Spot rare dragonfly at new area created on the Ouse Washes

Visitors to a Fenland wetland reserve may encounter damsels and dragons at a new feature opened this week.

Specially created with dragonflies in mind, a new pond will be the place to try and spot a very rare species found at only a handful of sites in East Anglia and southern England.

The aptly-named scarce chaser can be found on the Ouse Washes and the females are a distinctive rusty-orange colour while the males are brilliant blue.

Donations and the support of the Friends organisation have enabled the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) to create the new pond in an area which is home to 20 species of dragonfly and damselfly.

The donations, support of the Friends of Welney group and time given by the volunteers have enabled the WWT to create the area, complete with interpretation, to help with identification of the different species and an all access picnic bench.

The newly-created habitat has been designed to attract the full range of dragonfly and damselfly species that reside at Welney seasonally. In the spring visitors can look for the hairy dragonfly, while throughout summer the chasers and a little later the darters as they all emerge from their underwater world.