Wild Wednesday - Large red damselfly
The large red damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) is common and widespread around Britain.
Found around the edges of ponds, lakes, ditches, canals and most wetland habitats, but not near fast flowing water. It can also be found away from its wetland breeding sites, in woodland and on grassland.
It’s often the first damselfly to emerge, usually in April or May and adults can still be seen until September.
The males are red and black, and tend to have brighter colours than the female, who have red, black with some yellow markings. Both have black legs and wing spots.
They have a two-year life span and can reach a body length of 33–36 millimetres (1.3 –1.4 in) and feed on small insects such as mosquitoes, flies, and aquatic insects.
Not to be mistaken for a dragonfly, as they have a bulky body shape, the damselfly’s body is thin and twiglike, and their wings are the same size, whereas the dragonfly has different shaped wings at the front and back.
The large red damselfly can also be confused with the small red damselflies, but you can tell the difference, as they have orange legs.
They mate, with the pair forming a heart shape, in vegetation, with the female ‘injecting' her eggs into plant stems, mud or rotting wood. The eggs hatch in two to three weeks.
Read more here: Large red damselfly | The Wildlife Trusts
Photo credit to Arrabella Giles @arrabellaandhercamera