Update no 7 as at the 21st of February 2022 – including first Brimstone sighting in the County this year

Hello Everyone, After a very stormy period following the arrival of ‘Dudley’ ‘Eunice’ and now ‘Franklin’ you would think that our butterflies would be staying firmly in hibernation but no, on the 17^th of February 2022 during a period of sun and warmth between the above named storms, it allowed a couple of butterflies to make an appearance in the County. First a somewhat tatty Peacock was seen in the Darley garden of Alf Bousie and then Sue Davies saw a Brimstone basking on brambles at the North Wingfield Nature Reserve. which means that all the hibernating butterflies have now put in an appearance in Derbyshire during 2022. It looks like the Small Tortoiseshell seen on the 14^th of February 2022 in the Sawley house of Lesley Wright had got the right idea – stay put and enjoy St Valentines day!.

However, it looks like the weather forecast for the end of February is at last more favourable with the next expected species likely to be the either the Green Veined White (earliest date being the 24^th February (2019)), the Large White (earliest date being the 26^th of March (2019) or even the Orange Tip (earliest date being the 4^th of March (2021)) – only your sightings will confirm the situation.