A stunning female Golden-ringed dragonfly photographed by John Gavaghan last week. Will be checking back on our records to see how many sightings we have had in the past. From a distance its similar to a Southern Hawker so wondering if we have misidentified them I the past.
Great to host 1st Ben Rhydding Beaver Scouts last night on their 1st visit. The sun shone and all seemed to have a fun time on our nature trail and a bit of pond dipping. Look forward to welcoming you back in the Autumn 
When visiting the reserve why not take a few minutes checking out the butterfly info. You can see photos of our main species and a handy table to see which butterflies you have a chance of seeing that week. Warm, still, sunny times are best. When the sun comes out after rain shower can be productive. In May we had speckled wood, brimstone, small copper, small tortoiseshell, orange tip, holly blue, and orange tip and peacock.
Wonderful to see that the orchids are back in abundance this year after the massive decline a few years ago. Many are quite small which may be down the dry spring.. Estimate around 200 flowering stems. Most are southern marsh orchid with a few common spotted orchids and hybrids of the two. The large fenced area may have helped a bit but those outside haven’t had their heads chewed of by rabbits, fingers crossed. Please me careful where you walk…. enjoy
We discovered this American signal crayfish whilst working on restoring the beck. These were introduced into the wharfe over 20yrs ago and have spread everywhere. Unfortunately they brought a virus with them that our native crayfish are very vulnerable to and are now locally extinct. I believe this is a large male. It is an offence to remove them from the river as its been discovered that they eat smaller signal crayfish and thereby keep the overall numbers down. They are also a popular food source for our local otters
We now have our 4th riverside bench thanks, the donation by a local family and the hardwork of our volunteers
Finally got the Dog Control Order signs up, thanks to Bradford Council extending the orders to encompass ponds. Thanks also to their Enforcement team and sign shop for getting it sorted. Wildlife around ponds will have a bit more protection across the district.
