England’s 12th Dragonfly Hotspot Designated in Cumbria
26/06/2025
RSPB Campfield Marsh has officially become a British Dragonfly Society ‘Dragonfly Hotspot’, marking the beginning of a new partnership to protect the dragonflies of the Solway coast.
The British Dragonfly Society, in partnership with the RSPB, is pleased to announce that RSPB Campfield Marsh has been officially designated as a Dragonfly Hotspot this week. This national recognition highlights the importance of the site’s wetland habitat for rare and threatened dragonflies, and its commitment to community engagement and conservation.
Dragonfly Hotspots are special sites that are chosen by the British Dragonfly Society to celebrate beauty and value of dragonflies and their wetlands. Campfield Marsh reserve contains areas of bog, which collect and store vast quantities of carbon in the form of peat, partially decayed and compressed plant material, an important asset in the fight against climate change. Peat bogs are also home to some of our rarest and most threatened species, including two of the fastest declining dragonflies in England: the Black Darter and Common Hawker.
The site has also recently become home to one of England’s rarest dragonflies, the White-faced Darter, as the result of an introduction project run in partnership between the RSPB, the British Dragonfly Society, Natural England and Cumbria Wildlife Trust.
The British Dragonfly Society’s Conservation Officer Eleanor Colver explains: ‘Due to habitat loss, the White-faced Darter is now limited to a handful of sites in England, making it vulnerable to extinction. However, thanks to the amazing habitat management work of the RSPB, the peat wetland at Campfield Marsh, with its deep bog pools, should provide the perfect conditions for the species to thrive.
As Hotspot partners the British Dragonfly Society will be working with RSPB Campfield Marsh to provide visitors with the opportunity to become immersed in the world of dragonflies, learn about their conservation, and- hopefully soon- see one of our rarest and most charismatic species.’
Mhairi Maclauchlan, Reserve Manager at RSPB Campfield Marsh, said, “We’re delighted to become England’s 12th dragonfly hotspot, in this beautiful and hidden corner of Cumbria. Our teams have been carefully restoring the wetland habitat here, ensuring the right balance of Sphagnum-rich pools, to enable dragonflies to flourish here. If this year’s translocation (in April) of the White-faced Darter is successful, we could see adults emerging next spring and we hope to see this area alive with this species of dragonfly in the coming years.”
To mark the dragonfly hotspot project launch, a celebration event will be held on Saturday 5 July 2025, from 10:00am to 4:00pm at the RSPB Campfield Marsh nature reserve near Bowness-on-Solway, Cumbria (CA7 5AG). The celebration will include: guided dragonfly walks, pond dipping and the unveiling of a new Dragonfly Hotspot interpretation board at the reserve open day.
For more information on the launch event: https://british-dragonflies.org.uk/event/campfield-launch/
Image Credit: David Turrell