Common Blue & Azure Damsleflies

Key Sites: Any large water body, Pitsford Nature Reserve, Titchmarsh Reserve. Widely distributed and very common on almost any water body from lakes, ponds and river systems.

Spotting: Common Blue Damselflies appear very similar to Azure Damselflies, and will be difficult to separate except under close observation or after photography. Both species share a bright blue body colour in the males and similar yellow colouring in the females (and both have a second male-like coloured female). Common Blues are the most common species likely to be seen in the Northants area, and can appear in very large numbers at a good site, especially over larger lake margins containing masses of floating algae or pond weed, where they ovipost in tandem. The most reliable method of separating the two species is to look closely at the abdomen as it joins the thorax. Here you will see one of two characteristic black patterns. Look for a club shape on Common Blues and a prong shape on Azure Damselflies.

County Status: Not threatened as habitat requirements are wide and numbers can be into the thousands at the larger sites.