The first newsletter from the local Suffolk Dragonfly Group is available with information on recording and some up to date dragonfly and damselfly atlas maps and an interesting table showing the first and last occurence dates of the species.

Click for the newsletter - Dragonflies in Suffolk Newsletter 1.

The 2011 season represents the penultimate year of fieldwork for the new national Dragonfly Atlas. Already a number of significant changes to Suffolk’s dragonflies have been uncovered – the highlight is no doubt the colonisation of SE Suffolk by the Willow Emerald Damselfly, but a number of more traditional species have clearly also been expanded their ranges in recent years. Scarce Emerald Damselfly now appears to be established in the county in the Market Weston/Redgrave area, while Hairy Dragonfly, Norfolk Hawker and Scarce Chaser in particular are also doing well. In the last few years, Scarce Chaser has for instance appeared on the River Gipping near Needham Market, on the upper River Lark and at Lakenheath Fen. Even Variable Damselfly, a species giving some cause for concern nationally, has recently turned up at Lakenheath. Not all news is however good, with Emerald Damselfly so far having been observed at only 40% of the number of sites as in the last census some 20 years ago. Hopefully some of this however represents a degree of under-recording, and there is still time for people to get out and discover new sites for a range of species. In particular, parts of both west and central Suffolk could still do with more intensive coverage. Records are however welcome from all areas, and for all species!!