Newest attraction at Tees Valley’s RSPB Saltholme is 300 million years old!

Middlesbrough’s RSPB Saltholme is hoping to attract visitors from far and wide with a chance to see one of the most ancient and colourful creatures on the planet close up: the dragonfly.

The nature reserve on the north bank of the Tees, has opened a new dragonfly boardwalk to help the public get up close and personal to the bright and busy insects.

And with the half-term holidays upon us, staff are hoping that the small but perfectly-formed creatures will interest school-children wanting to explore nature.

The dragonfly species is around 300 million years old and pre-dates even the dinosaurs on planet Earth and staff at the reserve hope they will help foster a love and appreciation of the beauty and delicate balance of nature.

The boardwalk will also improve accessibility, enabling visitors to get much closer to view the reserve’s 14 freshwater pools that are used as breeding and hunting grounds for a variety of dragonfly species with names as colourful as their wings.

They include the Common Hawker, Migrant Hawker, Southern Hawker, Brown Hawker, Emperor, Four-Spotted Chaser, Broad-Bodied Chaser, Black-Tailed Skimmer, Common Darter, and Ruddy Darter.  

Damselfly species include Banded Demoiselle, Emerald, Large Red, Azure, Common Blue, and Blue-tailed.

Director of RSPB England, Michael Copleston, officially opened the boardwalk in time for the school May half-term – a time of year when many brightly coloured dragonflies are beginning to emerge from their ponds.  

Dragonfly-themed activities at the reserve will include a new trail of wooden dragonfly sculptures, specially designed to introduce families to some of the dragonfly species that can be found at Saltholme.  

Also on offer will be pond dipping and dragonfly brass rubbing along the trail.

Since the creation of the freshwater pools in 2019, a record 10 different species have been recorded.

Ongoing work by expert conservationists at RSPB Saltholme to restore wetlands and other habitats and improve water quality has helped the dragonflies to prosper at this nature reserve on Teesside.

Michael Copleston added: “Some of our wildlife’s most special moments can be seen at RSPB nature reserves and we want people to fall in love with the nature on their doorstep. 

“Dragonflies are incredible insects and we’re excited to engage people with their story and tell them more about why these hunters are so important for humans”. 

Ed Pritchard, warden at RSPB Saltholme, said, “Not only are the dragonflies striking to see as they perform their aerial displays, they also make our outdoor experiences more enjoyable by reducing those pesky mosquitoes and gnats.  

“I really hope this new boardwalk will encourage people to learn more about the importance of dragonflies and give them the chance to see these amazing creatures in action.”

Dragonflies are not only voracious hunters, feeding on the biting insects that are a well-known summer irritation, but are also themselves vital food for birds of prey. 

At RSPB Saltholme, a Merlin, the UK’s smallest bird of prey and on the red list of threatened species, can often be seen hunting dragonflies not far from where the new boardwalk has been installed. 

Due to their life cycle, dragonflies are also indicators of good habitat because they prefer unpolluted wetlands and the presence of dragonflies at this Teesside nature reserve shows that Saltholme is healthy and can support other wildlife.

In the summer of 2022, a Southern Migrant Hawker dragonfly was recorded for the first time at this award-winning nature reserve. The male has striking brown and blue colours and the female brown and yellow. 

This was the first record of this species in Cleveland, showing the importance of the nature reserve and its habitats for dragonflies and other wildlife.   

The new wheelchair-accessible boardwalk at RSPB Saltholme means that visitors can observe both the emergence of nymphs and the hunting flights of adult dragonflies. 

“This, along with a series of interpretation boards, is something the RSPB hopes will inspire people to learn more about and care about these important insects.

More information on visiting RSPB Saltholme can be found here: https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/reserves-a-z/saltholme/

DRAGONFLY FACTS:

• Tees Valley’s dragonflies – a 300-million-year-old species, will be a star attraction at RSPB Saltholme this summer
• Ten dragonfly species can be seen on the reserve, including the Southern Migrant Hawker
• Dragonflies are important indicators of habitat quality and are essential components of wetland habitats
• Dragonflies have been on our planet for about 300 million years and pre-date dinosaurs.
• They were one of the very first winged insects to evolve – modern dragonflies have wingspans of two to five inches, but fossil dragonflies have been found with wingspans of up to two feet!
• The dragonfly’s flight is so special, it has inspired engineers, who dream of making robots that fly like dragonflies.
• The new Dragonfly Boardwalk now open at RSPB Saltholme offers great viewing opportunities.