Damselflies and dragonflies (and the occasional spider)

Having been introduced to the Atlas of NSW Wildlife I have decided that I should follow the example of that comprehensive work and record a wide range of stuff.  Particularly if it is attractive as are members of the Order Odonata.

To begin with the words of the Australian Museum seem to explain what they are and how to differentiate the two types of insect.  In summary:

"Adult dragonflies are generally stout bodied and when at rest spread their wings out to the sides. Damselflies are generally more delicate and hold their wings along their body when at rest."

There is an alleged Field Guide to Dragonflies and Damselflies of Australia but I have not been able to come up with the bibliographic details as yet.  However the websites I have found with images all seem to be of the view that macroscopically most damselflies are bright blue and that the distinction at the genus level relies on final detail of the tiny body parts.  Pass, but as usual if anyone has any ideas about the ID of these beasts please let me know.....

Here are some images: beginning with dragonflies (the first two are of the same insect - I think the third is a different species. it looked brown rather than blue).



Now we move to damselflies, beginning with a couple of standard electric blue coloured beasts.



 The next image is (even by my standards) pretty ordinary but it does show a non-blue insect so is worthy of being shown.
 Here is the beginning of damselflies (an alternative title could be "Fly United")  ...
 ... and the next shows the end of a damselfly (the brown bit is a spider).
Finally we have another spider that I thought quite attractive, sitting on a lily pad (possibly having nailed a water boatman for lunch).

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