Friday 6th June
It’s that time of year again where everything has burst into life. The sights and sounds of spring are in full swing and an almost overwhelming spectrum of colour is all around us. The epitome of this could well be what I witnessed at the riverside today.
Tens of banded demoiselle damselflies, both males and females in all their shimmering iridescent majesty, fluttering butterfly-like in the afternoon sun along the slow-flowing water. Banded demoiselles are one of only two UK species with coloured wings. The males with a characteristic dark band and the females who are greener in appearance to the males’ metallic blue, with a brownish tint to their translucent wings. Once a rarity this far north, their range is now expanding. Keep an eye out for them on local streams and rivers this spring and summer. You won’t regret it.