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Species account
Variable Bluet
(Coenagrion pulchellum)
Vander Linden (1825)
Red Damsels and Bluets (Coenagrionidae) VABL 24787
Red Damsels and Bluets (Coenagrionidae) VABL 24787
Flagermus-vandnymfe (dk)
Agrion Variable (es)
Mörk Lyrflickslända (se)
Synonyms: Variable Damselfly (gb)
Measurements:
To 33-38mm Ab 23-32mm Hw 16-23mm
Flight period:
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| EU | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Identification:
Similar species:
Life stages:
Mating takes place in the vegetation close to the water and lasts 10-15 minutes. In tandem the female inserts the eggs into stems and leaves of water plants, while resting on floating plants. The eggs hatch after 3-5 weeks, and the larvae develop during 1-2 years. The imago-transformation takes place near the water.
Distribution:
Most of Europe, absent most of Iberian peninsula and northern part of Fennoscandinavia. Also east through Turkey and Russia to Kazakhstan (possibly China). In Denmark widespread and present in all regions including most islands.
Habitat:
In larval stage often found together with Azure [Hestesko-vandnymfe] and Spearhead [Spyd-vandnymfe] Bluets.
Behavior:
Status:
LC(global)
LC(eu) LC(dk). Common in most of Denmark; less so Lolland and Falster. Stable and common in other Nordic countries too.
Host plants:
Tusindblad (Myriophyllum)
Pileurt (Polygonum)
Gul Åkande (Nuphar)
Vandaks (Potamogeton)
Pileurt (Polygonum)
Gul Åkande (Nuphar)
Vandaks (Potamogeton)
Comment:
2025-05-01. Observation:/Question: Is female blue form more common early in the season? Or do I tend to ignore them later when there is more activivity. The ones I've registered are all from the start of the season.
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504
(1 photos)
2021-06-08 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago Male Individual with an extremely broken shoulder stripe, and a large amount of blue on the proximal abdomen segments. |
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669
(2 photos)
2022-05-23 Kongelunden, Denmark Imago Male Straight forward to id, by the S2 marking. Among the damsels examined today this was the only the male I found. The majority were Azure. |
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704
(1 photos)
2022-05-29 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago Male |
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1930
(1 photos)
2022-06-04 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago Male |
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1926
(1 photos)
2022-06-16 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago Male |
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1925
(1 photos)
2022-06-16 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago Male |
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1924
(1 photos)
2022-06-16 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago Male |
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1356
(1 photos)
2023-05-07 Bastemosen (Bornholm), Denmark Imago Male Teneral. Using Erland R. Nielsen as a first stepping stone into this world. The long black spikes leading forward on the side of the abdomen and the colored S8 and only half S9 are good pointers to the species from this angle. |
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1507
(1 photos)
2023-06-05 Allgunnens Naturreservat (Kalmar), Sweden Imago Male |
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1583
(3 photos)
2023-06-07 Valdemarsvik (Östergötland), Sweden Imago Male A narrow stem on the S2 marking and blackish on the side of the thorax makes it unusual, but even more so the way it holds the wings like a spreadwing. |
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2802
(1 photos)
2024-06-21 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago Male Granatsø. An individual with much blue on S2-3. Otherwise booklike. |
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3131
(1 photos)
2025-05-02 Amager Fælled, Denmark Imago Male Den landskabelige kanal - vest. One of the few mature colored individuals so far. Notice the lack of the pale line between the eyes. |
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3144
(1 photos)
2025-05-09 Jægersborg Dyrehave, Denmark Imago Male Fuglesangsø. Perhaps there were two males, but when I first spotted one, I saw it as if it clearly didn't have any blue line between the eyes at all, but then taking this photo there obviously is a partial line...which is what to expect of the species...why I wanted a photo of the one wihtout it. |
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3174
(1 photos)
2025-05-17 Tamosen (Suserup), Denmark Imago Male |
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1927
(1 photos)
2022-06-16 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago Female |
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1381
(1 photos)
2023-05-11 Amager Fælled, Denmark Imago Female A typical dark form. The upper animal. The lower is a Common Bluet (Almindelig Vandnymfe). Only saw two of the species compared to 60 Common Bluets. |
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1380
(2 photos)
2023-05-11 Amager Fælled, Denmark Imago Female Blue form. My first on Amager this year. |
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1520
(2 photos)
2023-06-06 Fjällmossen (Östergötland), Sweden Imago Female Teneral but shape of pronotum reveals it. |
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2698
(1 photos)
2024-05-08 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago Female Pumpehus-broen. A young female. Only saw two today, and compared to elsewhere in Denmark, sjælland and jylland, it is an extraordinarily slow start to the season here on Amager. Still because of the cold southern wind coming in from the sea I expect. |
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3128
(2 photos)
2025-04-26 Holmegaards mose , Denmark Imago Female The first of the year. Teneral. |
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3130
(1 photos)
2025-05-02 Amager Fælled, Denmark Imago Female Den landskabelige kanal - vest. Blue form. |
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1928
(1 photos)
2022-06-16 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago Male & Female |
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1929
(1 photos)
2022-06-16 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago Male & Female |