Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust hosted a successful riverfly conference with the Herts and Chilterns Riverfly Hub.

On Saturday 6th February, guests from across Hertfordshire and Middlesex gathered in Lemsford for the annual Riverfly Day conference. The day began with a series of talks which offered guests a wider insight into the ecology of riverflies and how we can use them to monitor and protect the health of Hertfordshire's chalk rivers as well as some stunning riverfly photography.

Riverflies form an important part of the chalk river ecosystem and in the afternoon guests experienced this first hand at Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust's Lemsford Springs Nature Reserve, where management of the historic water cress beds allows riverfly life to thrive supporting iconic species like the water shrew, bullhead and one the UK's most important populations of green sandpipers.

The Herts & Chilterns Riverfly Hub has continued to grow following its success at the CPRE Rural Living Awards in October and events like the annual Riverfly Day help to raise awareness of the importance of the work undertaken by our volunteers as well as inspiring more people to get involved in the protection of their local chalk rivers.