Dame Damsel

Identification - Copera marginipes.

Not a rare damsel by any means, and like most damsels, fairly easy to approach. But still, sooo difficult to get a good image. This particular damsel is fairly long at around 1.75” length. This makes it very difficult to get both the head and tail in focus. Today I decided to go for a macro shot, as there was a blade of grass in the way of the full length.

This is the female of the species. The male, as with all odonata (dragons and damsels), is far more striking in appearance with its bright orange legs, and so it is the male that gets the attention. The opposite is true for spiders, were the female sports the flamboyant livery. It is one of my aims this year, to capture images of the less photographed gender.

Dave