Key action species

This species has been identified in the Threatened Species Recovery Actions - 2025 Baseline, published by Natural England, as having key actions which can help recover populations or prevent further loss.

View actions

Scarce Emerald Damselfly

Lestes dryas

Kirby, 1890

National assessment

Unassessed

Local assessment

Data deficient

Associated assemblage

shallow pools and drainage channels No other species in this assemblage

Statistics

Occurrences

0 since 2000 24 all time

Occupied 1 km squares

0 since 2000 5 all time

Earliest occurrence

1902

Latest occurrence

1997

Distribution

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Occurrence since 1950

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This chart should not be relied upon for an indication of species status as variations in recording effort can heavily affect the count of occurrences and occupied 1km squares.

Threatened species recovery actions

Actions from Threatened Species Recovery Actions 2025 Baseline published by Natural England.

Landscape/catchment/marine management

Apply findings on previous action on a landscape level at key sites to encourage population growth and to compensate for predicted habitat loss as a result of sea level. Existing monitoring projects should be adapted to assess the success of habitat creation.

Scientific research

Trial habitat management and creation techniques aimed to: 1. Maintain a percentage cover of its preferred shallow wetland breeding habitat within the landscape. 2. Expand coastal grazing marshes to increase the availability of suitable habitats and offset loss predicted as a result of climate change- specifically breeding habitat: systems of shallow pools and ditches with dense emergent vegetation. Research should include species surveying to assess the success of trialled techniques.

Targeted monitoring

Establish a national monitoring programme to monitor species and habitat at breeding sites. Monitoring programmes will collect data on population size and location, as well as the condition and location of suitable breeding habitat.

Untargeted habitat management

This species would benefit from untargeted habitat management to increase habitat mosaics, structural diversity, or particular successional stages

References

Wilkins, T.C., Baker, T.G, Hipperson-Jervis, C. and Thompson, M. (2025). Threatened Species Recovery Actions 2025 Baseline Version 1.1 - Spreadsheet. Joint Publication JP065. Natural England and partners, UK. https://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/6106216194113536

Data sources

Local species recorders

British Dragonfly Society Recording Scheme. Dragonfly records from the British Dragonfly Society Recording Scheme. Licenced under CC-BY https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0.

Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union.

Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.

Cite this page

GLNP (2025). Lestes dryas Kirby, 1890 species profile, in Greater Lincolnshire Nature Partnership (ed.) Greater Lincolnshire species data bank. Available at: http://glincsson.glnp.org.uk/view?taxon_list_item_key=NBNORG0000008975 (Accessed 08 November 2025).