• The Banded demoiselle’s scientific name is Calopteryx splendens.
• Look for Banded demoiselles from May to August along the edges of slow-moving water, such as some rivers and canals. They can also be seen flying over ponds and amongst damp vegetation.
• The females are a metallic green colour, and the males are metallic blue with a distinct dark band on their translucent wing.
• They can grow up to about 4.5 cm long and are very territorial.
• Banded demoiselle are common in England and Wales and are now expanding up into Scotland as the climate changes.
• Whilst Banded demoiselles are currently common to see, they are threatened by pollution, the removal of riparian (bankside) vegetation or its overshading by tree growth, dredging and over abstraction.