Dust Jacket Demoiselle

I went out early this morning and spotted a female blue butterfly. Her gorgeous chocolate wings edged with blue made me think of Crystal Gale's, "Don't It Make Your Brown Eyes Blue?" I listened to it on YouTube and that was my quest for today.

It wasn't to be. I got a great pic of a hawthorn shieldbug on fleabane and after lunch I stood in the dappled shade shooting a speckled wood butterfly. It returned repeatedly to the same perch.

As I watched a gorgeous damselfly fluttered butterfly-like to that perch. I was transfixed. It was so beautiful. Then it was off. I hung around in the shade as it was too hot to be in the direct sunlight.

The male damsel returned briefly and was off again.

When it returned for the third time I was ready. :) I saw one of these on our property years ago but none since. I got a poor pic of one at Fishers Green and saw lots but couldn't capture them on a walk in Herts with MrQ last year.

This is an iconic insect for me. There is a pic of one on the dust jacket of my trusty Chinery Insects of Britain and Northern Europe. It is described as Agrion splendens. Not known as that these days. The banded demoiselle is now Calopteryx splendens.