The Living Forest (9) : mating White-legged damselflies

The Living Forest (9) : mating White-legged damselflies

Last weeks I was exploring several forests in the Belgian Ardennes.
This is the 9th. picture of a series illustrating the living forest.

Insects play an important role in the living forest (pollinate process, natural housekeeping, food for songbirds,…)

Most of them can be found in the open spaces, like this mating pair of the White-legged damselfly.
In this shot you can see the so-called ‘mating wheel position’ : the male deposits sperm by bending the abdomen forward and then clasping the female behind the head with its claspers on the tip of his abdomen. The female then loops her abdomen forward and picks up the sperm from the male.

(Some good advice : don’t try this at home.......)

Dutch name : Blauwe Breedscheenjuffer
German name : Blaue Federlibelle
Latin name : Platycnemis pennipes