Oldt1mer - Keith's photos with the keyword: Blue

The lovely little Azure Damselfly – Coenagrion puella – is very common throughout the UK and found pretty much anywhere there is water, be it small ponds, larger lakes, streams and small rivers. The male is blue and black and is similar to the Common Blue Damselfly whereas the female is green and black. Seen at Pennington Flash. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The beautiful Meadow Cranesbill – Geranium pratense – is also known as the Meadow Geranium and is a wildflower found in clumps up to 1m broad. Native to Europe and Asia it is a very hardy perennial which can withstand cold down to -20C. It is very popular with insects because of the high sugar content of its nectar which is 57-71%! This beauty was seen at Martin Mere during summer. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The lovely Broad-Bodied Chaser – Libellula depressa – is also known as the Broad-Bodied Darter and is one of the most common dragonflies in Europe and central Asia. Flying from April to September, they fly very fast and will fight with any rivals, be they males of their own species or any other dragonfly which threatens them or their territory. Mainly found near still water lakes and ponds, they will eat a variety of small insects. This one was seen at Pennington Flash. (The blue streak behind the Chaser is a very out of focus Azure Damselfly). This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

This beauty is the male Banded Demoiselle – Calopteryx splendens – which is a species of Damselfly which flies with fluttering wings similar to a butterfly. The male, as you can see, has broad dark spots across the outer parts of his wings whereas the female has translucent pale green wings. Mainly found near slow flowing streams and rivers the female can lay up to 10 eggs per minute for 45 minutes which is a lot of eggs for such a slim narrow body. This one was spotted landing a number of meters away so is quite a big crop. Happy that the camera and lens did so well. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The beautiful Azure Damselfly – Coenagrion puella – is a medium sized Damselfly which can be seen in a wide variety of slow moving aquatic habitats such as ponds, sheltered lakes, canals etc. Found throughout most of Europe, they fly from May to September and usually stay close to the vegetation near the water. This male was seen at Pennington Flash. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

This is the Eurasian Teal – Anas crecca – which is a small dabbling duck which breeds in Eurosiberia and migrates south in the winter. Also known as the Common Teal or Eurasian Green-Winged Teal it is commonly found in sheltered wetlands feeding on seeds and aquatic invertebrates. This is a male in nuptial plumage, as can be seen by the white stripe running along his flanks, which was seen at Martin Mere Wetlands. Explore No 254, 19 July 2023. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Great Tit - Parus major - is the largest of the Tit family and is a very common sight in gardens, woodland and many other habitats. They eat insects, seeds, berries and nuts as well as offerings at bird tables etc. This one was seen at Pennington Flash. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The lovely Meadow Crane's-Bill - Geranium pratense - is a wildflower also known as the Meadow Geranium or, in Scandinavia, the Mid-Summer Flower. It is native to Europe and Asia and can be found in grassland, farmland, woodland and roadside verges. Growing in clumps up to half a metre high the flowers are usually violet blue but can vary from very deep blue to pink and occasionally white depending on the soil they are growing in. This one was seen at the Three Sisters Recreational Area near Wigan. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The beautiful Common Blue Damselfly - Enallagma cyathigerum - is one of the most common damselflies in the UK. They can be found near most types of open water such as ponds, rivers, canals and lakes and are normally seen from April through to October. This male was seen at Pennington Flash. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

This is the Alder Leaf Beetle - Agelastica alni - and it is that little black (actually a very deep metallic blue as you can see) shiny beetle that is seen, in sometimes large numbers, chewing holes out of every leaf on alder trees in the springtime (although these two seem to have found something else to occupy them). They greatly favour the Alder but will also munch their way through Beech, Birch, Hazel and Hornbeam leaves as do their black caterpillar larvae. They are widespread in Europe and were also introduced to the US in the 19th century. Once considered extinct in the UK it was found again in Manchester in 2004 and seems to be thriving and extending their range to other areas. This pair were seen at Pennington Flash, Leigh. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The lovely Azure Damselfly - Coenagrion puella - is commonly found darting about close to the vegetation of ponds, streams, canals and lakes across most of Europe. Very similar to, and often mistaken for, the Common Blue Damselfly, this little one is only approx 3.5cm long and, because it is so small, it tends to lay in wait for insect prey before catching it in mid air with its legs then returning to the perch to eat. This is a male, the female is a glossy green where the male is blue. Seen at Pennington Flash. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Eurasian Blue Tit - Parus caeruleus (or Cyanistes caeruleus) - is the only bird native to Britain with blue and yellow plumage. It is a small bird 12cm (4.7in) long with a wingspan of 18cm (7.1in) which loves to eat aphids and other plant pests, grubs and some moths as well as the food we put out in the garden for them. They will nest wherever there is a suitable and safe hole whether that be in a tree, wall, stump or nest boxes and will return to the same hole year after year until one of the pair dies then that hole will more than likely be taken by another pair. This one was seen at Pennington Flash. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The beautiful Common Pheasant - Phasianus colchicus - is also known as the Ring-Necked Pheasant. Although native to Asia and parts of Europe like the Balkans, it has been introduced to many parts of the world as a game bird where it has become one of the world's most hunted birds, much of this commercially at farms and hunting lodges etc. etc. This rather wet male was a rare visitor to the wall behind our house, only spotted when I went to close a window because of rain. I got some shots through the rain streaked window which were not good, I then went downstairs, carefully slid open the patio door a few inches and managed to get a couple of shots before he spotted me and walked away along the wall. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.