Hello Everyone, Well it is a great surprise to get a couple of decent days of warm and sunny weather in the County recently as the forecasts were well out of line for a change! Pleasingly the first Wall Brown of the year was seen on the 30th of April 2024 near the Post Office in Darley Dale (Simon Roddis) – this is not the earliest date for the species which is the 25th of March (2022) but given the wet and dismal April this year it was somewhat unexpected although the species was reported to me by Dave Chandler the week before in Essex. So for those of you who are looking to spend some time in the Peak District this Bank Holiday weekend, please look out for this Endangered Butterfly Species – it could turn up in North East Derbyshire as well but the species is currently absent from South Derbyshire, where the Holly Blue is now becoming fairly common with up to 11 individuals noted around Draycott Village on the 30th of April (Roger Martin). Also on the last day of April 2024, Derek Brownlee saw and photographed a Painted Lady in Biggin Dale and on the 2nd of May Angie Seymour noted 36 Green Hairstreaks on the gorse on Whaley Moor. The most common butterfly around at the moment is the Orange Tip with a maximum of 36 no seen in Lathkill Dale (Peter Faulkner) and 35 no noted at Toton Washlands (Mick & Brenda Meakin) – all on the 30th of April 2024
Let’s hope that the weather forecasters get it wrong again and we all enjoy a warm and sunny Bank Holiday weekend!
