Hunt to protect the dragons

In Oxfordshire, we are now seeing species of damsels and dragonflies once chiefly seen on the south coast and others from Europe or even North America that have come as a result of changing climate, but this form of wildlife is under threat.

Habitat loss, changes in land management, drainage, herbicides and wind drift of insecticides all take their toll, and three species in Britain and Ireland have become extinct since 1960. Of the remaining 39, 36 are feared to be in decline with a third of these rare and localised.

This year is the 25th anniversary of British Dragonfly Society and it has launched a five-year Dragonflies in Focus project to find out where they live and whether they are struggling or surviving. The findings will lead to the production of a new National Atlas of Dragonflies.

Katharine Parkes, conservation office of the BDS, said: "Dragonflies have survived the extinction of the dinosaurs and several ice ages but can they survive the increasing pressures imposed by mankind?

"Understanding where and how quickly our dragonflies are moving will help us to plan for the future, with particular regard to the way in which conservation is carried out," she said. "It will be very important to make sure that we are providing our wildlife with the best opportunities to react to changes."

"The information collected will be used to make conservation decisions to monitor endangers species and to help them recover. Records of breeding activity are of particular importance for identifying key sites for dragonflies."

Although collectively known as dragonflies, and both of the insect order odonata, meaning 'toothed jaws', dragonflies and damselflies are two distinct groups and easily distinguished.

Damselflies are smaller, more delicate looking and with a weaker flight. They stay close to the water and when at rest hold their wings closed along their body, except in the case of the emerald damselfly which holds its wings half open.

The four wings are all the same size, whereas the dragonfly's hindwings are smaller than its fore wings. Dragonflies are strong flyers and can be found well away from the water: they rest with their wings open at right-angles like an aircraft.

The other difference is in the eyes - those of the dragonfly are close together and often touching while in damselflies they are always separate and positioned on either side of the head.

Both are creatures of sunny weather and the time to look for them is from April to October, but especially at the height of summer.

They may be seen basking on light-coloured surfaces, including fences and footpaths.

Dragonflies live in the various stages of their lifecycle for as long as seven years, but we are only likely to see them during their last few weeks or months as flying adults.

Poor weather is not good for them, for they are unable to hunt the other insects on which they prey and they may starve.

As much as 95 per cent of the lives of these creatures is spent under water, where the eggs are laid. The larvae which hatch out become water-dwelling nymphs and, depending on their size, it may be one or two years before the adult form emerges to spend its few weeks or months on the wing. The larvae eat tadpoles and the larvae of other aquatic insects smaller than themselves. The adults live on a diet which makes them very popular - midges and mosquitoes, together with flies, are their favoured food. But they also have predators. In the water they are sought by fish and amphibians and, when flying, by spiders, and birds such as the wagtail and hobby, and by larger species of their own kind.

The larvae are very sensitive to pollution and the presence or absence of key species helps in the monitoring of aquatic eco-systems. Dragonflies are also sensitive to temperature and so are important in climate change studies.

The British Dragonfly Society is inviting help with its silver jubilee project. Reports will be welcomed of sightings, preferably with a photograph attached, together with information of where, when and how many were seen.

Records can be sent in via the website: www. dragonflysoc.org.uk The society also runs a single species survey - this year on the blue-tailed damselfly - for which reports and photographs are also welcomed.

The male of this species has a black abdomen with a blue tail (the eighth segment) and the female a black abdomen with a blue or brown tail.

Another way of helping is by providing conditions in a garden pond in which they can live happily.

As many pond creatures usually do best when the water is warmed by the sun, it should not be too shaded.

Any clearance of excess vegetation and dead leaves should be only in small amounts, and the material taken out should be left on the edge of the pond for 24 hours or more to allow trapped creatures a chance to return to the water.

Water levels should be topped up with rainwater rather than with tap water, which has nutrients that can encourage unwanted algal growth.

Although fish and dragonflies can co-exist in large areas of water, where there is enough vegetation for larvae to hide, in a small space the fish will be successful predators. The introduction of new non-native fish species into ponds and lakes is seen as another of the threats to dragonfly numbers.

If the conditions in a garden pond are right, the dragonflies will be attracted, says the BDS. Shallow margins, rotting logs at the edges, as a place for some species to lay eggs and native plants, all help.

British Waterways each year invites boaters and those who walk or cycle alongside water to take part in its survey of all wildlife seen in this landscape and, this year, it is joining with the BDS in asking for dragonfly records.

The information it gathers will be added to the British Waterways species database of biodiversity of the inland waterways and used to help with the management of canals and rivers and the protection of their rich array of wildlife.

Reporting forms can be down-loaded from www.waterscape.com/wildlife or are available from the customer service centre on 01923 201120.