Common Blue Damselfly.......

The striking colours of this Common Blue make it very hard for it to hide from predators, usually for safety they'll hang upside down underneath leaves.

It's possibly a newly hatched Damselfly and its taking advantage of the warm dry weather to dry it's wings, as when they emerge from their final mault to become adults their wings are only semi rigid.

The drying process makes their wings rigid enabling them fly properley.

Once it's wings and abdomen are fully dried and rigid, it'll head back to the waters edge to begin looking for a mate.

If it's very very lucky it'll live for up to five weeks, but on the whole three weeks is about their alotted life span.

Such a shame that so many beautiful things only survive for such a small amount of time.

Larger view........

j.