Walk For The Willows

One of my favourite times of the year is seeing the first Willow Emerald Damselfly rising from the waterside vegetation at Nethergong and with this in mind, I decided on a walk Sunday morning to see if I could find any. The weather was not ideal with a brisk wind and quite cloudy but it remained quite mild which was in my favour. My initial walk along the stream didn't produce a single one which is not surprising as they are often first seen in the second week of July, so I tried another part of the ditch which was sheltered from the wind. A short walk later and a female Willow Emerald Damselfly slowly flew from the vegetation to the long grasses and nettles to settle. I often find after they have emerged for a couple of hours, they colour up and look in their best condition. The wings which are as fresh as can be shimmer like rainbows as the light catches them. I put on the macro lens and slowly moved in to grab a few photos. Thankfully, she wasn't going far and the next 30 minutes was spent in her company getting a number of photos in good light. It might have only been the one that I saw but what a stunner and I was thankful for the experience and the chance of a few early season photos. I may not take a better photo of this species all year...but I will of course try. 

Willow Emerald Damselfly (Chalcolestes viridis) - female