Nature Discovery Week
Head outside with your class and explore with one or more of the National Education Nature Park’s nature surveys. Count pollinators, record grassland plants or observe species with iNaturalist. Every observation your learners make builds a national picture of nature across school grounds, which until now has been a bit of a mystery. This picture is vital information — it allows you to make the most of your outdoor space by making evidence-based decisions, while working with Natural History Museum scientists to conduct groundbreaking research into nature recovery.
Plus, this isn’t a one-off. You can do the same surveys year after year and watch the story unfold, seeing first-hand how your efforts through the Nature Park are transforming local wildlife, and tracking your setting’s impact alongside schools across England.
Nature Discovery Week is a chance to be part of something bigger. Together, schools, nurseries and colleges across England have the power to make a real, measurable difference to our planet, and it all starts with stepping outside. We’ve also got some special digital badges you can download for each survey that you do during the week!
Insect Week 2026 is set to be the biggest yet!
RES will be delivering a vibrant programme of free public activities led by leading entomologists, educators, museums, universities and conservation organisations.
From 22–28 June, they’ll be bringing free, hands-on insect science to communities across five city hubs, helping thousands of people take part in educational activities, resources and events across the UK and ROI to help children and young people access entomology in a real way, and discover the incredible diversity, beauty and importance of insects.
Celebrate Dragonfly Day at WWT Steart Marshes and explore this nationally recognised Dragonfly Hotspot through a full day of free family-friendly activities, expert talks, guided walks, creative workshops and wildlife discovery. Highlights include dragonfly talks and walks with expert Jon Van Gowler, a saltmarsh rap workshop with nature rapper Martin Shiells, willow dragonfly weaving, pond dipping, bug hunts, print-making, origami and more. Visitors can also meet local wildlife organisations, browse dragonfly jewellery and enjoy food from Lin Pop’s café. All workshops are free, with donations welcome to support the reserve.
Full details and booking links can be found here: https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/steart-marshes/whats-on/events/dragonfly-day-25
What to expect:
Wales Nature Week makes it easy for everyone to get involved – however you choose
You could:
- Host your own event or activity
- Join something happening near you
- Explore your local area
- Write a poem or get creative
- Or simply pause, look again, and notice the nature in everyday life.
Be part of it:
Why not host your own event and help Wales celebrate?
Or spread the word and share what nature means to you using #WalesNatureWeek
Full details and resources
Ruary Mackenzie Dodds tells the story of a surprising insect, the Bush Giant Dragonfly.
Of the close to 6,500 worldwide species of Odonata, only 10 spend their larval life in burrows. The rest live in open water. Since 2018, Ruary and his partner Kari de Koenigswarter have been studying the nocturnal behaviour of one of these burrow-dwellers, New Zealand’s Bush Giant, Uropetala carovei. Bush Giants live in ‘colonies’, i.e. clustered groups of self-excavated burrows, located in seepages usually found beside small steeply-sloping watercourses.
Our work has involved the setting up of continuously-running night vision cameras at a site high in the bush above a Wellington suburb, about 22 miles from our base. We’ve learned that Bush Giants don’t go hunting, they lurk at the tops of their burrows catching prey with their labial masks, which they also use as shovels. They come and go exactly with the dusk and the dawn. They are super-sensitive about possible predators. When it’s time for them to transform into adults, they take eight hours to do so. This and many more stories about these fascinating dragonflies!
Ruary Mackenzie Dodds is obsessed with dragonflies. Together with his partner Kari de Koenigswarter and a group of volunteers he set up three major dragonfly awareness-raising iniatives in the UK.
Ruary and Kari now spend most of their time in New Zealand. They have given dragonfly talks/demonstrations to many Kiwi audiences, including the Zealandia Eco-Sanctuary, where they run upskilling courses for volunteers and staff. Ruary also carries out dragonfly survey and consultancy work for the Greater Wellington Regional Council.
An opportunity to see the recently discovered Southern Emerald Damselflies in Cornwall and to help monitor their range across the dune complex in this restricted access area. Moving on to other sites afterwards.
An opportunity to see the Scarce Blue-tailed Damselflies, Small Red Damselflies and 16 other species that have made the Red River Valley Local Nature Reserve at Great Wheal Seton, Rosewarne Mill and Bell Lake Marsh their home.
