Thursday, June 23, 2011

Damselflies

                             
                             



Throughout the cooler months, only the black damselflies (like the one in the first picture) were seen resting on my plants. But now that the rains are here they are here in all colours and on most plants!


Damselflies are insects in the order Odanata. They are similar to dragonflies but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most damselflies are held along, or parallel to the body, at rest. The hindwing of the damselfly is essentially similar to the forewing, while the hindwing of the dragonfly broadens near the base. Damselflies are also usually smaller than dragonflies, and weaker fliers in comparison, and their eyes are separated. (Wiki).



I found this mating pair on my potted fern. They are not the easiest creatures to photograph...too tiny for really good captures. They could well be the Pigmy dartlets although I'm not too sure. But I'm posting the pictures anyway. At least you can see the kind of colours they come in. Sometimes I see them gorging on mosquitoes and small spiders. I even have them landing on my hand as I go about my pruning and my weeding. It's a joy to see them ...may their numbers increase!


11 comments:

Sylvia K said...

Delightful captures! And so different! You do find the great ones! Hope you have a lovely tomorrow!

Sylvia

One said...

Wow! That's cool! It's not easy to capture them. I know that. It's a rare opportunity to catch them in their act. I got the dragonflies together but there is a pandan leave obstructing the view.

Your photos are priceless!

ShySongbird said...

Delightful little creatures Kanak and lovely photos of them. Damsels, dragons and indeed butterflies are worryingly absent in my area this year!

Gardener on Sherlock Street said...

Such great photos and info.

Randy Emmitt said...

Kanak,
Great finds, enjoyed the photos! More!

lotusleaf said...

It is so difficult to photograph them, but your photos are excellent. Yes, may their numbers increase!

Wendy said...

Excellent photos. Haven't had the time to view the video of your nephew yet. Will do so tonight when I get home.
Take care.

Ginny Hartzler said...

Really, really interesting pictures and info here. Considering that there's almost nothing to the damselfly, your pictures are amazing! But I notice your header dragonfly has separated eyes. Or does it just appear that way?

Stephanie said...

The last photo is beautiful! Love these dragonflies. They look so delicate. Thanks for posting!!

Nature Rambles said...

Thank you all so much for stopping by. And Ginny, I'll some more pictures later...clearer ones!:)

Iowa Gardening Woman said...

Wonderful dragon fly photos.