Stover Country Park designated as a Dragonfly Hotspot
The British Dragonfly Society have officially declared Stover Country Park as a Hotspot for Dragonflies.
Come along on Saturday 1 June to help celebrate the launch of this site as a Dragonfly Hotspot with a day of free activities from 10am – 4pm. A team of Dragonfly fans will be on hand to help you learn more about these fascinating insects throughout the day.
The event will feature the launch of a new on-site information board, a guided walk with Dragonfly expert and author Dave Smallshire, who will be available 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 Stover Country Park can enjoy fantastic views of Dragonflies gliding and zooming around the wonderful mosaic of habitats on site.
During the spring and summer, each year, the British Dragonfly Society (BDS) and Stover Country Park 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.
Councillor Roger Croad, Devon County Council Cabinet Member with responsibility for the Environment, said: “We're extremely proud that Stover Country Park is receiving this recognition particularly as this year marks Stover’s 40th anniversary. It's a beautiful location and a very important habitat for a range of wildlife, so to be officially declared as one of only 14 hotspots for dragonflies in Britain by the British Dragonfly Society is an outstanding achievement. It's acknowledgement of the hard work that's put in by all of the team at Stover and is very well deserved.”
Fiona McKenna, BDS Conservation Outreach Officer, said: “We are so excited to be launching the Stover Dragonfly Hotspot in Devon with the fantastic on site team and local experts like Dave Smallshire! 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 know and love these fantastic insects and to get involved in monitoring them and creating places for them to live. We’d love everyone to come down and join us on June 1st, to help us celebrate the launch of this fantastic partnership project!”
To find out more please contact Conservation Officer Eleanor Colver: Phone: 07792231925 or Email: eleanor.colver@british-dragonflies.org.uk
For information about Stover Country Park please see their website: https://www.devon.gov.uk/stovercountrypark or contact them directly on 01626 835236 or by Email stover@devon.gov.uk
