Dragonfly Week 2025
Join us in celebrating Dragonflies across Britain!
During Dragonfly Week the BDS and other wildlife organisations host events celebrating Dragonflies and the importance of their wetland habitat.
Dragonfly Week events will be listed on the BDS Event page.
Resources will be made available via the Dragonfly Week page.
If you are considering delving into the identification of dragonfly and damselfly larvae or exuviae in the UK, then this intermediate course is ideal for you!
Through a combination of taught classroom content, lab-based workshop and outdoor fieldwork, you will gain confidence in using the identification guide to identify dragonfly and damselfly larvae and exuviae.
This course will include:
- A description of the lifecycle of dragonflies and damselflies explaining the role of larvae and an explanation of exuviae
- The external (morphological) features used in larvae and exuviae identification
- Practical experience using the ‘Field Guide to the Larvae and Exuviae of British Dragonflies’ by Steve Cham to determine specimens accurately to species level
- Practical experience observing larvae and exuviae ID features using a microscope
- A description of the lifecycle of dragon and damselflies explaining the role of larvae and an explanation of exuviae
- The external (morphological) features used in larvae and exuviae identification
- Practical experience using the ‘Field Guide to the Larvae and Exuviae of British Dragonflies’ by Steve Cham to determine specimens accurately to species level
- Practical experience observing larvae and exuviae ID features using a microscope
- Guidance on how to take your interest further and contribute to the British Dragonfly Society Recording Scheme, and therefore the conservation of dragonflies and damselflies
There are two walks on this day:
Morning: 10:30-13:00 Book here
Afternoon: 14:00-16:30 Book here
£5 per person (kids go free); bring on the day.
These are joint walks between Natural England and the British Dragonfly Society.
This guided walk will introduce you to the rare quaking bog habitat and the endangered White-faced Darters that live there.
Meeting/ parking place: Grid reference: SK 02219 28970. Meeting point is on A518 Stafford to Uttoxeter road, 4 miles west of Uttoxeter and 7 miles east of Stafford. Approaching from the Stafford direction, please park on the wide grassy road verge 1 mile beyond Chartley castle. Approaching from Uttoxeter the meeting point is 0.3 miles past the timber yard/ former filling station. A useful landmark at the meeting point is a tarmac farm drive with green iron gateposts and a number of copper beech trees. Please be extremely careful when parking, this is a very fast and dangerous stretch of road.
Image by L.B. Tettenborn