There are damselflies that are so spectacular that they cause a sharp intake of breath when first you see them. This is one such. When I first saw the gaudy yellow frontal aspect of this in 2019 I was captivated. I’d seen pictures but the reality is wonderful. It is quite widespread in Australia missing only from the centre and the southwest corner.
Unfortunately, in 2019 this character was keeping out in the middle of quite a wide stream. My companions had Wellington boots and could wade in but I was stuck on the banks wishing that I could get closer. A couple of the pictures I managed are just about recognizable as record shots and they are still here as the first two.
On our 2024 camper van trip route, this was really my only target species. I had identified a stop that had records of these delights. This was to be our first road stop at Toowoomba and I was very keen on a second encounter to get better images. I’m happy to say that I lucked out – the day before we arrived there had been heavy rain and high water such that the access bridge was inundated. Fortunately, the day we arrived the water had subsided and these beautiful damsels were perching on a stick very close by.
| male | |
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