Little Boghead's Blue Jewels

At this time of year many of our wetland areas are alive with insects and what may stand out most is the dainty blue of the azure damselfly buzzing about the grass. At Little Boghead Nature Reserve in Bathgate, there are hundreds of them, plus common and large red damselflies.

The little brother to the larger dragonflies, they’ve become somewhat of an addictive species to watch and photograph. As we come into the time of year when both can commonly be seen you might wonder how to tell the difference between the two species. There are a couple of things to look for: •

Dragonflies have larger, broader bodies with eyes that face forwards. Their flight pattern can best be described as jerky as they zip back and forth making sharp turns as if they’ve just hit a forcefield

Damselflies however have a very small, thin body plus a large gap between their eyes. They tend to flutter or hover in flight and are much less erratic than dragonflies

Damselflies also hunt in cold weather, which is why they can be found much earlier in the year but will be around until September meaning, there’s still time to see them. Whilst they’re easily disturbed, we’d suggest just waiting a few minutes because they’ll normally come back to land at the same perch. Little Boghead Nature Reserve is an excellent place to visit, with boardwalks surrounding the ponds giving a perfect viewing platform to watch the huge variety of wildlife.

This column is contributed by Clare Harte and Kate Stevenson, who grew up in Edinburgh and now live in West Lothian. Together they run Scottish Sisters Photography and travel around the country to watch and photograph amazing wildlife and scenic landscapes. www.scottishsistersphotography.com

Azure Damselfly

Photo by Scottish Sisters Photography