Hello Everyone, Well what a month January 2024 proved to be – a period of severe cold and frosts followed by 4 named Storms and ending with relatively benign weather including a few calm and sunny days…however our local butterflies weren’t impressed or fooled and stayed in their places of hibernation as Sid Morris found out on the 25th of January 2024 when he investigated a small tunnel at Markham Vale and found 6 Peacocks and 4 Herald Moths (see the attached photos) in there.
The only other sightings that I have received this month were that of a Red Admiral seen sunning itself on a fence on the 13th of December 2024 at Draycott (Karen Doxey), together with a Small Tortoiseshell seen flying in Chesterfield on the 20th of January 2024 a Comma seen at Little Eaton Garden Centre on the 24th of January 2024 (Charlotte Jolly) and another Red Admiral seen in Chaddesden on the 27th of January 2024 (Lee Myott) so overall numbers seen outside have been extremely poor which is probably a good thing given that February can be a cold month especially as it has an extra day this year!
Pleasingly the recent milder weather has allowed 160 wild honeysuckle plants to be planted in woodlands in the South of the County in readiness for the arrival (hopefully) of the White Admiral into the County. A total of 24 sites have benefitted from this project which has been funded by a number of Organisations including Toyota UK, South Derbyshire District Council and Butterfly Conservation East Midlands. This initiative is in addition to the 600 Sallow whips that have recently been planted across the East and South of the County in order to assist the imminent arrival of the Purple Emperor butterfly into Derbyshire – so a big thank you to everyone involved in these 2 projects – let’s hope these rare woodland butterflies appear here before too much longer! (see the attached photo showing the N T employees collecting their wild honeysuckle plants from Rosliston Forestry Centre recently)
With the 2024 transect season just 2 months away now, it looks like a number of existing sites are in need of further help to make up an ideal team of 4 volunteers with vacancies now at Alsop Moor/ Hartington Meadows, Hoe Grange Quarry NR, Horseshoe Quarry, Deepdale, Sheldon, and along the Cromford Canal, which is being used as an important corridor for species to move along into the Peak District, such as the Migrating Brown Argus which is now meeting up with the existing Peak District Race of the Brown Argus at limestone sites on Cromford Hill. The continued expansion of the Migrating Brown Argus into the Peak District was noted in 2023 when an individual was seen by Steve Orridge on the transect at Haddon Hall in July 2023 (see the attached photo) so it looks like this species is using the river corridors to gain access into the Peak District as it attempts to colonise the area further.
Hot off the press is the result of the various Butterfly Conservation Branches involved in transects during 2023 – yes yet again the East Midlands has maintained its position at the top of the league with the most transects walked – what a team and what a great achievement! :-
East Midlands (Derbys – 135 sites; Notts – 31 sites; Leics – 29 sites) = 195 sites overall
Hampshire & The Isle of Wight Branch = 191 sites overall
Surrey & South West London = 161 sites overall
It looks like our Southern competitors are pushing us all the way to try and regain top spot but with your continued support we hope to retain our position in first place during 2024 – let’s all push towards that goal!
Next time, I hope to publish the latest distribution maps for the spreading species in the County covering the last 5 years.
