What’s new?
16 November 2007
Dragons in the autumn sun
Local volunteers enjoy sights and sounds at local nature reserve
The Wildlife Trust is noticing plenty of dragonflies are on the wing this autumn and they are being seen later and later each year. Other insects such as crickets and butterflies are also hanging on while the good weather lasts, complementing the seasonal riot of colour spreading through our trees.
This month, volunteers from the Nene Valley Ecology Group visited Titchmarsh Nature Reserve, one of the Wildlife Trust’s biggest in Northamptonshire, and discovered a wealth of wildlife in colour as well as diversity. The volunteers went pond-dipping for wetland insects such as water beetles and dragonflies but encountered much more. The bright orange of small copper butterflies and the deep red of common darter dragonflies are just a couple of examples of what caught their attention. As well as this visual display, the calls of bird’s such as Cetti’s warbler and insects such as Roesel’s bush cricket, held particular significance as they are both examples of species which are expanding their range in the country. This is testament to the Wildlife Trust reserves team which works to maintain and create habitat for wildlife, providing an excellent range of opportunities for these adventurous colonists to move in.
The Wildlife Trust Ecology Group volunteers were investigating the water beetles and other insects that live in the wetland habitats of Titchmarsh as part of the £65,000 Valley Volunteers project, funded by Natural England, through Defra’s Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund. The project engages people from local communities to take action in support of these important habitats in the Nene Valley and to update our scientific knowledge of their condition. This habitat monitoring focuses on gathering data on wildlife ranging from bats to birds and from water beetles to wild flowers.
As well as the larvae of large red and hairy dragonflies, nationally notable water beetles were also discovered. Henry Stanier, Ecology Groups officer for the local Wildlife Trust, said: "Pond-dipping on a sunny autumn day is something that local people are keen to do, especially knowing that their efforts are going to help the wildlife that they know and appreciate”.
“Many people are now becoming aware that some of our more exciting and colourful insects, such as dragonflies, don’t just disappear over winter. Their young, the larvae, actually survive underwater in garden ponds, in lakes and in rivers during the colder months, waiting to transform next spring into ferocious aerial predators. Water beetles survive as adults and are still active now, just as some of our dragonflies are, so keep an eye out for them”.
The Trust is working to protect and enhance in the Nene Valley and Titchmarsh is an important link for wildlife in the upper Nene Valley floodplain. It has Site of Special Scientific Interest status due to its waterfowl populations. It supports a rich array of birds, dragonflies and wild flowers, as well as otters. Local people regularly visit to enjoy the countryside and spot wildlife. This area of the upper Nene Valley is extremely important for wildlife. The local Wildlife Trust also manages other excellent nature reserves in this area, including Ditchford Lakes and Meadows, Higham Ferrers and Wilson’s Pits.
Please follow the links if you are interested in learning more about your local wildlife through Wildlife Training Workshops, getting involved in monitoring through Wildlife Trust Ecology Groups or just discovering the Wildlife Trust nature reserves near you.