Hopes flying high for seeing rare dragonflies in north Cumbria
An exciting conservation project is introducing one of Britain’s rarest dragonflies to Drumburgh Moss. The white-faced darter, a small, dark dragonfly with a distinctive white head, is currently only found in a handful of sites across England. Cumbria Wildlife Trust, the British Dragonfly Society and Natural England have launched a programme to introduce this rare species at Drumburgh Moss National … Continued
Assistance Needed with Specimen Collection for Portuguese Research Project
Ricardo Bessa is needs the help of British entomologists to complete his PhD at the Research Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, in Portugal. The objective of his PhD is to explore the bactericidal properties of insect wings’ nanotopographies from a broad range of insect species and attempt to synthetically replicate those structures. This work builds … Continued
Distribution trends of European dragonflies under climate change
A new study by Tim Termatt et al examines shifts in dragonfly species distribution across Europe in response to a warming climate. Data from a total of 10 European regions and 99 species were studied and compared to changes in climate over recent decades. The results indicate that European dragonfly species are showing an overall … Continued
Clubtail Count
You can now view the full report of the 2018 Clubtail Count results. Thank you to all the volunteers who dedicated their weekends to scour their local rivers for emerging Common Clubtail Dragonflies. The Clubtail Count project will run for its 3rd year this summer (May-July) and will again be focusing on the following Rivers: Dee, Severn, … Continued
“The last man standing” – a possible new taxonomic entity for European Odonata
Article by Milen Marinov and Nurten Hacet of Trakya University, Turkey Dragonflies and Damselflies of Europe have been so thoroughly investigated that the young students in this insect group are left with hardly anything new to describe from the old continent. In the hunt for more taxonomic puzzles our team challenged one of the prettiest of … Continued
Global collapse of insect populations
The Guardian has covered on a new data study reporting that global insect total mass declines by a staggering 2.5% a year. The study also claims that 40% of insect species are declining, and a third are categorised as endangered. All ecosystems rely on insects, the most diverse and abundant group of animals on the … Continued
A big thank you to our Fundraising Officer
We are sad to announce that our Fundraising Officer Sarah Miller has left the BDS after two years in her role. During that time she did an amazing job of gaining numerous grants for the BDS allowing us to expand our operations, including hiring a Conservation Outreach Officer and starting new projects like the England … Continued
Willow Emerald Watch Update
Thanks to the efforts of our volunteer dragonfly recorders, we have been able to closely following the spread and colonisation of the Willow Emerald Damselfly since those first mass sightings in 2009. The 2018 dragonfly season saw many important new records of the Willow Emerald Damselfly, and there was a clear consolidation of populations near the … Continued
BDS Spring Meeting
Join the BDS for a full day of dragonfly talks at Knutsford Methodist Church in Knutsford, Cheshire, on 30th March 2019! Guest speakers include. . . The Butterfly Brothers, Hazelwood Landscapes With their multiple Birdfair awards (including Commercial First 2019) this family team are experts in making gardens havens for wildlife. Watch them talking with dragonfly guru Ruary Mackenzie Dodds, and subscribe … Continued
The Impact of Heatwaves
New research from the University of East Anglia provides insight into how climate change is impacting insect populations. The research team exposed Red Flour Beetles (Tribolium castaneum) to simulated heatwave conditions, in a lab, to explore the impact on male reproduction. While female fertility was unaffected, heatwaves halved the amount of offspring males could produce, and a second … Continued