Download “Dragonflies in Devon” by Dave Smallshire
Dave Smallshire, veteran County Dragonfly Recorder for Devon, has released a guide to the county’s Dragonflies, which you can download here, or from the Devon BDS page. The publication provides…
‘Ecological vandalism’ on the River Lugg
A mile of the River Lugg, near Kingsland, has been illegal bulldozed and straightened while the surrounding trees have been cut down. The River Lugg is designated a SSSI, site…
Pesticide Pollution from Pet Flea Treatment Aquatic Invertebrates
A recent study from the University of Sussex found fipronil, a chemical mostly widely used in pet flea treatment, in 99% of a near 400000 water samples taken from 20…
Pesticides from salad crops polluting Southern Damselfly chalk streams
The Guardian has reported that a watercress plant run by Bakkavor is due to close at the end of this month after environmentalists from the Salmon & Trout Conservation Trust…
Fifth edition of Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO) released
“Humanity stands at a crossroads with regard to the legacy it leaves to future generations. Biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented rate, and the pressures driving this decline are…
Southern Damselflies found at new sites in Pembrokeshire
A £19,000 grant from Natural Resources Wales has resulted in the enhancement of over 100 sites in Pembrokeshire. Following habitat management work, surveyors identified Southern Damselflies (Coenagrion mercuriale) at seven…
Most of England’s rivers polluted, reports EA
According to the most recent figures from the Environment Agency 86% of rivers in England are failing to meet ecological standards. While conditions have improved since the 1990s the report…
Dragonfly named after BDS County Dragonfly Recorder Bill Budd
Megalogomphus buddi: a Bornean species that breeds in fast flowing forest streams. Until recently it was treated as one and the same as Megalogomphus sumatranus; however, a recent taxonomic review by…
A Pond in Every Prison
The Ministry of Justice Ecology Team are running a scheme to get a pond in every prison to help you enhance the sites for wildlife. A wildlife pond is one…
Dragonfly gynandromorphs
Gynandromorphism is a rare condition that causes an organism to develop both male and female characteristics. This is most conspicuous when the gynandromorphism is bilateral- the organism has male characteristics…