%2021.jpg)
The White-legged Damselfly (Platycnemis pennipes) is known for its distinct broad, feathery white leg edges, pale blue male bodies, and greenish/creamy females, favoring slow, vegetated rivers in Europe/Asia, displaying courtship with raised legs and laying eggs in plants, developing larvae in water for a year before emerging.
Key Facts:
Identification: Slender body (30-35mm), wide, flattened, pale legs (tibia), often with pale blue (males) or creamy/green (females) bodies, and pale wing spots (pterostigmata).
Habitat: Prefers slow-flowing, unshaded rivers, canals, and muddy streams with abundant aquatic plants; larvae tolerate brackish water.
Distribution: Widespread across Europe and Asia, from the Atlantic to Siberia, though uncommon in some northern UK areas.
Behavior: Males perform a courtship display, fluttering their white legs at females. Eggs are laid in tandem on floating or emergent plants.
Life Cycle: Larvae develop underwater for about a year, living in bottom debris.
Activity: Active from May to August, peaking in June and July.
