Hello Everyone, It only takes one day of sunshine with a temperature of 10c to stir some of our butterflies out of hibernation and into taking their maiden flight of the new butterfly year – and Wednesday the 15th of January 2025 was the day so far this year! First of all a Red Admiral was seen by Alan Bryan flying past his kitchen window in Littleover, Derby and then there were 2 sightings of the Peacock in flight in gardens – one at Froggatt (Bryan & Kate Barnacle) and another at Brimington Common (per Jim Mountford) so the butterfly season is now underway! Earlier there had been a sighting of a Peacock in Lincolnshire by Derek Fox on the 14th of January 2025 and then Jo McDonough saw a Red Admiral on the 15th of January 2025 in South Yorkshire, and this was followed by a Red Admiral seen on the Ilkeston drive of Mick Pollard on the 17th of January 2025 (see attached photo)

Some great news regarding transect coverage in the East Midlands – during 2024 we managed to hang on to first place in the league table of B C Branches with the results being as follows :-

East Midlands      – 206 (Derbyshire – 140; Leics – 37; Notts – 29)

Hants & I of Wight-201

Surrey/S London – 166

Thanks to all the 500 or so volunteers in the Region who helped us maintain this amazing feat for yet another year. I usually invite the Derbyshire volunteers to let me know their continued interest and availability in early March so as to give them time to arrange their holiday dates before I start the site rotas – if you are already raring to go in 2025 then please let me (or your local co-ordinator) know as it is important to find out where any gaps are in the sites are so as to allow these spaces to be filled. There are some new transect sites being set up in Derbyshire this year – so far these are at Dunsley Meadows NR near Bonsall, Smalldale near Hope, the Upper Derwent Valley at Fairholmes, Ladybower and at Rowthorne in Hardwick Park. To date there are also vacancies for new volunteers at existing transect sites at Clough Wood, South Darley, Lathkill Dale NNR and at Rose End Meadows NR – please let me know if you are interested in joining up with the existing teams at any of the sites mentioned. Don’t forget there are a couple of training sessions in March 2025 as per the last Update – it is a great opportunity to meet up with fellow transect walkers!