A POPULAR beauty spot in Teignbridge has been officially declared a ‘Hotspot’ for gossamer-winged dragonflies.

Stover Country Park will be formally blessed with the title from today at a special launch attended by dragonfly experts.

The appellation has been fixed by the British Dragonfly Society which will be sending members to the venue to promote the new designation.

The Saturday show will feature free activities from 10am-4pm with the unveiling of a new on-site information board and a guided walk led by dragonfly specialist and author Dave Smallshire.

Dragonfly distractions will include a Q&A session, pond-dipping to discover the amazing creatures who live beneath the water’s surface, as well as numerous fun activities with prizes.

Dragonfly Hotspots are recognised as special places, carefully chosen because they support a variety of dragonfly and damselfly species.

They are easy to access and can provide opportunities for local communities to get involved with dragonfly conservation and events.

On sunny days, Stover visitors will enjoy ‘fantastic’ views of dragonflies gliding and buzzing around the country park’s mosaic of habitats.

Every spring and summer, the British Dragonfly Society (BDS) and Stover staff aim to join forces to run courses, walks and other events at the new hotspot, while in the autumn and winter they will support the venue’s volunteer work parties in managing the site to improve dragonfly habitats.

Cllr Roger Croad, Devon County Council cabinet member with responsibility for the environment, was delighted with the accolade.

He said: ‘We’re extremely proud that Stover is receiving such recognition, particularly as this year marks its 40th anniversary.

‘It’s a beautiful location and a very important habitat for a range of wildlife, so to be officially declared as one of only 14 hotspots for dragonflies in the UK by the British Dragonfly Society is an outstanding achievement.’

He added that it was a ‘very well deserved’ acknowledgement of the hard work put in by the team at Stover.

Fiona McKenna, BDS conservation outreach officer, chipped in: ‘We are so excited to be launching the Stover Dragonfly Hotspot with the fantastic on-site team and local experts like Dave Smallshire.

‘It is a beautiful site – and the staff are really keen to conserve their local dragonfly species. Together we hope to inspire even more people to get to know and love these fantastic insects and to get involved in monitoring them and creating places for them to live.

‘We would love everyone to come down and join us on June 1 to help us celebrate the launch of this fantastic partnership project.’