Nothing says summer quite like the ‘burr’ of a dragonfly’s wings whizzing past you in the garden, and Cambridgeshire is one of the best places in the country to spot them.
Rather confusingly the term ‘dragonfly’ covers both damselflies, whose wings stretch back along their bodies when resting, and dragonflies themselves, which hold their wings out or downwards.
There are three stages in the lifecycle of all dragonflies: an egg hatches into a larva, or mymph, which moults up to 15 times before emerging as an adult. Unlike most other insects, there is no pupal stage and the transition from larva to adult is known as incomplete metamorphosis. The adult stage is usually the shortest in the lifecycle and rarely lasts for more than a matter of weeks in Britain, which might explain their somewhat frantic mating habits!
There are 56 species recorded in Britain (20 damselflies, 36 dragonflies), making them a rather simple group to memorise when compared to bird or butterfly varieties, and you can see an impressive 21 of them at local reserve Wicken Fen.
Make sure to visit the site on Sunday for its dedicated dragonfly day.
Running from 10.30am-5pm, the National Trust will be teaming up with two leading dragonfly conservation organisations, the British Dragonfly Society and the Dragonfly Project, to raise awareness of these amazing insects, who are closely related to the huge insects which flew over our forests 300 million years ago.
A fun programme of dragonfly activities for all the family is planned including guided dragonfly walks, dragonfly spotting boat trips, larva-feeding demonstrations, pond dipping, work sheet activities for children and exciting craft activities, including making pipe cleaner and origami dragonflies.
The fen is also home to the National Dragonfly Centre, which is open at weekends throughout the summer and houses colourful displays and information on dragonflies, with experts on hand to advise on latest dragonfly sightings on the fen. The centre also offers a regular programme of events from dragonfly safaris to introductory and advanced dragonfly courses.
Wicken Fen Nature Reserve and Visitor Centre is open daily (except Christmas Day) from 10am-5pm. Entry is free to National Trust members and under-5s. Adults £6.30, children £3.15, family ticket £15.75 (two adults and up to three children). The reserve is located off the A1123 near the village of Wicken.
By LIZZY DENING
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