David Element
Wildlife Photography and Digital
Video Images
_________________________________________Dragonflies
and Damselflies 62 – Common Emerald Damselflies
COMMON
EMERALD DAMSELFLY Lestes sponsa (m)
COMMON
EMERALD DAMSELFLY Lestes sponsa (m)
COMMON
EMERALD DAMSELFLY Lestes sponsa (m)
COMMON
EMERALD DAMSELFLY Lestes sponsa (m)
COMMON
EMERALD DAMSELFLY Lestes sponsa (m)
COMMON
EMERALD DAMSELFLY Lestes sponsa (m)
COMMON
EMERALD DAMSELFLY Lestes sponsa (m)
COMMON
EMERALD DAMSELFLY Lestes sponsa (m)
COMMON
EMERALD DAMSELFLY Lestes sponsa (m, f)
COMMON
EMERALD DAMSELFLY Lestes sponsa (m, f)
COMMON
EMERALD DAMSELFLY Lestes sponsa (f)
COMMON
EMERALD DAMSELFLY Lestes sponsa (f)
·
There
are disturbing signs that the population of the Common Emerald Damselfly Lestes sponsa may be in significant
decline in the UK, presumably in response to habitat and climate changes associated
with anthropogenic global warming. By contrast, the slightly larger Willow
Emerald Damselfly Chalcolestes viridis, a
recent colonist illustrated elsewhere on this web site, has been spreading
rapidly. There is some overlapping of the flight seasons of these insects (L.
sponsa is on the wing between mid-May and most will have disappeared before
the end of August, whereas C. viridis is
unlikely to be found before mid-July, with a protracted flight season extending
well into the autumn). As they may be found in similar habitats there are
significant differences between them that will enable identification, perhaps the
most obvious of these when they are seen from a distance being the colour of
the pterostigmata, these being pale brown in C. viridis
and dark brown in L. sponsa. Mature male Common Emerald Damselflies develop
blue pruinescence (see photographs) and their eyes
are bright blue, a feature not observed in C. viridis
(both sexes are similar in colour), and the latter species is often encountered
hanging inconspicuously, singly, or in pairs, underneath the vegetation of the lower
branches of trees – usually, but not always close to still water bodies. The
presence of this damselfly may be betrayed by oviposition scars in the bark of Sallow
and Willow Salix spp. L. sponsa is more likely to be
found perched on grasses or other low vegetation.
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