Variable Damselfly (Coenagrion pulchellum)

Variable Damselfly

This damselfly is one that I would consider to be very localised and uncommon in my part of the country. I have only recently encountered a small pocket on a Kennet backwater.

They may be seen in flight from late May / early June, through to mid August. They are best seen in July when fully mature; having attained their full colouration.

In relation to males,

the Variable can only really be confused with the blue Azure Damselfly. They are similar in stature but the Variable is much darker, with more extensive black body markings.

The wine glass mark on segment two is much larger than in the Azure Damselfly and has a stem at its base. Also the black tail markings on the abdomen are unique.

The thoracic stripes on the Variable are broken across their length and resemble an exclamation mark.

However it must be said that these can vary in size & shape, I wonder if that is how the species got its very apt name.

Females are far less common and are best identified whilst in the company of males of the species. When at the same site as the Azure, they can be indistinguishable.

Photographic Overview - The Variable Damselfly

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. In addition my primary aim is to achieve the whole of the subject in focus.

Although this is a locally rare damselfly, luckily once located it is a fairly easy subject to photograph. They are fond of dense emergent vegetation; often with stinging nettles within. Leave your shorts at home and avoid my painful mistake.

Try to make as little impact as possible on their habitat but some intrusion may be required into the vegetation to obtain resonable images, this can however be kept to an absolute minimum.

They perch quite readily with their wings closed, parallel to their bodies. Therefore a moderate depth of field settling is all that is required for decent images.

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