Any ID help?
Or have i been too vague..im not that good on insects

 

jeff

Well-known member

• May 20, 2003

• #2

Did it have red eyes?

Erythromma najas Red-eyed Damselfly

http://www.dragonflysoc.org.uk/frameset.htm?ernaj&species&coe

if not maybe

Ischnura elegans - Blue-tailed Damselfly

http://www.dragonflysoc.org.uk/frameset.htm?isele&species&coe

 

Last edited: May 20, 2003

D

Darrell Clegg

Well-known member

• May 20, 2003

• #3

It certainly sounds like one of the two species Jeff mentions, and both occur in the West Midlands, Blue-tailed Damselfly is the commoner of the two but it's incredibly early for either - the first of the year??

Darrell

 

seb_seb

Well-known member

• May 20, 2003

• #4

dunno where it came from either..but it appeared exhaugsted. I gently put it on a leaf ,as it was in my house, and put it on the hawthorn tree. It flew off a few minuters later.
It didnt have red eyes so i guess its the Blue-tailed one. Thanks for the help

seb

 

Surreybirder

Ken Noble

• May 20, 2003

• #5

I've seen blue-tailed this year. Red-eyed is a shy species which is considerably scarcer. Other possibilities are common blue and azure...
female and immature damselflies can be almost devoid of the marks of the mature male... so I guess that the short answer is that you've not provided quite enough info. seb-seb.
(At least we can rule out large red damselfly which seems to be one of the earliest to emerge.)