Template:POTD/2020-06-21

Picture of the day

The large red damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) is a species of damselflies belonging to the family Coenagrionidae. Although called large, it is only 35 mm (1.4 in) long and 15 percent larger than the small red damselfly. This specimen, a mature male photographed at Dry Sandford in Oxfordshire, England, is a mature male; immature individuals of both sexes have yellow shoulder stripes rather than red ones. Mature females come in three different colour forms, but all have yellow bands round their abdominal segments. This species occurs mainly in Europe and is on the wing from April or May onwards. The larvae are found in ponds, lakes and ditches, and take two years to develop before they emerge as adults.Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp