Order your guide to London’s dragonflies and damselflies
London Wildlife Trust is pleased to announce that the first guide to the capital’s dragonflies, titled Today I saw a demoiselle; Dragonflies and damselflies of London is now available! This guide is a result of four years of surveys and data collection, a huge joint effort of the project team and enthusiastic volunteers. Follow the link to read the…
Book Must Have: Europe’s Dragonflies
New book available in our shop now: Europe’s Dragonflies is a comprehensive, lavishly illustrated and beautifully designed photographic field guide to the damselflies and dragonflies of Europe. Written by two well-travelled experts, the book covers all 140 resident and vagrant species recorded, focussing on the field identification of adult insects. Concise species profiles highlight key…
Guide to Summer Garden Dragonflies
The dragonfly season is well under way so make sure you keep an eye out for insects visiting your garden. Here is a short guide to the species you can expect to see in June and July. Report a sighting Learn about gardening for dragonflies
Dragonfly Photo Library now available to download
Our photo library is now available to download directly from the resources section of this website. The library is intended for members of the public and professionals in need of photos to develop dragonfly-related educational resources. To view the library click here Image by Azri, Flickr
Free Climate Change Adaptation Manual for Land Managers
Our climate is changing rapidly and it is essential that the potential impacts are taken into account when developing management plans for reserves and other green spaces. To assist with this process Natural England and the RSPB have published an Adaption Manual which “support[s] practical and pragmatic decision-making, by bringing together recent science, experience and…
Global study finds insects in decline on land but recovering in water
The data from long term studies, carried out around the world, have been combined in the largest ever meta-analysis of insects abundance. On average land-dwelling insects were found to be decreasing by 0.92% every year. On the other hand, freshwater insects have been increasing in abundance by 1.08% per year. The study included data from…
White-legged Damselfly Investigation Spring 2020 report
The White-legged Damelfly flight season is almost upon us and the British Dragonfly Society is asking members of the public to keep an eye out for this charismatic insect as part of the White-legged Damselfly Investigation Project. With the assistance of County Dragonfly Recorders ecologists at the BDS have mapped the existing and historic White-legged…
Guide to Spring Garden Dragonflies
We are right at the beginning of the dragonfly season and spring species are starting to emerge. We have created a quick guide to dragonflies you can see on the wing in April and May. Have a go at spotting them in your garden or while you’re out doing your daily exercise. Report a…
New ‘super’ National Nature Reserve is super news for Southern Damselflies
Hartland Moor, a key site for Southern Damselflies in Dorset, is set to become part of the new Purbeck Heaths National Nature Reserve. The small, delicate Southern Damselfly (Coenagrion mercuriale) is the UK’s only legally protected species of Damselfly. The larvae of this species are only found in shallow unpolluted alkaline streams, a habitat that…
Dragonfly Champion Ruary on the trail of a ‘Flying Fossil’: the New Zealand Bush Giant!
Our very own Dragonfly Champion Ruary Mackenzie Dodds and his wife Kari de Koenigswarter have been searching through the wilds of New Zealand to study the mysterious Bush Giant Dragonfly! The pair had to install large security cameras into wild landscapes in order to film the burrow dwelling larvae of the Bush Giant. They also…