Norfolk hawker dragonfly in flight at Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire (Image: Ross Hoddinott/National Trust/PA) A wetland nature reserve, under the stewardship of the National Trust , has been declared a "dragonfly hotspot" because of its valve to these ancient insects. Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve in Cambridgeshire , one of the remaining fragments of undrained fenland in East Anglia, has been named the UK's latest dragonfly hotspot by the British Dragonfly Society. This accolade, one of only 23 across the nation, acknowledges the reserve's rich variety of wetland habitats such as ponds and watercourses which are essential for the insects' life cycle, the diversity of species present, and the facility for visitors to easily observe them.
The National Trust reports that 22 of the UK's 57 dragonfly and damselfly species, ancient winged insects whose lineage dates back beyond the dinosaurs, have been recorded at Wicken Fen, including the scarce Norfolk hawker. Read more: Five water sports you can try on an idyllic Cambridgeshire lake Read more: 26 of the best things to see and do in and around Cambridge A boatride down the river at Wicken Fen Nature Reserve where you can find many of the dragonflies (Image: Niamh Dann/Cambs Live) Reserves like Wicken Fen, which celebrated 125 years under the charity's guardianship this May, are crucial for the conservation of these insects as they face displacement from their traditional habitats in the south and on the continent due to climate.
