Damsel, No Distress

We've seen surprisingly few odonates in the garden thus far, so I was really chuffed to find this Common Bluet (Enallagma cyathigerum) resting on our fence a few weeks ago. It made a series of sorties from its perch, returning again and again to the same spot. I found another (or the same one) a few days later, carefully examining the leaves of one of our shrubs, checking for potential prey. There are seven species of small blue damselflies in the UK. Males of this species are identified by the black "button mushroom" shaped mark on their second abdominal segment (just behind where the wings attach) and the thick blue stripes on their thorax. According to the British Dragonfly Society, this is one of the UK's most common damselflies, found throughout the British Isles. It flies from April through October, and is regularly found around water; it's often the most abundant species on large lakes, and is found around open water more regularly than other blue damselflies are. It's also a regular visitor to gardens — and another reason we'd love to put in a proper pond.