THE British Dragonfly Society have teamed up with the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre at Onny Meadows to launch England's first ever Dragonfly Hotspot.
The Dragonfly Hotspot will be launched on Saturday, May 26 with a day of free activities from 11am - 4pm.
The event will feature the launch of a new on-site information board (kindly funded by the John Spedan Lewis Foundation), a guided walk with dragonfly experts on hand to answer all your questions, pond dipping sessions to discover the amazing creatures that live beneath the water's surface, and lots of fun activities with prizes to be won.
Dragonfly Hotspots are special places, carefully chosen because they support a good variety of dragonfly and damselfly species, are easy to access, and can provide opportunities for local communities to get involved with dragonfly conservation and events.
On sunny days, visitors to Onny Meadows can enjoy fantastic views of dragonflies gliding and zooming around the 30 acres of riverside meadows with oxbow ponds.
During the spring and summer, each year, the BDS and site staff will collaborate to run courses, walks and other events at the new hotspot, while in the autumn and winter the BDS will support the hotspot's volunteer work parties in managing the site to improve its dragonfly habitats.
Fiona McKenna, BDS conservation outreach officer says: "We are so excited to be launching the first ever Dragonfly Hotspot in England with the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre team at Onny Meadows! It is a beautiful site and the staff here are really keen to conserve their local dragonfly species. Together we really hope to inspire even more people to get to love these fantastic insects and to get involved in monitoring them and creating places for them to live. Please join us to help celebrate the launch of this fantastic project!"
To find out more please contact conservation officer Eleanor Colver: Phone: 07792231925 or email: eleanor.colver@british-dragonflies.org.uk
For information about Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre please see their website shropshirehillsdiscoverycentre.co.uk/ or contact them directly: Phone: 01588 676060 or email: info@shropshirehillsdiscoverycentre.co.uk
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