Damselflies return to restored woodlands in Hertfordshire
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The Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust recorded two damselfly species, the Beautiful Demoiselle and the Willow Emerald, at Astonbury Wood in Hertfordshire, England, after completing a three-year habitat restoration project.
The project focused on seven nature reserves across the county, including Astonbury Wood near Stevenage. A £162,698 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund enabled the trust to restore woodland habitats by returning an area the size of a football pitch to coppice management.
This involved felling trees at their base to encourage new growth and allow more light to reach the forest floor, benefiting flowers, insects, and birds. The trust also reverted woodland glades to open habitat by clearing trees and bramble and then maintaining them with annual cutting and raking. The restoration efforts also led to an increase in butterfly numbers, particularly Silver-washed Fritillaries. The trust observed strong regrowth of hornbeam trees that were coppiced in December 2025, despite a dry summer.
The organization plans to continue coppicing and hopes to restore ponds at Astonbury Wood to prevent them from drying out during increasingly hot summers.
