Nature Features

The Southern Damselfly is under threat. It is a globally rare species, and if we're not careful, we could lose it altogether.

It lives in South West Europe, and southern England is at the northern tip of its range.

The 2.5cm long insect is similar in appearance to a small dragonfly, apart from its habit of holding its wings together above its body when it is resting.

Damselflies love shallow streams

It's believed that about a quarter of the globe's population of the Southern Damselfly is based in the UK, mainly in counties along the south coast of England.

In Devon, the species has a stronghold on the heathlands in the east of the county.

Then, in 1995 and 1997, conservationists were delighted to discover two colonies on Dartmoor.

In 2005, The Dartmoor National Park Authority and Environment Agency joined forces to launch the Southern Damselfly Project which aims to protect and improve the habitat to help the insect to thrive.

The Southern Damselfly is listed as a priority species in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.

Aylesbeare Common (Pic: Mike Rowley)

One of the key factors in the survival of the insect is protecting its habitat.

The Southern Damselfly likes heathland and chalk streams, pools, culm grassland, and calcareous mires.

These conditions are present in the heathlands of East Devon. In particular, they are now thriving at the RSPB's reserve at Aylesbeare Common.

There were just a handful of the insects at the heath in the late 1980s, but by 1997, those numbers had increased to 390 thanks to the RSPB's land management.

The work, which began in 1990, specifically targeted the recovery of the Southern Damselfly.

The insects now successfully breed in pools at the reserve...which just goes to show that with a helping hand from us, even the most threatened species have a fighting chance of survival.