Moors Valley in Dragonfly Top Ten Twenty-seven different species of dragonfly and damselfly have now been seen at Moors Valley Country Park near Ringwood. As there are only around fifty in the whole of the UK this makes the 700-acre park one of the top ten places in the UK to see these fascinating creatures. The park’s three lakes, six ponds and two SSSI rivers create the perfect habitat to sustain this amazing range of species. The Gold Ringed Dragonfly, for example, prefers the running water of rivers, whereas other species, such as the Small Red-eyed Damselfly, prefer still-water lakes. “Water is the essential ingredient to completing the lifecycle”, said Keith Powrie, who has carried out voluntary counts around the park for seven years. “They lay their eggs which then hatch into larvae that can live in the water for up to five years, depending on the species. The larvae are incredibly sensitive to water pollution and the large numbers, and variety of species, that thrive at Moors Valley are therefore a testament to all the hard work the Rangers put in to ensure a high and consistent water quality. A wide range of wildlife guides, including ones on dragonflies and damselflies, are available from the Visitor Centre at Moors Valley. For more details contact: Moors Valley Country Park tel: 01425 470721 More info “My most exciting and recent find is the Scarce Chaser (Libellula fulva Müller). Following three years of successive sightings this can now be confirmed to have taken up residence at the park.” Other species to look out for include the Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea), a Mediterranean species, and the larger species of dragonfly, for example the Migrant Hawker, which are particularly common from mid August to late September.