RESTORE NATURE NOW – Rally 28/9/23
The peaceful Restore Nature Now demonstration will be taking place in London, Bristol, Newcastle, Reading and York on 28/9/23. Like many other conservation organisations, the BDS has become increasingly concerned about the dilution of environmental legislation in the UK and the slowdown of progress toward achieving Net Zero. The Restore Nature Now rallies provide an opportunity for…
Register as a volunteer
We are calling for all new and existing volunteers to register via this quick online form: click here. Registering as a volunteer will help us contact you regarding important updates and new opportunities. It will also allow the BDS to track your activities and celebrate your achievements. Image by Daniele Muir
What to look out for in Early August
Most of our damselfly species will be past their peak in terms of numbers, although the majority will still be found, albeit in smaller numbers. However, August is when two of our damselfly species will be reaching their peak. The first is Small Red-eyed Damselfly, which first occurred in Britain in 1999 and is now…
Introduction to the National Dragonfly Recording Scheme
New to dragonfly recording? The entoLIVE blog for the DragonflyWatch: The National Dragonfly Recording Scheme entoLIVE webinar is now live via the link below. The blog includes a recording of the presentation as well as a transcription of the Q&A with Ellie Colver, BDS Conservation Officer, a list of literature references and any relevant useful links.…
Photographing Dragonflies – top tips by a County Dragonfly Recorder
Written by Marc Heath (Kent County Dragonfly Recorder) For over ten years, I have been photographing the dragonflies and damselflies that live in the UK and have been proud to have had a number published in national magazines and identification guides. Whilst anyone can capture photos of these fascinating insects there are a number of…
Dragonfly Week started this weekend! How to take part. . .
#DragonflyWeek23 runs from Saturday 1 July to Sunday 9 July. Across the UK the BDS and volunteers will be hosting events to celebrate the wonders of dragonflies. We encorage our conservation partners to take part as the event is a great oppotunity to promote the value of wetlands, top dragonflies nature reserves and public involvement…
Pond Ponderings – An Emerging Story!
By Alison and Marc Dilnutt We started off with a very small pond about six years ago then in lockdown we went crazy and hand-dug our current pond. It’s about a sixth of our garden now and we love it. When we dug the new one, we decanted all the water from our old one and kept…
Free garden packages for community groups in Wales
The Local Places for Nature project is back and here to help you create a green haven for your local community and wildlife – including dragonflies! Hundreds of free packages are available to community groups and organisations to support thier garden projects, from orchards to large scale makeovers. Find out more and how to apply…
Pond Ponderings – The Bigger the Better
Pond Creation by Susan Payne We moved into our new home 2 years ago, moving from a city centre to the countryside. It is a big plot but the previous owners had simply kept a large rectangle of grass, closely mown with no plants at all. I knew one of the first things I wanted…
Pond Ponderings – A Boat for Wildlife
My Rowing Boat Pond – Sherryl Walters When we moved to the south coast just before Lockdown 1 we knew we wanted a wildlife garden with a water feature. To enable this, when we moved in, we took away a hedge of viburnum to open up the garden to more light. Being near the coast…