Northern Bluet Damselfly

 Walker Lake Water Fairies

During the month of July, the lapis blue of the Northern Bluet Damselfly accents green bushes and shallow waters around Walker Lake.

These strikingly delicate creatures are insects similar to dragonflies, in the order Odonata and the suborder Zygoptera.  However the Damselfly is smaller than a dragonfly and its wings are held along the body when at rest. 

 The male is a striking blue. 

While the female is a duller slate color. 

Damselflies have a life cycle of one to two years and can often be seen mating in flight or by clinging to plants. 

After copulation, the female will lay her eggs in submerged vegetation.  Once the eggs are laid, she will continue this process.
  

Upon hatching, the damselfly does not go through the larva and pupa transformation.  It will emerge in to a nymph as a smaller version of the mature damselfly where it spends one to three years in the water preying on smaller aquatic insects.

After molting several times, the damselfly enters the adult stage where it keeps nature in balance eating flies, mosquitoes and other insects.

  

It's a wondrous sight to just sit and imagine the elegant damselflies as water fairies flying around Walker Lake on a warm day in July. 

 For additional reading:

http://www.lrdg.org.uk/articles/intro.php

http://www.cirrusimage.com/damselfly.htm

http://crawford.tardigrade.net/bugs/BugofMonth12.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damselfly

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

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