The Chaser is Scarce. Broad-bodied is scarce at Exminster Marshes!

Excellent early morning session Kent Wildlife Trust Oare Marshes where I found 5 DAINTY DAMSELFLY (1 male) and a few probably emerging and 15+ Scarce Emerald Damselfly. Photos to come in due coarse. British Dragonfly Society The British Nature Guide NatureUK BBC Springwatch Adrian Parr

Norfolk Hawker at Island Hide, Westhay Moor NNR, Somerset on 25 May 2024. Back of camera shot just received from Andy Swash! British Dragonfly Society

Also at Exminster Marshes some smart fresh Scarce Chasers (Libellula fulva) along the canal bank. Europe's Dragonflies (Dave Smallshire & Andy Swash, 2020) nicely describes the bell-shaped markings on the abdomen - a great book 👍

Still a couple of places available on one of my forthcoming Dragonfly tours. More info @ naturetrek.co.uk/tours/kents-dr… British Dragonfly Society Naturetrek

Happy World Bee Day, from this Ashy Mining Bee Andrena cineria.

Some days I have to pinch myself that I get to work at WWT London Wetland Centre and see this kind of thing on my break.

#worldbeeday #happyworldbeeday #savethebees

Saw 10 species of dragonflies in S Devon yesterday, inc exuviae (photos) of Hairy Dragonfly and Red-eyed Damselfly at Little Bradley Ponds DWT. At Stover CP: Downy Emerald, 4 Hairy (1 egg-laying (photo) and 3 exuviae) and 3 Red-eyed; Firecrest singing in car park.

Utterly mind-blowing.
Potentially the display of a lifetime with the entire sky filled with aurora, including to the south. Dartmoor, UK.

One of the worst things to ever happen to natural history is the production of these pointless identification apps. They are not solving a problem (nature was always there for all), they are creating one (by inhibiting learning). Get a field guide and learn something yourself!

Let the dandelions grow! They support over 50 insects species, and are a great early season food source for pollinators like bees, butterflies, hoverflies. No need to mow and ps don't use weedkiller. More: bitly.com/2FYQUhp RT if you're on board 🐝

Everything that's wrong in one handy sign.

Before cutting your lawn and treating it with weedkiller, consider how many creatures love living in long grass. Let grass grow lusciously long and help wildlife thrive. #nomow may #nomow #urbannature #buzzandscuttle

It's No Mow May! 🌸🙌
Long grass can be a vital habitat for insects, including dragonflies. Providing areas for finding food and shelter. So ditch the mower this may! #NoMowMay

Shallow and sheltered, Elberry Cove is one of the safest swimming spots in South Devon. Or was ....
Now jetskis can legally muscle everyone else out of the way.
Both on land and at sea, motor vehicles are given priority, even in the most damaging and inappropriate circumstances

Nice to see my first Anisopteran of the year: Broad-bodied Chaser at Jetty Marsh, Newton Abbot. If only it would warm up a bit!

Let it grow! 🌿

New research proves that letting parts of your garden grow wild with long grass can increase butterfly numbers by up to 93% and attract a wider range of species.

Read the full story 👉 butterfly-conservation.org/news-and-blog/…

📷: Will Langdon
Richard Fox Lisbeth Hordley

Be a voice for dragonflies! 🐉💚
Are you aged 16-25 and fascinated by insects? Apply for our Youth Panel to join the team and help us to inspire others to record, protect and create habitat for dragonflies 💦
Applications are open until 5th May 🌸: loom.ly/LDlmnUM

1/3 Ragwort is a much maligned plant yet it is really important to a whole range of insects who benefit from its nectar and pollen and for other insects it provides food for their early stages. Butterfly Conservation 🦋

My most wanted target bird in Fuerteventura was Red-billed Tropicbird, and severe winds for the first few days meant we drew a blank, however the winds died down today and out came the birds! Thanks Amy W Schwartz for advice.

The Green-winged orchid, Anacamptis morio, flowering on what is left of Dawlish Warren point this evening 😃 All the Pyramidal orchids there have been lost to the sea ☹️ Wild Orchids UK & Ireland Dawlish Warren