Scarce Chaser returns to Severn floodplain after decades of decline

July 13, 2026English Lowlands beech forests

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(Libellula fulva) appeared at Highnam in early July — a sighting that marks a quiet but significant shift in the river's health. This species withdrew from much of England during decades of water quality decline. Its presence here now signals that conditions have genuinely recovered.

Three days later, a (Aeshna grandis) turned up at Stroud, arriving exactly on schedule as its summer flight window opened. Both dragonflies are now established on the floodplain. Over the past two months, odonate activity here has been robust — 108 records across the broader region — a testament to how much the ecosystem has shifted since the low point of industrial pollution.

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