Ruary Mackenzie

Ruary is a spokesman for dragonflies. He has published two dragonfly books, The Dragonfly Diaries and The Dragonfly-Friendly Gardener (Saraband, 2014 and 2016). He has appeared frequently on both national and local television and radio, working with Chris Packham, Kate Humble, Bill Oddie, Simon King, Lionel Kellaway, Kelvin Boot, John Craven, Paul Heiney, Charlie Dimmock and Lenny Henry. In June 2010 he was awarded BBC Springwatch’s “Dragonfly Geek” award. He last appeared on Springwatch in June 2013 and is currently working with the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol on yet another radio programme. The latest magazine article about him and his work was published in the Scottish Field in June 2012. He gives talks nationwide, including at the British Birdwatching Fair at Rutland Water. Ruary www.ruarymackenziedodds.com opened Europe’s first public Dragonfly Sanctuary in 1991, and founded the National Dragonfly Biomuseum in Northamptonshire in 1995. The Biomuseum ran for seven years and, despite only opening during summer weekends, attracted 22,000 visitors. He and his team of volunteers have continued their awareness-raising work with the National Trust at Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire. They were instrumental in the setting up of Britain’s only Dragonfly Centre there, and have just handed over its running to the British Dragonfly Society. Ruary has advised on dragonflies at Highgrove and is a Fellow of the Linnean Society. Chris Packham wrote on the BBC website: “I met Ruary Mackenzie Dodds in 1991. It was a coldish, damp, very un-dragonfly afternoon when we were tinkering around with some now antiquated slo-mo camera. He had inaugurated the National Dragonfly Museum at Ashton Water and instantaneously I fell in love with his amazing passion for the Odonata. He had a big-wig job in the city. A dragonfly landed on his shirt and he saw the light. Magic eh! It by his own admission ‘changed his life’ and that life has since had an unswerving desire to communicate his epiphany to the world. When Ashton faltered, his motivation didn’t and the Dragonfly Project found safe and welcome refuge at the superb National Trust’s Wicken Fen Reserve. Here they now have a new Centre which is a focus point for the enthusiasm of all things dragons and damsels. Go, visit, enjoy. www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/odonata/dragonfly
Ruary is a committed writer. His previous book, the 192 page, fully-illustrated Aberfeldy The History of a Highland Community, was published by Watermill Books in 2010. www.aberfeldywatermill.com. Highly commended in the John Muir Short Story competition, he’s had a dozen short stories published in magazines, as well as poems in Outposts and Rialto. He has written a WW2 novel, based in France, Luc’s War, and a children’s book, Dorigen’s Dreams. He’s currently working on a sequel to Luc’s War. Ruary sees himself primarily as a travelling enthuser for dragonflies, keen to pass on his knowledge, and to encourage others to share his love and concern for these beautiful, amazing and endangered insects.