The NatureSpot Photo of the Month for May is this image of a Banded Demoiselle, taken by NatureSpot contributor Jane Hollingworth. More...

May 2024 brought the first Dragonfly and Damselfly records of the year. This photo shows one of our most beautiful species, the Banded Demoiselle, Calopteryx splendens. But these beautiful insects now have competition. In recent years the Beautiful Demoiselle, Calopteryx virgo, has been spreading though Leicestershire and Rutland, and we need records of both species to track this newcomer. Although telling the males apart is fairly straightforward, the females are trickier, so it's worth familiarizing yourself with the differences between the two species and keeping an eye out for them before they disappear from the air again in a few months time. 

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