Resources for Children & Schools
Find out about our printed and online resources for children, including teaching packs for various Key Stages available freely for schools.
Dragonfly News
Published and distributed to members twice a year in Spring and Autumn, Dragonfly News includes a diverse mix of news and articles on the Society and dragonfly topics more generally. The focus is on dragonflies recorded in the UK and features include members photos and dragonfly stories, focuses on particular dragonfly sites and what to find there and features articles from members, experts and others active in the field of dragonflies, an extensive ‘Young Naturalist’ section aimed at younger Dragonfly fans, plus much more.
We welcome articles for inclusion in Dragonfly News. If you are interested in writing an article for our magazine, contact Lauren Kennedy – Engagement Officer.
Clicking a PDF link or picture on this page may, depending on the current settings of your device and web browser, (a) open it in the current or new tab or (b) open it in with a PDF Reader application or (c) download it as a file to your device.
BDS Journal
The highly respected Journal of the British Dragonfly Society is published and distributed to members twice a year. It contains articles relating to dragonflies and damselflies and their habitats, covering mainly the UK but also looking at European species where there is relevance to the UK. Articles are written by academics and amateurs and reviewed by experts prior to publication.
Articles for publication can be submitted by anyone and assistance can be provided to help a new author.
Articles for publication should be sent to the Editor:
P. J. Mill
8 Cookridge Grove
Leeds LS16 7LH
The following indexes, as PDF downloads, are available to locate a particular article:
A printed copy of a particular article can be obtained by application to our Conservation Officer. It will be provided free of charge to students. Others will be asked for a small donation to the Society to contribute to costs.
PDF scans of Journal back-issues are being progressively made available below. The list is incomplete and the scans of early issues are not at a high resolution, for which we apologise.
Books
We publish our own books and retail books from other recommended publishers in our online Shop. Take a look.
Red List
Current information on the status of UK species is available on our Species Checklist page. In April 2023 we are revising the UK Odonata Red List, a listing of those species requiring special protection or conservation measures. The Red List document will be available here after release.
State of Dragonflies 2021
This report outlines changes in species occupancy across Britain and Ireland over the past 50 years, including key species increases and decreases, and discusses potential causes of the observed trends.
For further information and detailed links please see the full State of Dragonflies 2021 page.
Darter Magazine
Darter Magazine, our annual update for recorders, was published separately up to 2020 and then merged into Dragonfly News. The annual Reports by County Dragonfly Recorders are now online-only.
Title Image: Male Small Red Damselfly by Hennie Cuper