Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella)
This is one of the commonest damselflies and numbers may peak in excess of 1000 during the flight period from late May to early August. The male has a blue abdomen with black bands and a distinctive 'U' shaped or 'beaker' shaped black mark on the second segment. The blue 'shoulder' stripes (ante-humeral stripes) on the thorax are narrow. The female is black or dark green with narrow blue or olive bands on the abdomen and 'shoulders' and a 'thistle' shaped mark on the second segment.
Azure damselflies prefer still waters of any size and are therefore ubiquitous at Attenborough in rank vegetation at the water sides and even well away from water. They are colonial and therefore are numerous when found.
Ovipositing in submerged plant stems takes place in tandem and the female is often completely submerged.
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