A return visit this afternoon to Brighstone Mill stream discovered my first sight of a Banded Demoiselle this year. This immature female was the only Banded to be seen, together with just three Beautiful Demoiselles.
Earlier in the day the ponds at Bouldnor Forest produced several Broad-bodied Chasers and a blue form Common Blue Damselfly. With the exception of a few Large Red Damselflies no other species were recorded.
The Common Blue Damselfly as the name suggests is a species that can be seen throughout the UK. It prefers large water bodies such as lakes, reservoirs, and larger ponds. Of course the male is a striking blue and the female has two colour forms, dull green and blue. The male and tandem pairs are often seen flying low over open water
Another blue damselfly is the Red-eyed Damselfly which is quite commonly seen here at large ponds and standing water bodies, particularly with floating vegetation such as water-lilies. Females and immatures tend to be yellowish-green in colour and new emergents have purple tones in both male and female. They can sometimes be in the company of the Small Red-eyed Damselfly although the former is on the wing in May whereas the Small Red-eyed emerges in late June or July.
Similar in appearance to the Red-eyed is the Small Red-eyed Damselfly. This species was first recorded only twenty years ago on the Isle of Wight and has now spread around the Island. It too likes ponds with surface vegetation but is quite happy in smaller ponds unlike the Red-eyed. Females can be yellow, green, or blue.
Although several counties of the UK can boast more species, the Isle of Wight has, to the best of my knowledge, twenty three species of dragonfly and damselfly. All our damselflies are generally common around the UK, however that changed somewhat with the discovery of the Southern Emerald Damselfly, Lestes barbarus, in 2017 in a forested site in the West Wight. It was later confirmed that this new species has been at this location since at least 2015.
Perhaps the three most prolific species of damselfly are the Azure,Large Red,and the Blue-tailed.Closely following them in abundance could be the Common Blue Damselfly.The Azure is found in particular, in small ponds and ditches and emerges in the spring.The male is blue and the female has two colour forms,green with black and a blue form.
Emerging slightly eariler than the Azure is the Large Red Damselfly.Another very common species and found in various habitats.There are three colour forms in the female including the mainly black melanotum.
Colour forms are again seen in the Blue-tailed Damselfly with five in the female. Perhaps the most attractive is violacea, a colour seen in some immature females displaying lilac sides to the thorax. Another is rufescens with orange-pink sides.
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