# Rare damselfly spotted by restored chalk river

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/rare-damselfly-spotted-by-restored-chalk-river/
- Published: 2026-11-01T06:19:16+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-01T07:38:53+00:00
- Original publisher: BBC Science (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c617kvqjd81jo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
- Topics: Science

## Key points

- Endangered damselfly recorded beside the restored River Ash.
- Seven-year project restored 4.3 miles of chalk river.
- Eight dragonfly and damselfly species are now classed as endangered.

## Summary

An endangered scarce blue-tailed damselfly has been recorded in wetlands beside the River Ash near Hertford, following restoration of a stretch of the chalk river. The sighting offers a sign that creating and restoring habitats can help wildlife facing growing pressure.

The 4.3-mile (7km) stretch at Easneye Estate was returned to its original course last year, after a seven-year project that also created gravel beds and wetlands. The damselfly was recorded at two nearby monitoring sites in late summer. A recent British Dragonfly Society assessment classified it as Endangered; eight dragonfly and damselfly species now have that status, twice as many as in 2008. River monitoring also found more invertebrates, while brown trout have begun spawning on the new gravel beds.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.