This is the first of this species we have seen this year!
It is a male blue-tailed damselfly (Ischnura elegans), lantaarntje in Dutch.
A tidbit of information: "Blue-tailed Damselflies are superb fliers and can alter each of their four wing's kinematics in order to maneuver. A recent study has shown that they can compensate for a whole wing loss and even successfully maneuver and catch prey." Sounds like a sadistic study, but still.
I already have a great many photos of many species, so when I see them now, I try to go for a nice composition rather than a detailed photo of the insect:
Olympus Stylus 1s, 300mm, ISO200, f5.6, 1/400s
We found the not-so-blue missus nearby:
Olympus Stylus 1s, 300mm, ISO200, f5.6, 1/320s
She is orange-tailed; species are often named after the colours of the male.
I'm surprised no world-wide feminist protest has broken out over this gender bias yet; it's about as important as most of their other grievances. [evil grin]
Thanks for watching!
Every single time I read that as "damn selfies", and expect a rant about stupid selfies and kids today by grumpy old @ocrdu.
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Grin.
But: I'm not at all grumpy. How dare you. Damn kids today calling their seniors grumpy. They should all be put in work camps for a while, that'll teach them some manners.
Still, selfies are a sign of the times, and not a pleasant one.
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I actually agree. There's a pretty dark precedence that's hinted by the selfie culture. I've been meaning to write about that at some point.
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Dark indeed.
Apart from that, people taking selfies don't hurt me, unless they block my photographing. Then I might well say something like: "if you get into the frame once more with your phone, I will push that selfie stick up your arse so far you will be taking shots of your tonsils". Not that it makes me grumpy, not at all.
But you're right, there's something very ominous about this selfie culture. My motto still is: Always photograph away from you. That is where your interest should lie.
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I am always looking out for damselflies too! These ones are so pretty!
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I think these are common throughout the British isles, you could meet one any day now.
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Well, this was educational. I thought this is a dragonfly. Wasn't aware of the damselfly until now...
And of course, I also read 'damn selfies' :)
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