English damselfly photos including wing close-ups

[spiralsheep]

English damselfly photos including wing close-ups:

http://spiralsheep.dreamwidth.org/364108.html

Comments

[lark_ascends]

Like the wing close ups. Nice also seeing the different colours compared to damselflies in Australia.

[spiralsheep]

Dragonflies (i.e. what we English-speaking humans classify as "dragonfly") are such an ancient form of insect in evolutionary terms that they've had ages of time to vary to suit changing local conditions.

My experience of "common" damselflies and dragonflies in places I've lived in England is that they tend towards the blue/green, but in my childhood home we also had at least one bright metallic red species of damselfly, and when I stay with my friend on the Thames then I mostly see fat almost-furry brown dragonflies.

I posted some (clearer) azure damselfly photos a couple of years ago:

http://spiralsheep.dreamwidth.org/288147.html

[lark_ascends]

The one in your previous post looks like some of the very common colours out here.

[spiralsheep]

::nods::

I wonder how much dragonfly colouring has changed to avoid predators, such as birds, who evolved after the basic dragonfly-shape had formed. I wish more fossils were in colour!