Dancing Jewel Platycypha caligata

The 'dancing jewel' truly earns both parts of its name: a shimmering metallic jewel with an erratic, bouncing flight that catches the eye. Members of the Chlorocyphidae family, these damselflies display iridescent blues and greens that flash like living gemstones in forest light. They're specialists of shady forest streams and rivers where the canopy filters sunlight down to dappled patterns.

Found across Africa from Ethiopia to South Africa, they prefer the cool depths of woodland and savanna streams, making them elusive treasures for patient observers who venture into their humid, shadowy habitats.