NEW Garden Dragonflies Summer Video Guides

We’ve teamed up with super talented video editor and self-confessed ‘dragonfly obsessed’ Laura from the Wildlife Garden Project to make another set of video guides. Earlier in the year, we worked together to produce a guide to garden dragonflies in the spring and now we’ve followed this up with a summer version. Our video guides…

Membership News 2024

A Note from the Membership Office As we look forward to the new dragonfly season, it is also the time of year for your membership renewal of the BDS. BDS subscription fees have remained constant for over a decade. However, due to the increasing costs, adjustments are now necessary in order for us to continue…

Free garden packages for community groups in Wales

The Local Places for Nature project is back and here to help you create a green haven for your local community and wildlife – including dragonflies! Hundreds of free packages are available to community groups and organisations to support thier garden projects, from orchards to large scale makeovers. Find out more and how to apply…

Meet our new Operations Officer Jess Slight

Jess is taking over the membership and administration at the BDS. Here is what she has to say about her journey to the BDS. . . “Nature and the world around us has always offered huge inspiration and joy to me. I spend as much time as I possibly can outdoors, walking and swimming. It…

Calling all BDS Volunteers!

We have a request to make to all of our existing volunteers. We now have a brand new database, or CRM, in which to store all of your data that is relevant to your volunteering with the BDS. Having all of this information in one place will enable us to filter information ensuring that you only…

New Damselfly sharing habitat with UK natives

A Damselfly species that came to the UK from Europe poses a minimal risk to native Damselflies and Dragonflies, new research shows. As tens of thousands of species shift their “range” (the areas they live in) due to climate change, the Small Red-eyed Damselfly has spread northwards from the Mediterranean. It was first observed in…

Dragonfly Hotspot: Exbury Gardens update – by Juliet Bloss

Located in the beautiful New Forest, Exbury Gardens is one of our most well-visited Dragonfly Hotspots. Juliet Bloss, dedicated Exbury volunteer and wildlife enthusiast, gives her account of this year’s recording activities and a detailed account of the best spots to go Dragonfly watching. Exbury Gardens was recently designated by the British Dragonfly Society (BDS)…

BDS featured in Countryside Jobs Service Focus Article

Our Conservation Officer highlights the joys of working for the BDS and the fantastic work our volunteers achieve in the latest CJS Focus Article on Working with Wildlife. Countryside Jobs Service is the leading provider of vacancies and career development opportunities within the conservation sector in the country. You can read the full article and…

New bill in Wales to ban single use plastic

Reducing the production and use of plastics is a key priority for reducing the consumption of fossil fuels and fighting climate change. The new Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Bill will make it an offence to supply certain single-use plastic products in Wales, such as single-use plastic bags. Julie James, the Minister for Climate…

How and why to record dragonflies in August

Many dragonflies and damselflies are on the wing at this time of year. BTO’s Rob Jaques writes about watching, recording, and supporting these beautiful insects. Read the full article here. Remember to submit all your records to iRecord.   Image: Emerald Damselflies by Dave Smallshire