Template:POTD/2023-07-11

Picture of the day

The large red damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) is a species of damselfly belonging to the family Coenagrionidae. Found mainly in Europe, with some populations also in northern Africa and western Asia, it inhabits small ponds, lakes and dikes, and occasionally slow-moving rivers. Large red damselflies have black legs and wing spots in both sexes, and can reach a body length of 33 to 36 millimetres (1.3 to 1.4 in). They are often the first damselflies to emerge in the spring, usually in April or May, and adults can be found until September in some localities. This female large red damselfly was photographed on Cumnor Hill in Oxfordshire, England. It is of the form fulvipes, one of three colour forms for the species.Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp