As the new Odonata (Dragonfly and Damselfly) season gets underway, the checklist of these species in Bexley, first produced by Chris Rose a year ago, has been revised and updated by the author to include new records, and has been embellished with the addition of photographs, most taken within our Borough.
https://app.box.com/shared/static/1nfd6ej9rjwl0wqhxeyh8n3gttyinn9u.doc
For each species sites are given where it can be found, and there are complete species lists provided for the best sites for Dragonflies and Damselflies in Bexley.
A total of 18 species currently occur in Bexley as a whole, and the top site standings at present are Foots Cray Meadows 15 species, Crossness 14, Danson Park 12 (or 13) and Thames Road Wetland 12 (or 13). There is a reasonable chance that one or two more species could still be found at each of these sites, and Crossness is probably best-placed to host one of the new colonists populating the UK, a number of which are heading up the Thames estuary. Lamorbey lake would benefit from frequent watching as there must be more than the 5 species recorded to date, and the large ponds and smaller water-bodies at Woodlands Farm look promising (though these are on the Greenwich side of the border!). The pool at East Wickham Open Space may host a few species when it doesn’t dry up too much, and there are ponds on adjoining allotment sites which also provide Odonata habitat from which insects may wander into public areas.