Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust is delighted to announce a gem of a find at its largest site, Idle Valley Nature Reserve, near Retford.  A Willow Emerald Damselfly has only been officially recorded on site for the first time recently but now the charity has topped its discovery with the latest ever official UK sighting record on Friday 26^th November 2021, just before the start of the cold snap.

Trust volunteers who form the site’s Entomology Group captured the rare damselfly in a photo whilst out looking for other species and were taken by surprise to seeing a damselfly so late in the year and even more so when it was confirmed by the County Recorder as being a Willow Emerald.

A recent colonist to South East England, the metallic-green Willow emerald damselfly spends much of its time in the willow and alder trees that overhang ponds, lakes and canals. The first record at Idle Valley Nature Reserve of this damselfly was recorded earlier this year around the visitor centre, with a further confirmed sighting across Belmoor Lake which can be viewed from the centre’s cafe. This latest sighting was further north on the nature reserve, near Chainbridge Pit, near to the beaver enclosure where it is hoped the newly arrived beavers will help manage the habitat to encourage more damselflies and dragonflies as part of the Trust’s conservation management programme.

Speaking about the record, the group stated: “We were so surprised at seeing a damselfly we took the photo and noted the date to send to the County Recorder not expecting it to be confirmed as a Willow Emerald but we were delighted that this species has been found on site for the first time this year and to now have another good photo record of it too.”

They continued: “We were over the moon when we realized that it was the latest UK sighting ever! However, we were brought back down to earth quickly with the thought as to why it was so late in the season due to the unseasonably warm weather, a potential sign of climate change.”

Speaking on behalf of the Trust, Erin McDaid said: “This sort of record presents a real conundrum because as naturalists its always exciting when new species turn up but when it is likely that they’ve arrived due to warming temperatures it acts as a reminder of the climate and ecological crises. As species migrate north to cope with rising temperatures many will sadly disappear from their former strongholds unless we all take action to create and reconnect habitat and to limit the worst impacts of climate change.” Due to the colder weather, it is unlikely to see one again this year but Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust hopes to keep checks on the species next year.