Coenagrion puella (Azure Bluet/Azure Damselfly)

One of the UK’s two most frequently occurring blue damsels; this is the paler of the two. The other ubiquitous “bluet” is Enallagma cyathigerum, the Common Bluet/Common Blue Damselfly, which is a stronger blue colour.

[I have a collection of comparison charts to help with the identification of the blue-striped damselflies.]

Id Notes

• bears the Coenagrion “spur” on the side of the thorax
• blue antehumeral stripes are narrower than the black stripes beside them (cf. Enallagma cyathigerum)
• ♂ – U-shaped mark on S2 (usually separated from S2’s suture but beware variations)
• ♂ – black mark on rear of S10 resembling a bow tie
• ♀ – normally green with an almost all black dorsal side of abdomen (but there’s a blue form)

male

female

in cop