Beautiful Demoiselle

A breezy but sunny lunchtime walk today.

There were lots of insects about on the umbellifers and nettles along the lanes. I saw a few of these beautiful demoiselles flitting around quite high up over the hedges. This one landed and kept still for a few minutes. I had to lean into the nettle-strewn verge to take the photo. It was debatable which of us was going to move first - the damselfly being blown around by the wind and pestered with a camera - or me, in a skirt and bare legs and being stung persistently by the nettles as I tried to get closer. The damsel took off just before I was about to give up and I didn't get very close in the end. I think this might be an immature male after looking at the British Dragonfly Society website.

I like the sun on the leaf - it has turned it a very lurid green.