Banded Demoiselles.....25-7-2010

On Sunday we had a walk along the Wansbeck in search of Banded Demoiselles ,another dull day with the occasional ray of sunshine but I was not to hopeful, very few Butterflies around those that where ,all whites, most male BD hiding in the grass or perched along the river edge ,took us awhile to find a female, after the rain the sun came out and immediately so did the males always defending their best spot and looking for a mate

I would love to be able to take super close-ups of insects they are so fascinating .
This one was struggling on its side for some reason, it sat on my hand happily and I think with the aid of the heat from my hand it eventually flew off .

2 2 Spots ,I think one is trying to get over the other .........................
I spotted this male some way off as it tried to lift with the female ,but she was not having it and gripped onto the leaf trying to mate there and then, eventually they parted and she lay on the ground cleaning and recomposing herself, notice how articulate the joints or segments are


Fighting for best position, 2 males after chasing each other ,which is all that usually happens ,ended up locked together and it looked like one was trying to drown the other.

I will put lots more shots and some video on my Dragonfly Blog when I get them sorted