‘Spectacular movements of dragonflies’ because of recent hot weather
The hot and humid-loving insects appear to be moving north as climate change heats up the UK and dries out wetlands further south.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The hot weather this year and last year has led to “spectacular movements of dragonflies” across England, with some species possibly migrating away from severe droughts in southern Europe, an expert has said.
Unlike other insects, many dragonflies in the UK are becoming more widespread as climate change brings hotter weather.
A British Dragonfly Society (BDS) report in 2021 revealed that 19 of the 46 resident and regular migrant dragonfly and damselfly species have increased in Britain and Ireland since 1970, while just five have declined.
Dave Smallshire, one of the authors of the report, said since then some dragonfly species appear to have spread further.
He said: “I live in Devon and we’ve had absolutely glorious – unprecedented in my lifetime – weather over the last month.
“Hot, dry summer, sunny, and that is just fantastic news for adult dragonflies.
“We have had that as a result of the easterly, north-easterly winds which will have inevitably been a tailwind for any dragonflies wanting to disperse in our direction.
“I think it’s probably no exaggeration – spectacular movements of dragonflies into new areas, colonising new parts of the country.”
Dragonflies spend most of their lives underwater but after emerging as adults, they can survive for as long as two to three months, while damselflies can last two to three weeks.
The vagrant emperor species is migrating from the Mediterranean region and possibly as far south as the Sahara, Mr Smallshire said.
He added that severe droughts in the Mediterranean have helped dry out the wetlands in which dragonflies live, forcing them north.
“For example, much of Spain has had a severe drought for well over a year now, there has been no rain and pretty low water levels and important places like the Coto Donana – probably the most important wetland in Europe – is dry because of drought and abstraction.
“This last summer, in the light of that hot spell we had, a rare dragonfly called the Norfolk hawker which used to be basically confined to the broads of East Anglia has started to spread and last year we had multiple sightings and egg laying in South Devon.
“This is a red-listed species that was actually so rare it had legal protection and the Norfolk hawker is now no longer as endangered.”
While favourable short-term conditions can provide a boom for dragonflies, allowing them to broaden their range, Mr Smallshire is concerned that heat and drought will also dry out wetlands in the UK and leave them without a home.
He said: “The downside of all the hot, dry weather, of course, is that wetlands can be threatened by drought.
“That’s one of our concerns, that ponds and streams, and rivers in some cases, are under threat.
“Clearly things that need to live most of their lives in water are going to be very much threatened by desiccation.”