Green Is In!

 

Isn't he glitzy?  Just look at the metallic green body of that damselfly!

I was walking on a forest trail with a friend when I spotted this guy while she spotted a spider.  This damselfly was rather well camouflaged among the bushes. 

Me:  "Ahh!  Look!  A damselfly!" 

Friend:  "Where?"

Me:  "There!  Do you see it?"

Friend:  "Where?"

You get the gist!  A green damselfly among green foliage with daylight growing dimmer is not the easiest thing to spot. 

And I had to go looking again another day for more photographs to properly identify it.  That first time, he was perched on a leaf and did not move away too much but the angle and lighting was not the best.  The next time I went there on my own, this guy was being totally elusive and would not let me get near at all.  He would show himself, then go hide in the bushes where I cannot find him and when I did, he went fluttering away to perch on another leaf further away and higher up.  It went on like that quite a few times...

Perhaps he was playing a game of hide-and-seek?  Or is he now camera shy?  Or perhaps he just liked my friend better than he does me!

One thing for sure, this green male damselfly is certainly a grand and good looking one!

 

 

Could this possibly be the Vestalis gracilis of the family Calopterygidae?  The superior appendages of this species are curved inward strongly and the thorax is marked with discrete light green patches.  Or it could even be the Vestalis amoena or Vestalis amethystina?  All three species in this family look very similar and it would be difficult to tell them apart just from looking at photos like these.

The Vestalis gracilis can be found mainly in the north of Peninsular Malaysia though it is widespread in continental Asia, while Vestalis amoena is widespread in Sundaland except Java and the Vestalis amethystina is widespread in Peninsular Malaysia.  Tough one here, isn't it?

Anyway, the Calopterygidae family of damselflies are commonly known as Broad-winged Damselflies due to their broad wingspans, with many species having metallic-coloured bodies and heavily-tinted wings.

I still do not have the best shots of this damselfly and will definitely go there again for more!  But I did get a good shot of this spider on my second visit to this area...

 

 

It seems to me to be the Nephila pilipes, one of the species of the Golden Silk Orb Weavers noted for the large, strong and impressive webs they build. 

And, my dear friend, this spider pic is for you!