Nature Features

It's more than 20 years since the beautiful but rare southern damselfly was last seen at the Venn Ottery Nature Reserve in East Devon.

This once common insect is now one of the most endangered in the country and can be found at only four sites in Devon.

The Devon Wildlife Trust has carried out habitat restoration work at Venn Ottery, to recreate the conditions in which the southern damselfly can thrive.

A series of dams have been installed in wetland areas on the 25-acre site, which is part of the East Devon Pebblebed Heaths Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Habitat has been restored at the reserve

The dams will slow down the flow of water, as the southern damselfly prefers to breed in slow moving runnels with low open vegetation.

Other work has included the creation of new ponds, de-silting an existing waterway, and the restoration of two bridges to improve access around the site.

It's hoped these conditions will provide a good home for the insects.

The trust's nature reserves manager, Matt Boydell, said: "Some 90% of the southern damselfly's two year life cycle is spent as a larva living in submerged stream vegetation and a permanent supply of unpolluted, running water is essential for the survival of the larvae.

"This work has enabled us to create the right conditions for the damselfly so that it can be reintroduced in the coming years and given the best possible chance to succeed."

The habitat will be monitored at first, to see if a trial re-introduction of the southern damselfly is possible.

Spokesman at the trust, David Ireland, said it is vital to save species such as the southern damselfly: "This is a key species of the South West but it is red listed which shows how rare it is.

"We need to protect these species and create habitat for them, or they will be lost to future generations."