Coenagrion puella
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The azure damselfly (Coenagrion puella) is a species of damselfly found in most of Europe. It is notable for its distinctive black and blue colouring. They are commonly found around ponds and lakesides during the summer.
Adult male azure damselflies have a head and thorax patterned with blue and black. They have an azure blue abdomen patterned with black markings. The marking on the second segment of the abdomen is U-shaped, separated from the segment's narrow terminal black band; this distinguishes it from the variable damselfly Coenagrion pulchellum where the U-shape is joined to the terminal band with a black line.
Segments three to five are blue with broader black terminal bands, lacking the forward-pointing projection the upper surface which adult male common blue damselfly has. Segment six has a similar pattern but with more restricted blue and a broader area of black, and segment seven is mostly black, with just a narrow blue area at the base. Segment eight and much of segment nine are sky-blue, forming a noticeable contrasting patch, but there are small dark markings on the rear upper side of segment nine, which adult male common blue... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plitvice Lakes National Park | 🇭🇷 Croatia | |
| 2 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 3 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 5 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 6 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 8 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 9 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 10 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brussels | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 2 | Leeds | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Budapest | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 7 | Rostov-on-Don | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 8 | Hamburg | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 9 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 10 | Amsterdam | 🇳🇱 Netherlands |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Azure Damselfly sighting in Manchester on a given day, based on 69 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 68th most-seen of the 458 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Azure Damselfly in Manchester on a given day, against under 5% in September to April, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Azure Damselfly sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 33
Of the 33 cities where we can rate Azure Damselfly sightings, Manchester ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Brussels (Belgium, about 20%), Leeds (United Kingdom, about 20%) and Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 20%).
Same family: Coenagrionidae
The closest relatives of the Azure Damselfly that you can see in Manchester (family Coenagrionidae, Narrow-winged Damselflies) are Common Blue Damselfly (about 30%), Large Red Damselfly (about 20%) and Blue-Tailed Damselfly (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Azure Damselfly is recorded against all the insects logged in Manchester (69 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
