Small Red-eyed Damselfly

The Small Redeye is a delicate damselfly with bright red eyes and a shiny bronze-green body. The males have bright blue sections on their abdomen with black patterns, while the females are mostly black with greenish-bronze shades. When resting, this damselfly holds its wings along its body, as is typical for damselflies. Its red eyes are noticeably smaller than those of the closely related Red-eyed Damselfly. This species, originally from continental Europe, has spread northwards over the past few decades. It started to appear in southern England from the 1990s and now breeds in scattered areas across the southeast and East Anglia. There are occasional sightings further north as well. The Small Redeye prefers large, still bodies of water with plenty of plants. These include lakes, gravel pits, and reservoirs. It especially likes places with lots of floating plants, such as water lilies. Males set up territories in these areas, and females lay their eggs directly into the plant material at the water’s surface.