Common Blue Damselfly

You can find the Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum) in all of Europe, except in Iceland. It is often mistaken for the Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella), but the latter does not have the mushroom shaped spot connecting the second and third element of the thorax.

Adult damselflies live for an average of 20 days, and during this period they must breed. When they mate, the male clasps the female by her neck, while she bends her body back to his mating organs. This position is called a ‘mating wheel’. The mating can last up to 20 minutes. The female lay their eggs both above and below the waterline. After hatching, the damselflies will live as larvaes, sometimes for as long as three years, before emerging to a flying insect.

The photos below are shot hand-held with either the Canon 70-200 f/2.8 Mk II IS, or the 100mm Macro IS