Wildlife to see in July – Dragonflies and Damselflies

Did you know that Dragonflies are the most efficient predator in the world? They are successful in 95% of any hunt and it is due to the fact that they have amazing eyesight, they can predict where their prey is going to move to and the fact that they are fantastic fliers! They can fly in 6 different directions: upwards, downwards, left, right, forwards and backwards. Dragonflies can fly forwards at 100 body lengths per second and backwards at 3 body lengths per second.

Do you know any differences between Dragonflies and Damselflies? Damselflies have tapering wings of equal length and at rest the wings lie in line with their bodies. Dragonflies have wings of the same shape but of unequal length, which stick out when they are at rest. They come in all sorts of colours and sizes. The dark spots on their wings are important for body temperature and balance. To identify different species, you need to look at the colour of their bodies, eyes and wings. East Anglia has several different species including the rare Norfolk Hawker: a pale brown dragonfly with a yellow triangle, found only on the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads in unpolluted water; the Small red-eyed damselfly and the Willow emerald damselfly. These damselfies were not previously seen in the region, but are now moving here due to Climate Change.

Dragonflies and damselflies have been around for millions of years and some were the size of eagles in prehistoric times! They have lived through the earth warming and cooling several times and at the moment due to Climate Change, their species distributions are moving North with the increase in surface temperatures. Unfortunately their populations are threatened by pollution and loss of habitat, so providing a clean pond in your garden is a fantastic way to support these amazing creatures. There are also Dragonfly organisations which you can join.

To find out more please visit:

https://british-dragonflies.org.uk/

https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/dragonflies/norfolk-hawker

https://dragonflywebsite.com/create-a-dragonfly-pond.cfm

Wildlife Group News

Wildlife Walks: Over the summer, the wildlife group are meeting up for wildlife walks around the village, these are taking place in the evening and lasting about an hour. If you are interested in meeting up with people who are interested in Nature, please email Sophie: wildlifefriendlyvillage@gmail.com