Image: Scarce Blue-tailed by Steve Jones
Join us at Dragonfly Hotspot RSPB Campfield Marsh for a dragonfly walk to celebrate dragonfly week.
Campfield Marsh is an excellent regional site for Odonata and, due to the wide variety of habitats, has good numbers of nationally declining species. The large pond and avenue near the visitor centre have proved to be good for Emperor Dragonfly and Migrant Hawkers, recent arrivals in North Cumbria. The peatbog habitat is naturally the place to encounter the Common Hawker, Black Darter and Emerald Damselfly.
This reserve is also the site of an exciting White-faced Darter introduction project!
Free to attend, email to book your place:
Meet the British Dragonfly Society, The Severn Rivers Trust, Shropshire Wildlife Trust, Attingham’s Nature Recovery Team and others, who will all be providing a range of activities over the weekend.
Visitors will be able to take part in a range of activities from guided walks, to water beastie spotting, and arts and crafts, all around the theme of rivers, ponds and the wildlife that inhabit them. Some events over the weekend are drop- in, some are pre-booked in advance, please see individual events listings for more information.
There is no additional charge for events and activities. Admission is free for National Trust members and under 5s, standard admission charges apply for non members.
The extent and rate of insect declines are much discussed, and with the recent Call for Evidence on veterinary medicines containing fipronil or imidacloprid making global headlines, this talk is highly relevant and not one to miss.
Dave will focus on one driver of insect declines – our use of pesticides. He will highlight the global extent of pesticide use, but with a particular focus on use in gardens and as flea and tick treatments on domestic pets. He will explain the latest evidence that these uses are resulting in widespread contamination of rivers with potent insecticides.
The talk will be chaired by one of the RES Trustees or Events Committee.
A Dragonfly Hotspot event: a chance to see the species of mid-summer, including both red-eyed damselflies, Emerald Damselfly and skimmers.
Two walks: 10am – 1pm and 1:30pm – 4:30pm
Booking not necessary.
Image: Small Red-eyed Damselfly by Dave Smallshire
A chance to see early emergers such as Hairy Dragonfly, Downy Emerald and Scarce Chaser, and to describe how visitors can gain access to closed-off areas in order to record dragonflies.
Booking not necessary.
Image: Hairy Dragonfly by Dave Smallshire
Guided Dragonfly walk at Emberton Country Park, Bucks.
Meet at 10.30am for an 11am start, for a dragonfly walk that will run until 2pm.
This training is for those booked on the 9th & 16th of June.
This training course is for volunteers already booked on the 10th & 15th of May.
This training course is for volunteers already booked on the 3rd and 5th of May at Flanders Moss.
Morning walk (approx. 3 hours) to look for a broad range of dragonfly species, including Norfolk Hawker and Variable Damselfly.
Leader / contact: Dr Pam Taylor – Norfolk Dragonfly Recorder
Email:Â to book or phone 01493 509596
Meet: 10.00am at Upton Fen car park, TG379136. Postcode NR13 6EQ (Low Road).
From Acle, Norwich or Wroxham head towards South Walsham, then follow signs for Pilson Green. Local public transport services are limited. The nearest train station is Acle (3.5 miles).
Image: Norfolk Hawker by Pam Taylor
Connecting evidence and communities for smarter land and water management
As part of its commitment to creating rivers fit for the future, The Rivers Trust has been at the forefront of driving forward a Catchment-Based Approach. Working in partnership with local Trusts, authorities, charities, land managers and user groups, we are transforming how rivers are managed.
There is a growing recognition of the benefits of a catchment approach across the UK and Ireland – from an environmental, economic and political perspective. We want to share our learnings to build on this to benefit even more rivers and the communities that rely on them.
Issues like flooding, pollution, water scarcity, and biodiversity loss can be only tackled effectively if rivers are treated in tandem with the catchments that feed them. Similarly, our land is better placed to meet food needs, provide healthy habitat for wildlife, and contribute to a sustainable economy if the surrounding water environment is healthy. In order to make that happen, and we must ensure that the right actions are being taken in the right places.
2026 should see key pieces of water-related policy and legislation progressed that could be transformative for rivers. It is vital that delivery on the ground is rooted in robust data and evidence and carried out in partnership with communities. We need to treat water as the precious natural resource it is, nurturing landscapes that embrace water and make space for it. From our data-driven public campaigns to our innovative approach to funding nature-based solutions, these key elements all align with the work and values of the Rivers Trust Movement, and we’ll be unpacking how to get them right in our free, online, 2026 Annual Conference.
