Emerald Damselfly

A damselfly characterized by its half-open wings and emerald green color

I used to think that damselflies always folded their wings neatly when they landed, but the emerald damselfly is different. It doesn't spread them straight out to the sides like a large dragonfly, nor does it fold them neatly; its wings remain half-open. There is also a gap between the forewings and hindwings.

The emerald damselfly is beautiful, with a flowing, metallic, emerald green luster that runs from its eyes to its thorax and abdomen. If you look closely, there are also non-lustrous orange parts, and the contrast between the colors and textures is stunning.

2025 was the first time I saw an emerald damselfly on the Arakawa riverbed. The location was near Matsushima in Edogawa Ward, along the middle embankment. In recent years, several large ponds have been created in this area as part of flood control projects. Perhaps the emerald damselfly has taken a liking to these large, still bodies of water.

Not only the emerald damselfly, but at the same time, many butterfly dragonflies have also started to appear. There are also other types of dragonflies that I haven't seen in this area before. Could this area become a bit of a sanctuary for dragonfly observation in the future?

• Emerald Damselfly / Lestes sponsa

• Header image: June 15, 2025, Arakawa Riverbed (near Matsushima)

For the bodice of the jacket, I used silk taffeta that changes expression from green to blue depending on the angle of light, and a jacquard fabric woven with special foil threads that have a metallic shine. This expresses the hard beauty of the emerald damselfly's thorax. From the back to the waist, I built a frame with jet-black ultra-fine wire and placed a half-open cape made of ultra-lightweight gradient organza over it. Every time the wearer walks, it catches the wind and vibrates beautifully, just like the wings of an emerald damselfly. On the hem of the dress and the side panels, I placed fine matte white pearl beads with subdued luster and chalk-white embroidery in a gradient. I expressed the mature bloom that seems to well up from within the metallic shine with a raw touch created by hand embroidery. Around the neck, I added a slender black titanium oxide choker that reinterprets the thorns on the legs of the emerald damselfly, featuring sharp yet delicate lines.

• Image generated with Gemini 3.1 Flash Image (Nano Banana 2).