R. baetica
         M. religiosa
         M. florea
         Tephritid fly
         X. violacea
         Bombus sp.
         C. virgo
         P. pennipes
         O. brunneum
         T. plebejus

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Unless otherwise noted, all pictures on this site were taken in Pelion, Greece, shown on the map below.

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View images of the Common Toad, an ugly, bulky, but really sweet creature with an interesting... nightlife.

  Veggie of the Month

Learn about the Salsify, a beautiful plant, with edible and medicinal properties, that is currently blooming in Pelion.

  Cool Destination

Visit Mourtias, one of Pelion's most picturesque beaches on the Aegean coast.

  Exciting Site

Tour the Volos Archaeological Museum, a pretty century-old building, whose exhibits span a historical period of over 10 millennia!

  Month's Wallpaper

Download a fantastic picture of a rickety jetty in Lefokastron, Pelion, taken by Huw Jones.

Loading image. Please wait P. pennipes :: 2002/09/09 :: Horton Stream :: © A.Papadopoulos P. pennipes :: 2002/09/09 :: Horton Stream :: © A.Papadopoulos P. pennipes :: 2002/09/09 :: Horton Stream :: © A.Papadopoulos P. pennipes :: 2002/09/09 :: Horton Stream :: © A.Papadopoulos No image!

White-legged Damselfly

Platycnemis pennipes

This medium-sized damselfly, whose abdomen ranges between 27 - 31 mm (1 1/16 - 1 1/4 in) in length, prefers to hang out around slow-flowing waters, but may show up around almost any body of water.

Males are turquoise, with a black line running the length of the abdomen. As the common name connotes, they have white or very pale legs. Hind  tibiae are very distinctive, in that they are extremely swollen and are waved in the courtship display.

Mature females are pale green and marked like males, whereas immature females are creamy-white in color, with very few black markings.

White-legged damselflies feed on small insects, usually caught in flight. P. pennipes is common and quite widespread through most of Europe, though in Britain it is confined to the south. In the Pelion region it flies between mid April and late September, however in northern Europe it is on the wing in late June and July.

It is noteworthy that the Genus name, Platycnemis, is derived from the Greek words "platys", meaning wide, and "cneme", meaning shin or tibia.


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Fact Sheet

Food
Small insects, caught in flight.

Flight Period
Mid April - late September in Pelion; late June - July in N. Europe.

Habitat
Prefers slow-flowing waters, but may show up around any body of water.

Distribution
Most of Europe, except the far north.


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Taxonomy


Superkingdom: Eukaryota; Kingdom: Metazoa; Phylum: Arthropoda; Subphylum: Chelicerata; Superclass: Hexapoda; Class: Insecta; Subclass: Palaeoptera; Order: Odonata; Suborder: Zygoptera; Superfamily: Coenagrionoidea; Family: Platycnemididae; Genus: Platycnemis; Species: pennipes.

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