Watch Annual Meeting Talks on Youtube
Didn’t get a chance to join this year’s BDS Annual Meeting? Don’t worry- you can watch all the presentations on our Youtube page here. Image: Variable Damselflies by Keith Noble
Become a Trustee!
The British Dragonfly Society (BDS) is the world’s largest organisation dedicated to the conservation of dragonflies and their wetland habitats. We are looking for Trustees with a range of experience, time and energy to join our Board. What will you be doing? Participate in meetings and contribute to the Board of Trustees in their…
In-depth Identification Feature – Large Red Damselflies by John Curd
Now that Large Red Damselflies are starting to emerge we thought it was a good time to delve into an in-depth identification feature on this species. John Curd has kindly written this feature and put together some useful photo guides too: Anticipating Large Reds, by John Curd It’s the same every year: as…
Pond Ponderings – from a NEW writer, Gareth Harbottle in Newark, Nottinghamshire
Transition to Wildlife Friendly Gardening I’ve enjoyed gardening since starting with some containers around 15 years ago. I always craved some kind of theme though, an overall objective or colour scheme or whatever, but could never settle on one. Around 2017 though the moment of inspiration came whilst watching damselflies near the confluence of the…
Pond Ponderings From The South Coast of England
We would like to introduce our newest ‘Pond Ponderer’ Daniel Peart: “I live in Gosport, Hampshire on the South Coast and we added a small wildlife pond last summer in our garden. Within days I was amazed to see how much wildlife soon took advantage of it; from birds to foxes, bees and dragonflies…
Help to End the Retail Sale of Peat in Horticulture
The Government has launched a consultation on the subject of ending the retail sale of peat in horticulture. Please take a few minutes to have your say on this important issue. There is no need for peat-based compost to be used when perfectly good alternatives exist. Peatlands are biodiverse habitats that support rare species like…
Dragonflies & Damselflies of Britain and Ireland Field Guide available as Apple App
An updated version of NatureGuides Ltd. Dragonflies & Damselflies of Britain and Ireland Field Guide is now available to download for £9.99 from the Apple app store. If you have the original version downloaded, it is available as a free update. The download features. . . A comprehensive field guide to the dragonflies and damselflies…
Dragonflies disappear around the world as wetlands are lost
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has conducted its first ever global Red List assessment of Odonata (dragonflies). The study concluded that 16% of 6,016 species assessed are at risk of extinction. The species’ decline correlates to the deterioration and destruction of their wetland breeding habitats. Habitat loss, in many countries, is linked to…
The National Forest for Wales
National Forest for Wales is a unique project aiming to create a nationwide network of publically accessible woodlands and forests. This will including creating new woodlands, as well as restoring existing ones, for the benefit of wildlife and the wellbeing of communities. You can become part of the project and receive a free native tree…
Q&A with Dr Matt Geary
We hope you all enjoyed our Annual meeting on 27 November. Attendees had lots of questions for speaker Dr Matt Geary on his talk about White-faced Darter genetics. Here are his answers. . . Caroline: Re low recapture rate – could they have just flown elsewhere/dispersed rather than not survived? Or do they tend…