We’re making new dragonfly homes
These beautiful insects may not be as familiar as they once were, but it’s not too late.
Our teams of rangers and volunteers are working hard to reverse their decline, by monitoring colonies and caring for the habitats they live in.
They are also creating new dragonfly and damselfly habitats. At Lavington Common, our heathland ‘scrapes’ of shallow water are visited by acid-loving species like the golden ringed dragonfly.
New ponds at Sissinghurst Castle Garden welcome the scarce emerald, and at Black Down rangers have cleared trees from a pond to increase light levels and pond-side vegetation.
The South Downs Dragonfly League
There’s some friendly competition too in the South Downs Dragonfly League.
The league was set up by Trust volunteer and dragonfly expert John Luck, and currently operates in Kent, Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire.