Visiting an old friend in West Dulwich last week I saw the first damselfly of the season.
Visiting an old friend in West Dulwich last week I saw the first damselfly of the season. I wasn't quick enough to see which, but it was a male of either the common blue damsel (Enallagma cyanthigerum), pictured below, or the azure (Coenagrion puella), pictured left. This is very early. Although their flight seasons are usually given as 'May to September' I don't normally come across them until early June.
Her pond is relatively shallow, and in full sun, so the warmth of recent days has had the best chance of encouraging them out onto the wing.
We used to get both commonly in our pond and the handful flying around the emergent sedges were just the most recent, judging from the several dozens of empty nymphal skins (exuviae) still attached to the edges of the pond liner like miniature paper dragons.
Since I had to replace the pond liner early in 2008 I have not seen any adults in my garden. I did dredge up a damsel larva one day, so I am hopeful they are still about despite the large number of highly predatory newts.
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