Damselflies

Common Blue and Azure damselflies have been flying in numbers at various sites we’ve visited in Cornwall over the last few weeks. The first records were in April but numbers have built up gradually. Now the British summer seems to have arrived (it’s wet and windy), opportunities to photograph these and other species of dragonfly and damselfly may be limited.

Insight into blue damselflies: Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum) and Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella) are both very common throughout most of the UK between May and July. The Azure has a more restricted northerly range but the Common Blue is recorded as far north as the Shetland Isles.

Both species can often be found together over a wide range of watery habitats although the Azure shows a preference for smaller ponds and lakes with plenty of emergent vegetation.

Related pages: Damselfly posts | British damselflies gallery