Tags
Banded Demoiselle, British demoiselles, British dragonfly, Calopteryx splendens, dragonfly, jewelwings, male Banded demoiselle
All of the species in the Calopteryx genus are known as jewelwings but today’s focus is on the Banded demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens, from the Greek καλóς [kalos] which means ‘beautiful’, and πτɛ´ρυξ [pteryx], meaning ‘wing’, and splendens, from the Latin splendere, meaning ‘shining’ or ‘glittering’ – an appropriate set of names for this splendidly beautiful glittering-winged dragonfly).
Only the males have the wing bands; the females have wings that range from pale green to dark brown depending on location, which means they can sometimes be confused with female Beautiful demoiselles; fortunately, in Britain, they tend towards the pale green end of that colour range. I’ve only seen males this year, so haven’t yet been confused, which makes a pleasant change, but I have been dazzled by their beauty.
