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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Phil Gates

Country diary: This cauldron of industry now seethes with wildlife

Female banded demoiselle damselfly.
Female banded demoiselle damselfly. Photograph: Phil Gates

Overheard, while eavesdropping on a family argument, on the bridge over the river Derwent: “It’s a dragonfly.” “No, it’s a damselfly.” “It’s amazing!”

They were bewitched by the exquisite bug-eyed, emerald green, needle-bodied insect with gauzy wings, which had settled on a willow leaf near the parapet. A female banded demoiselle damselfly, but what do niceties of nomenclature matter compared with their sheer delight at its balletic aerial performance, snatching flies in midair?

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