Bug FAQOrnate Bluet
Coenagrion ornatum · Order: Odonata · Family: Coenagrionidae
The ornate bluet is a damselfly found across much of Europe and western Asia, especially in the Balkans, with isolated populations in the Danube valley of Bavaria and central France. Adults are 30 to 31 mm long, have a wingspan of 17 to 24 mm, and fly only in summer from May to mid-August. They breed in shallow, unshaded, slow-flowing streams and ditches in agricultural areas where banks are regularly mowed.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Males are mainly blue with black markings and may show a wine-glass-shaped mark on the second abdominal segment, though this mark is not always present.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure about 30 to 31 mm in total length, with the abdomen accounting for 20 to 30 mm, and their wingspan ranges from 17 to 24 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Most records come from agricultural ditches where the banks are regularly mowed and the stream beds are kept clean.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing only during the summer months, from May through July or into mid-August.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The flight period is short, limited to the summer months of May to July or mid-August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its core distribution is in the Balkans, with smaller isolated groups in the Danube valley of Bavaria and central France.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Males look similar to southern damselfly males but can be told apart by the serrated hind edges of the eye-spots on the top of the head and by details of the abdominal markings. Females have darker abdomens with some blue on the front half of each segment; unlike brighter azure damselfly females, they have only a single forward-pointing black spine rather than three.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
Where do ornate bluets breed?
They breed in shallow, unshaded, slowly flowing streams and in agricultural ditches where the banks are regularly mowed.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell a male ornate bluet from a southern damselfly?
Look for the serrated hind edges of the eye-spots on the top of the head and the specific abdominal markings.
Source: Wikipedia
What is the size of an adult ornate bluet?
Adults are about 30 to 31 mm long with a wingspan of 17 to 24 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Coenagrionidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coenagrion_ornatum
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.