Mid-air contact - Emperor Dragonfly and Damselfly

Roland Bogush
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Mid-air contact - Emperor Dragonfly and Damselfly
Mid-air contact - Emperor Dragonfly and Damselfly

This Common Blue Damselfly (m) was lucky not to end up as lunch for the female Emperor Dragonfly - they must surely have come into contact. Dragonflies can and do eat damselflies - and sometimes even other dragonflies.
This picture well illustrates the size difference between damselflies and dragonflies.
Despite this size difference, male damselflies can often be seen harassing female Emperors when they are depositing their eggs in the water. They buzz in close, sometimes land on them and even appear to nip at them. I have yet to see a convincing explanation of just why they do this, not least because it seems to have minimal impact on the ovipositing dragonfly.

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Taken on: July 17, 2024
Tags: Everybody's photos tagged with Canon EOS R5 Canon EOS R5 Everybody's photos tagged with Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS USM Lens Mk II + x2 Extender Mk III Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS USM Lens Mk II + x2 Extender Mk III Everybody's photos tagged with Sywell Country Park, Northants Sywell Country Park, Northants
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Camera: Canon EOS R5, f/10.0, 1/2000 sec, 800mm, ISO 2000 (more info) (hide info)
Camera: Canon EOS R5
Lens: EF400mm f/4 DO IS II USM +2x
Aperture: f/10.0
Exposure Time: 0.001 sec (1/2000)
Focal Length: 800mm
ISO: 2000
Exposure Bias: +1 EV
Flash: No Flash
Exposure Program: Manual
Exposure Mode: Manual
Metering Mode: Spot
White Balance: Auto
Sharpness: Hard
Color Space: Uncalibrated
Software: Adobe Photoshop 25.9 (Windows)
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