Two species of damselfly have been recorded for the first time in a woodland following the completion of a three-year project to restore habitats across seven nature reserves, according to the Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust.
Restoration across seven reserves
The Ancient Astonbury and Wilder Woodlands project in Hertfordshire was supported by a £162,698 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The initiative covered seven sites: Astonbury Wood, Balls Wood near Hertford, Fir & Pond Woods near Potters Bar, Gobions Wood near Brookmans Park, Old Park Wood in Harefield, Long Deans in Hemel Hempstead, and Hawkins Wood between Buntingford and Royston.
As part of the work, an ancient woodland area the size of a football pitch was returned to coppice management to allow more light to reach the forest floor. The trust reported that this practice encouraged flowers, insects, and birds to thrive. An area of hornbeam trees at Astonbury Wood was coppiced in December 2025 and exhibited strong regrowth after its first growing season.
Return of wildlife
The Beautiful Demoiselle and Willow Emerald damselflies were spotted at Astonbury Wood, near Stevenage. Additionally, increased flower growth attracted higher numbers of butterflies, including Silver-washed Fritillaries during the summer of 2026.
Woodland glades at Astonbury Wood, which had gone about 20 years without management, were also restored by clearing trees and dense bramble alongside annual cutting and raking.
Iain Ward, wilder woodlands officer at the trust, stated that it had been fantastic to see the habitats responding positively to the management. Ward indicated plans for future coppicing and expressed hope that further work could be carried out at Astonbury Wood to restore ponds and prevent them from drying out completely during increasingly hot and dry summers.
