Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens)

Quick ID Link

The Banded Demoiselle

This species is one of two Demoiselles that occur in the United Kingdom. It is very appropriately named and is easily identifiable from the Beautiful Demoiselle by the distinct dark bands on the wings which resemble an inky thumb print.

This is a species of slow flowing rivers but can also be seen on canals, streams and even still waters that are adjacent to the rivers in which they breed.

They appear on the wing from early / mid May in the recent warm springs right through to mid September. It emerges up to two weeks later than the Beautiful Demoiselle but often frequents the same territory.

The males are very easy to identify, The Banded Demoiselle has a dark coloured band across its wings while the Beautiful variety has fully coloured wings. Both species have a vivid blue / green abdomen and thorax.

The females however are a far greater challenge to identify and tell apart. The female Banded Demoiselle has green wings that retain a greater clarity and a metallic green body. However the Beautiful Demoiselle has bronze wings and a metallic green body which turns a bronze hue with age.

It is best to identify the female demoiselle in the company of the male of the species to avoid unnecessary confusion.

Photographic Overview - The Banded Demoiselle

All of my images are taken in handheld mode without the use of any camera support and this overview is written with that in mind.

The Banded Demoiselle can be locally abundant on bank side vegetation, which can present some really good opportunities to the odonata photographer. It can be a very obliging subject and its vivid colouring can make for some excellent images. Near flowing water they are very approachable however on stillwater they are less so.

Like the Beautiful Demoiselle there are very few compositional issues and once close enough to the subject focusing on the thorax or wings is fairly simple. They do have a habit of turning face on to the sun which will cause some issue with the lighting of the subject and the wing may appear dark and lack detail.

These damselflies are fond of sitting on top of isolated pieces of vegetation. On a calm day these can make stunning photographs as there is minimal background confusion to spoil the image and the contrast on the wings is outstanding.

If you want to know more about this species, then follow this link - To Narrative

Like to see further images of this damselfly, then follow this link - To further Images

If you want to see the best of these images, then follow this link - To Slide Show

These images were obtained by stealth and patience alone, no other non photographic techniques were used. I hope you have enjoyed browsing my website and that you'll return again soon.

Page Updated 05/11

All of these photographs were taken by and remain the property of Chris Brooks

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