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 reveals that we are completely off track to meet the 2027 target of having 100% healthy waters. The three main culprits behind our polluted rivers…
Pond Ponderings – from St. Andrew’s House in Exmouth
Our newest Pond Ponderings writer is Richard Spencer, who has worked on a fantastic pond project for the benefit of both people and dragonflies in Exmouth: “St. Andrew’s House is a residential project in Exmouth for adults with a history of mental health problems, run by SAHA (Salvation Army Housing Association). Being a converted…
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 Dow and Price (2020)1 M. buddi as a novel species based on variations in accessory genitalia. This new species is named after Bill Budd, in…
Pond Ponderings: First Summer of a Raised Suburban Pond in Worcestershire
We are delighted to welcome a new Pond Ponderings writer, Grace Wright from Worcestershire: A sunny afternoon spent at the RSPB Minsmere Reserve in Suffolk several summers ago first sparked my interest in dragonflies. After a few lazy hours watching these brightly coloured creatures skimming over pond surfaces, my fiancé George and…
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 of the single best features for attracting new wildlife to a prison. By creating ponds and wetland areas – no matter how small – you’re…
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 on one side of its body and female characteristics on the other. However, this is not always the case and the characteristics can be more…
Pond Ponderings: Update From Dan Brawn’s Impressive Emperor Pond in Felixstowe, Suffolk.
My previous blog described the emergence in spring 2019 of twelve Emperors after one year as larvae. On the 31st May this year 2020, I noticed seven Emperor exuvia which came as a surprise as I had not spotted or fished out any Emperor larvae during pondweed maintenance since last spring. That same evening in the fading…
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…
Pond Ponderings – East London Wildlife Pond
We are delighted to introduce a new Pond Ponderings writer, Lucy Colclough (also known as quest.for.nectar). Lucy is based in East London and is a writer who loves sharing her passion for nature. Lucy is also helping us to bring ponds to the nation online this weekend, 20th and 21st June, through our #PondWatch campaign…
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…