
Mosquito mouthparts
Mosquito mouthparts diagram featuring an Anopholes female mosquito. These mouthparts allow the mosquito to break skin, and access blood without disturbing the host. Illustration from “30 Animals that made us smarter” by Patrick Ayree (BBC Books)

Large red damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula entire life cycle
Large red damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula life cycle showing all the life stages against a blue wash backround with aquatic plants and pebbles and mud, adult, mating pait, egg laying, egg, larva, exuvia, emergent adult all shown, water lily on water surface

Sarep sprite Pseudagrion sarepi
Sarep sprite Pseudagrion sarepi male in side view cut to white

Large red damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula
Large red damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula adult male cut to white

Beautiful demoiselle Calopteryx virgo
Beautiful demoiselle Calopteryx virgo male in side view showing irridescent blue body and beautiful irridescent wings held folded, perched on water side vegetation with red eyes and bright green thorax clear

Southern Hawker Aeshna cyanea
Southern Hawker Aeshna cyanea male cut to white

Southern damselfly Coenagrion mercuriale 2
Southern damselfly Coenagrion mercuriale male side view showing thoracic markings, resting on vegetation with abdomen slightly upturned

Southern damselfly Coenagrion mercuriale
Southern damselfly Coenagrion mercuriale male cut to white

Red veined darter Sympetrum fonscolombii
Red veined darter Sympetrum fonscolombii

Red eyed damsel Erythromma najas
Red eyed damsel Erythromma najas male dorsal view cut to white

Migrant hawker Aeshna mixta
Migrant hawker Aeshna mixta adult male dorsal view cut to white

Large red damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula adult
Large red damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula adult against a blue background

Large red damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula mating
Large red damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula pair mating in distinctive cartwheel shape with background of water and aquatic plants

Large red damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula egg laying
Large red damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula pair egg laying with male holding female with his anal claspers around her neck as she lays eggs just below the surface of the water

Large red damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula larva
Large red damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula larvae under water on stony substrate with caudal lamellae or tracheal gills clearly visible; water plants including crowfoot behind

Large red damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula emerging
Large red damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula in amongst vegetation emerging from its larval shell which it will leave behind as its exuvia, adult colours not yet fully developed, cut to white

Keeled skimmer Orthetrum coerulescens
Keeled skimmer Orthetrum coerulescens male resting on vegetation cut to white

Azure damselfly Coenagrion puella
Azure damselfly Coenagrion puella cut to white

Hairy dragonfly Brachytron pratense
Hairy dragonfly Brachytron pratense male cut to white

Four spotted chaser Libellula quadrimaculata
Four spotted chaser Libellula quadrimaculata male cut to white

Emperor dragonfly Anax imperator
Emperor dragonfly Anax imperator male dorsal view cut to white

Dragonfly nymph Anisoptera
Dragonfly nymph Anisoptera from above dorsal view cut to white

Common darter Sympetrum striolatum
Common darter Sympetrum striolatum male cut to white male

Broad bodied chaser Libellula depressa 2
Broad bodied chaser Libellula depressa male cut to white