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The large red damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) is a species of damselflies belonging to the family Coenagrionidae. It is native to the western Palearctic.

Distribution
This species is a mainly European damselfly, with some populations in Northern Africa and Western Asia.

Habitat
These damselflies inhabit small ponds, lakes and dikes, and occasionally slow-moving rivers. They tend to avoid fast flowing water.

Description
Pyrrhosoma nymphula can reach a body length of 33–36 millimetres (1.3–1.4 in). These large and robust damselflies show black legs and wing spots in both sexes.

Mature males have red eyes and a black thorax with red shoulder stripes in mature specimen, but yellow stripes in immature. In fact ante-humeral stripes change to red with age. Abdomen is red with black small rings and bronze-black bands towards the apex (segments 7-9). Wings are hyaline, with a blackish pterostigma. Mature females occur in three colour forms (typical, fulvipes and melanotum), from mostly black to mostly red, but all have yellow bands around the abdominal segments. Some intermediate forms also exist.

The form typica has more black on its abdominal segments than the form fulvipes, particularly on segment 6. Immatures have lighter eyes and have yellow stripes on the thorax, not red. In the form melanotum females show the upper surface of the abdomen almost entirely black.

These damselflies can easily be confused with small red damselflies, but the latter has orange legs, while the large red damselfly has black legs. In Greece and Albania a closely related species occurs, the Greek red damsel (Pyrrhosoma elisabethae). They look very much the same, the females only having a slightly different pronotum with deep folds in the hind margin. The males differ in their lower appendages, which are longer than the upper ones, while the black hook on the lower appendages is half as long as in the large red damselfly. The appendages of the large red damselfly can be seen in the gallery below.

Biology and behaviour
The great red damselfly is often the first damselfly to emerge, usually in April or May. Adults can be found until September, according to locality.

Immature adults mature in about two weeks. Mating occurs in vegetation. The female during the laying of eggs is accompanied by the male, she immerses into the water only the abdomen. Eggs hatch in two-three weeks. Development of larvae takes two years. Larvae feed on aquatic insect larvae, protozoa, rotifers or small crustaceans.

An unusual abundance of Dot-tailed Whitefaces (Leucorrhinia intacta) livened the shores of the ponds at Minnekhada Regional Park. In five years of visiting the park, I have not witnessed such a dense swarm of dragonflies. Indeed, the Lower Mainland has been visited by several waves of insect swarms, from caterpillars to the predators that feed upon them. One is inclined to look at a climatic reason: Perhaps the population explosions are somehow related to the potential developing El Nino. In any event, it is interesting.

The dragonfly in the image has freshly emerged from its final moult. With the wings folded together straight above the back like this, the animal is still in the process of allowing the foils to harden.

Forest edges are typically locations with a high diversity of life. Given a large number of habitat types ranging from meadow to shrub layer up to mid and high canopy and plenty of light reaching the ground, these locations contain many ecological niches. In the photo, along a forest edge at the UBC Farm, a Yellow-head Bumble Bee (Bombus flavifrons) appears somewhat perplexed about a big California Darner (Rhionaeschna californica) covering up the entrances to a collection of foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) blossoms. The bee buzzed around the dragonfly for a few seconds, trying to find a clear path into the inviting flowers before finally giving up and going to a different plant. The location swarmed with dragonflies, bees, flies and butterflies among many other species of life.

Dragonflies, the jeweled helicopters of the insect world, are generally stronger and more robust than damselflies. They are also fast and agile fliers. While at rest their wings are held away from their bodies.

A dragonfly is a double winged insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera (from Greek ανισος anisos, "uneven" + πτερος pteros, "wings", due the hindwing's being broader than the forewing). It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Dragonflies possess six legs (like any other insect), but most of them cannot walk well. Dragonflies are some of the fastest insects in the world.

Dragonflies are important predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, wasps, and very rarely butterflies. They are usually found around marshes, lakes, ponds, streams, and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic. Some 5680 different species of dragonflies are known in the world today.

This striking red dragon, the Flame Skimmer (Libellula saturata), is quite large. The aerial beast commands attention as it sails over rich, green wetlands. At the Downata Hot Springs Resort, near Downy, ID, a large number of these odonates flitted about, bright red darts chasing each other in vivid aerial dances, apparently in territorial contests.

taken with my Droid while filling the tank.

dragonfly in flight

dragonfly inflight

dragonfly in flight

dragonfly in flight

dragonfly in flight

This male Canada Darner (Aeshna canadensis) actively patrolled a large section of pond, probably on the hunt for mates. He interacted with the Paddle-tailed Darners and Four-Spotted Skimmers in the area, swooping at them in what were apparently territorial challenges. Or, he thought them all to be potential mates.

Like an exotic piece of jewelry, this Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) is perched elegantly on a leaf. Many species of dragonflies can be found perched in this manner from time-to-time, a behavior known as obelisking. In full obelisk, the abdomen often points right at the sun. This is not the case for the individual in the photo, where the dragonfly is facing the sun, probably to capture as many warming rays as possible.

Canon Rebel T1i (500D)
Canon EF 300mm 1:4 L IS USM
Canon EF 1.4x II Extender
420mm, 1/640 sec, f / 8, -1/3 EV, ISO 200
Hand-held