Beautiful Demoiselle

Mainly found along streams and rivers, particularly those with sand or gravel bottoms. The males rest on bank side vegetation waiting for females.

Locally abundant.

Mostly found west of a line between Liverpool and Folkestone, and in southern Ireland.

The Banded Demoiselle is the only other British damselfly with coloured wings but the males only have partly coloured wings and the females have green-tinged wings.

Beware! Internet searches tends to find related American species such as the Ebony Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata), also known as the Black-winged Damselfly, but such species do not occur in Europe and have never been known to cross the Atlantic.

• Length: 45mm
• Male: metallic blue body with dark wings.
• Female: metallic green-bronze body with translucent pale brown wings.

Length: 17 mm

Long ‘horn-like’ antennae and long thin legs of the larva distinguish this as a Demoiselle. The prominant ‘occipital tooth’ behind each eye and the single pale band on the caudal lamellae are distinctive to the Beautiful Demoiselle.