Ornate Bluet
(Coenagrion ornatum)

To photograph the Ornate Bluet (Coenagrion ornatum) we travelled to the South of Germany, although the species' European base lies mainly in the South-East. At first sight the male looks a bit like a male Erythromma lindenii, sharing that species' spear-shaped abdominal markings. But the shape of the mark on the second segment is quite different and resembles a trident. What's more, a close-up look reveals the basis for the species' scientific and common names: the hind margins of the postocular spots are markedly ragged (toothed). Other characteristics include the heavy body build of the female, which even in the field looks quite robust indeed. Coenagrion ornatum proved quite a tricky species to photograph; skittish, wary and with a tendency to sit down low in the streamside vegetation.

For an overview of the Ornate Bluet's distribution in Europe, hover your mouse pointer over the map symbol .
With the authors' permission we have based this map on data published in Kalkman et al. (2010).
Legend: Red = Occurs, White = Doesn't occur; Purple = Extinct; Yellow = Vagrant.

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