Hello Everyone, March often roars in like a lion and departs like a lamb and on the 1st of March 2024 the residents of the Peak District certainly felt the full force of Mother Nature with snow falling across the area resulting in the closure of many of the high level roads – Derek Whiteley sent me the attached photo of the local scene in Wardlow on the first day of Spring! It is hard to believe that it is possible at the end of this month that Green Hairstreaks will be flying across the bilberry on the adjacent moorland!

Despite some hazy sunshine during the last week, the overall feel of Spring has yet to be experienced (even the frogs have yet to gather in our pond) and many of our local butterflies remain in hibernation and who can blame them! Consequently sightings have been scarce although there were 3 records of Small Tortoiseshells in the County recently with sightings from Shottle (Emma Bungay), Clowne (Neil & Lorraine Jones) and in Wyver Lane, Belper (Dave Evans) who also saw a Peacock and Brimstone there on the 5th of March 2024.

It is really pleasing to report that the interest in carrying out butterfly transects in the Area is still very high so much so that the transect training and butterfly I D course that I will be giving on the 17th of March 2024 in Allestree is now fully booked with at least 50 volunteers attending from all over the Region. There are however a few additional volunteers required at a number of sites within Derbyshire, these include :-  Hilton Gravel Pits NR, Toyota Pond & Meadows, Seale Wood, Overseal, Peak Shopping Rowsley, along the Cromford Canal footpath, Creswell Crags, Staunton Harold Reservoir, and at Horseshoe Quarry, Eyam where there is a colony of Wall Browns present. If you can help at any of these sites then please send me an email so that I can put you in contact with the local Organiser.