Banded Demoiselle - Calopteryx splendens

This beautiful little creature is a Banded Demoiselle - Calopteryx splendens - which is a species of Damselfly to be seen flitting around the vegetation near slow running water like streams, rivers and canals and lakes where there is plenty of mud. It is interesting that they are very sensitive to pollution so are a good indication of water quality. This is a male, determined by the black patch on the wing whereas the female has a pale green translucent wing with a small white patch near the tip. They feed on insects which are caught on the wing. This one was seen resting in a reed bed, on the outskirts of Martin Mere Wetlands, Burscough, Lancashire. The out of focus patch of yellow you see is the flower of a yellow Iris which loves to grow in damp and wet soil on the edges of waterways etc.

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