Stuart Rae

Namadgi Damselflies

While out at Namadgi surveying moths, as described in the previous post, I took some photographs of damselflies that were hawking up and down a stream side. I could not identify them at the time, but I wanted to collect some site records for the local recorder, Harvey Perkins. He subsequently and kindly identified them for me. See his posts on dragonflies and damselflies at https://www.facebook.com/HarveyPerkinsACT/.

When I went down to the stream by the campsite at dawn, the damselflies were all hanging from grass and sedge stems over the water, still coated with dew, shining in the rising sun. But the water evaporated quickly and the insects soon warmed up. All I do here, is share those brief magic moments.

Four damselflies hang in their overnight roosts on grass stems overhanging a stream. Soon they were dry, warm and off hunting, mating and laying eggs.

Metallic Ringtail Austrolestes cingulatus, male

Metallic Ringtail, male.

Bronze Needle Synlestes weyersii tillyardi, male.

Common Bluetail Ischnura heterostica, male.

Common Bluetail, female.

Bronze Needle, male.

Bronze Needle, female.

Metallic Ringtail, male.

Metallic Ringtail, female.