2024 has had some interesting developments in the dragonfly and damselfly world in Somerset.

Have increased significantly on the Avalon Marshes, previous years only the odd one or two have been seen but in 2024 the numbers were well up, especially at Ham Wall, where I saw what must have been upwards of 30 individually in one day, with plenty of egg laying happening, especially in the Walton area of Ham Wall.

My first knowledge of this species in Somerset was 2022, where there was one spotted on the River Parrett near Langport.  Since then, they have been slowly increasing and in 2024, were spotted at multiple locations throughout the Avalon Marshes.  The best place seemed to be Westhay nature reserve.  My gut feel is that they would be in multiple locations throughout the Somerset Levels, just not reported elsewhere.

Where not in Somerset currently, the first UK confirmed breeding of this species was seen at Silverlakes just outside Dorchester.  This was the first official record, but it does sound like they may have been there for a few years now. My gut feels this is a species that will come to Somerset soon.

I've heard about a few locations of Willow Emeralds being seen in North Somerset.  The first record was recorded on iRecords in 2023.  This species has been in the East of England for a while now and is slowly spreading westward, and so we can expect this species to expand its range in Somerset over the next few years.