Typically, damselflies are active around our pond before the dragonflies emerge or arrive. One of the first and most numerous is the Large Red Damselfly. The second image shows one of the most intriguing aspects of their behaviour where the male, using special claspers on the tip of his abdomen, grabs hold of the female, maintaining his grip during mating and laying of eggs. This is to prevent another male moving in and substituting his own genes.
