Summer is a great time of year to visit A Rocha UK’s flagship reserves. Foxearth Meadows is a countryside haven on the Essex/Suffolk border and Wolf Fields provides some ‘natural respite’ in urban West London.
Visit Foxearth Meadows a few times between May and September and you could see over 20 species of dragonfly and damselfly. These are the insects that make the reserve special. Look out for four-spotted chasers hunting over the ponds and willow emerald damselflies egg-laying in twigs overhanging the water. Enjoy the banded demoiselles around the river and search the riverbank carefully for white-legged damselflies. If you’re lucky you might see a hobby (a dragonfly-munching falcon), a grass snake or a Norfolk hawker – a dragonfly that could start breeding at Foxearth Meadows. There is plenty to see on any visit. Upcoming events include a special A Rocha UK Act for Nature Day on Saturday 9 June – do come along. If you would like to help with wildlife surveys or our education work please connect via the Foxearth Meadows webpage: here.
Wolf Fields, our urban oasis in Southall, West London, has made a massive impact locally over the last few years. What was once a dumping ground has been transformed into a place of beauty and community. This couldn’t have been achieved without lots of volunteer input. But we need more workers! Over the last two years volunteer numbers at Wolf Fields have dropped. Andrew, our reserve manager, is looking for help in the sensory garden, in the food growing allotment, with bee-keeping and with practical conservation tasks. There is something for everyone. Without a strong volunteer team we won’t be able to maintain Wolf Fields as a space for local people and for wildlife, like this woundwort shieldbug for example! If you can help please connect with Wolf Fields through our website: here.
