No.3 June 2005

Dear

The Good Old Beeb
I am sure many of you will be watching the BBC's Springwatch series currently being screened at 8pm on BBC Two Monday to Thursday until 16th June. Plug over, it carries a message about the value of our natural environment. One area of interest for DD is the Build a Pond article on the BBC Web Site. Click here for more information and a video message by Kate Humble. Did you know that over 50% of Britain's ponds have been lost in the last 50 years?

Pond Wardens
What a marvellous idea! I found a web site run by the Footprint Trust on the Isle of Wight. The address is www.footprint-trust.co.uk  This charitable organisation works with the island's community to promote sustainable living. One of the projects underway at present is the creation of Pond Wardens who are trained to manage ponds on the island. I think we need a trained team in Derbyshire to enrich our landscape! If there is anyone out there who cares to start such a project please contact DD and I am sure that we can press gang a few volunteers.

Local Intiatives
One group which has embarked on a pond restoration project is the Findern Footpaths Group near Derby which recently restored the Ballast Hole with the assistance of British Waterways. This very active group has won awards for its environmental improvement programme. Please visit their web site for more information.

Events
Butterflies and Dragonflies Walk - 17th July 2005. Email Dave Goddard or ring 0115 9198860. Meet at the Fisherman's Car Park on Newtons Lane at 09:00 until 12:00.

We would be happy to promote a natural history related event on the DD web site. E-mail details to enquiries@derbyshire-dragonflies.org.uk

Banded Demoiselle

Delicate, beautiful, ephemeral. All adjectives I use to describe the Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens). This damselfly has a predominately southerly distribution with pockets in the border country. This specie is easily indentified by size and colour. The male has dark blue patches on it wings whilst the female is an iredescent green colour with no patches on the wings. Both male and female are between 33 and 40mm in length with a wingspan of around 32mm in the male and 36mm in the female.

Derbyshire Monthly Variation

It has a close cousin, the Beautiful Demoiselle, (Calopteryx virgo) which has not been recorded in Derbyshire to date.

The Banded Demoiselle prefers slow moving mud-bottomed streams and canals but appears tolerant to similar pond/lake habitats and is therefore not restricted to its preference. Larval development takes two years including two winters. Emergence begins in May and, most interestingly, the larvae may wander quite a distance to emerge. They return to streams etc to continue their life cycle some 7-10 days after emerging and when mature.

Males may often be seen fluttering their wings in a territorial display and engaging themselves in displays of stamina to win and attract a partner. Mating, like most dragonflies, involves the removal of sperm from the females and replacing with his own after which he will protect the female whilst she lays her eggs in a variety of water plants. The eggs take approximately 14 days to hatch after which they will embark on their predatorial existence leading to maturity before the cycle begins again.

As our records indicate, they can be seen on the wing until September.