Large Red Damselfy Nymph

This morning when I went to have a look at my garden pond under an overcast sky, peering close at the submerged rocks and stones I noticed a few of these early stage damselfy nymps.

My mind went back to June when I saw a Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) female laying eggs at the base of my Water Mint. I consulted one of my many books to see if it was the larva of this damselfly, and I believe it is.

These are just a little smaller than a common garden ant, and can be quite a challenge to photo, especially on an overcast day and submerged in pond water, so I removed one specimen and placed it in a crock dish to have more control over the conditions. It was released back into the water unharmed after it had completed its photo shoot.

I could have to wait for up to 3 years for the larvae to develop into mature flying adult damselflies.

Photographs  taken of Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) early stage nymph in August 2016, rear garden pond, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D3200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens.

08/1608/16 by Peter Hillman Categories: Animals (Invertebrates), Dragonflies, Garden, Garden Pond, Insects, Nature PhotographyTags: Damselflies, Dragonflies, Dragonfly, Garden, Garden Pond, Insects, Large Red Damselfly, Macro, Macro Photography, Nature, Nature Photography, Pond, Pond Life, Pyrrhosoma nymphula, Wildlife, Wildlife Photography 8 Comments