Early Green Careers: Discovering the Dragonflies and Damselflies of the New Forest

What a fantastic Early Green Careers event in the New Forest, exploring the fascinating world of Odonata – the dragonflies and damselflies that call freshwater habitats home.

A huge thank you to Doug Overton for delivering such an engaging and informative session. From learning about life cycles, identification and ecology, to spending time out in the field observing these incredible insects, everyone came away with a deeper appreciation of the diversity and importance of these freshwater species. Speaking about the event, Doug said:

“I had the pleasure of delivering a morning presentation on Odonata, which was very well received and sparked a number of engaging questions and discussions. It was rewarding to see such enthusiasm, with the session helping to ignite everyone’s interest in dragonflies while providing practical insights into their behaviour and identification.

The presentation was followed by a field visit to sites in the New Forest, where we were fortunate enough to encounter an excellent variety of species across both sites, bringing many of the topics discussed to life.

I thoroughly enjoyed the day. It was genuinely inspiring to spend time with such enthusiastic young people at the beginning of what promises to be a highly rewarding career. Their passion for conservation and the natural world was evident throughout, and I wish them every success in the future.”

Why Odonata matter

Dragonflies and damselflies are more than just beautiful insects – they are important predators and can give us clues about freshwater ecosystem health. Their aquatic larvae rely on clean, high-quality habitats, which are plentiful across the New Forest.

Among the fantastic range of Odonata recorded during the session, several species stood out for their conservation significance and specialist habitat requirements.

The Small Red Damselfly is one of the New Forest’s most characteristic heathland species. It is closely associated with acidic bog pools and wet heath habitats, making it particularly vulnerable to habitat loss and changes in water levels. The New Forest remains one of the species’ UK strongholds, highlighting the national importance of these wetlands.

- Small Red Damselfly by Doug Overton

The striking Downy Emerald Dragonfly was another highlight. This metallic-green species favours unpolluted woodland ponds and pools, where its larvae develop underwater for several years before emerging as adults. Its presence is often an indicator of healthy, well-established freshwater habitats.

We were also fortunate to record the Scarce Chaser, a species of conservation interest that is less widespread than many of our common dragonflies. It is typically associated with high-quality wetlands and slow-flowing freshwater habitats, where both adults and larvae are important predators of other invertebrates.

- Downy Emerald Dragonfly (male) by Doug Overton

Doug spotted a Golden-ringed Dragonfly, one of Britain’s most spectacular dragonflies. Recognisable by its bold black-and-yellow markings, it is usually found around clean streams and seepages, but in the New Forest can also be found in the larger waterbodies such as the Lymington River where conditions are favourable. Females use a specialised ovipositor to insert eggs directly into soft stream sediments, making them dependent on good water quality.

Together, these species demonstrate the exceptional diversity of New Forest freshwater habitats and underline the importance of protecting and restoring wetlands to support specialist wildlife in the face of growing environmental pressures, including climate change.

- Golden-Ringed Dragonfly by Doug Overton

Odonata and Climate Change

The session also highlighted an important challenge facing freshwater wildlife: climate change. In the New Forest, climate projections suggest hotter and drier summers, wetter and warmer winters, and more extreme weather events.

For freshwater species, this can mean increased drying of ponds and wetlands during key breeding periods, as well as greater sediment and nutrient run-off into waterbodies following heavy rainfall. Combined with existing pressures on freshwater habitats, these changes may create both challenges and opportunities for different species.

While there may be both “winners and losers” as conditions change, building resilient freshwater landscapes is vital. By protecting our best habitats and restoring and creating new clean-water wetlands across the landscape, conservation organisations and partners can help ensure wildlife has the space and connectivity needed to adapt and thrive.

Thank you again to everyone who joined us and helped make the event such a success. Here’s to the next step in your green careers journey and to continuing our fascination with these incredible aerial predators of the New Forest!

You can find out more about Doug’s work and photography on his website.