Beautiful Demoiselle
Calopteryx virgo
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Type
Insect: DragonflyStatus
CommonSeason
Spring
Summer On vegetation at the canal edges or sometimes overhead. The section of the canal near Abermule is a good place to spot them in July, August and September.
Happily a common sight along the Montgomery Canal on account of the waterway’s lush vegetation and clean, unpolluted waters, Beautiful Demoiselles are metallic giants of the damselfly world. Along with the similar-looking Banded Demoiselle, they are the only damselflies with coloured wings and are often mistaken for dragonflies because of their size.
They generally live on small fast-flowing rivers, but probably favour the Montgomery Canal for its lack of pollution and relatively abundant insect prey. Interestingly, the Beautiful Demoiselle is found almost exclusively in the west of the UK, with Wales being a hotspot.
These elegant beauties can often be seen flitting and fluttering over head as the male tries to attract a female with its dance moves in a courtship display.
They generally live on small fast-flowing rivers, but probably favour the Montgomery Canal for its lack of pollution and relatively abundant insect prey. Interestingly, the Beautiful Demoiselle is found almost exclusively in the west of the UK, with Wales being a hotspot.
These elegant beauties can often be seen flitting and fluttering over head as the male tries to attract a female with its dance moves in a courtship display.
The Beautiful Demoiselle is very similar to the Banded Demoiselle but the males of the latter species have distinctive dark patches in the middle of their wings.
Male and female Beautiful Demoiselles look quite different – the males have dark-coloured wings and metallic blue bodies, while females have brown wings and metallic green-bronze bodies.
Both demoiselle species can be distinguished from dragonflies because of the way they hold their wings; damsels rest with their wings together and closed near to the body, while dragons rest with their spread and away from the body like an aeroplane.