We’re putting together an engaging programme featuring keynote speakers, thought-provoking panel discussions, and inspiring case studies. You can expect to hear a range of voices from the Rivers Trust Movement, the wider environmental sector, technical experts, industry, landowners, governance, and campaigners. Register now to join the conversation.
Joint meeting with Freshwater Habitats Trust to explore the numerous ponds of the Military Training Area. An FHT Flagship Ponds site, to date 19 species of Odonata have been recorded. We will be looking for Common Hawker and Black Darter in particular.
Leaders – Keith Gittens, Anne Carter
Image: Common Hawker by Dave Smallshire
Joint meeting with Freshwater Habitats Trust to explore some newly created ponds at this heathland nature reserve. An FHT Flagship Ponds site, we will also be searching for Common Hawker and Black Darter.
Leaders – Keith Gittens, Anne Carter
Image by Iain Leach
Joint meeting with Yoredale Natural History Society. Some 15 species of Odonata have been recorded at this restored quarry site and many of these should be on the wing in July. We will be on the lookout for Small Red-eyed Damselfly, which has yet to be recorded at the site.
Leader – Keith Gittens
Image: Small Red-eyed Damselfly by Bruce Hyde
An opportunity to explore the New Earswick Nature Reserve, a former clay pit that now hosts wetlands supporting a wealth of bird and insect life.
Image: Southern Hawker by Bruce Hyde.
Sharing our outdoor spaces with nature brings us joy, improves wellbeing and provides critical habitat and resources for wildlife. It’s easy to create a haven for biodiversity, whatever size your space.
We will be joined, for this specail weekend, by a number of local wildlife organisations to talk about their work and provide useful information.
There will also be garden walks exploring the extensive and diverse species found at Harlow Carr
Bird walks at 10am and 1pm – meet at the bottom of main steps.
Butterfly walks at 12 noon each day.
Childrens activities during the event.
Saturday : Pond dipping – Teaching garden – 10am to 3pm
Sunday: Making seed bombs – Teaching garden – 10am to 3pm
Image: Emperor Dragonfly by Dave Smallshire
How do we think about succession planning for a new generation of nature lovers? What are the entry points into nature-based activities and the potential for future employment opportunities?
With this conference, we will look at ongoing youth investment in nature, ways of combatting eco anxiety and the development of citizen science.
Free event but donations of £20 will cover our costs and be much appreciated.
More information to come.
The UK’s popular insect citizen science survey is back – bigger, earlier and bolder than ever. Bugs Matter the bug-splat-counting survey, organised by Buglife and Kent Wildlife Trust, launches on Wednesday 1 April and runs through to Wednesday 30 September. That’s a full month earlier than previous years, timed to coincide with Citizen Science Month and tocapture precious early-season data.
Twice a year, we run a Big River Watch, and the next one will take place between 24th and 30th April 2026. Anyone can take part in these week-long citizen science surveys that help to build an important picture of river health across the UK and Ireland.
Our rivers are far from healthy. They’re polluted with sewage, plastic, chemicals and nutrients, and just 15% of river stretches in England are in good overall health.
To restore them, we need more information about how they’re doing. You can help us identify and locate the problems. With the Big River Watch app, you can help us identify the issues, which help us influence policymakers and hold polluters to account.
Image by Neil Howard
A joint meeting of BDS Hants, Surrey, Berkshire Group with Butterfly Conservation, Surrey branch, led by Francis Kelly, an expert in both.
Wildwood is an abandoned golf course with numerous “water features”. 24 species of Odonata have been recorded across 18+ ponds. Also look out for the very rare Brown Hairstreak butterfly.
A return visit following last years’ trip during dull weather, to further explore the various habitats at this wetland complex. Previous records for July include a good range of species, with the possibility of Lesser Emperor.
Wellies or waterproof footwear recommended for the cattle-grazed marsh in the morning, then an afternoon look at the open water on nearby Spynes Mere.
A joint meeting of BDS Hants, Surrey, Berkshire Group with Butterfly Conservation, Surrey branch.
In 2025 we saw mating Scarce Chaser there for the first time. Also: Hairy Dragonfly, Downy Emerald on Wey/Arun Canal; spring Skippers.
Afternoon carshare to Oaken Wood for Wood White butterfly.