This is a simple no-frills page to provide at-a-glance update information. It will not become a diary, so there will be gaps when no significant new content is being reported. Most recent news always at the top of the page. News will fall off the page and vanish at intervals. Image updates only refers to wildlife images. Only the most recent addition(s) will be posted on that page.
22.03.2026
i have referred elsewhere to a Peacock Butterfly that installed itself last year on a gable wall in my Hedgehog House which is fitted with a nature camera. For the last few days I left video capture running on that camera and on Friday morning (20.03.2026) the Peacock took off as I just happened to be taking a break and observing it. I will post video in due course.
21.03.2026
NB: My car was in the garage for some planned maintenance for several days but I am now back in the saddle with a vengeance. That followed a bunch of wet days. Hence the absence of movement on the website. Spring has started it would appear and I have launched my Butterfly project.
27.02.2026
I have now further revised the Brown Butterflies PDF document (Revision No:3) and that should be it until I obtain further images during the season. I want to do more work on food plants for all stages of development.
23.02.2026
I have changed my mind about using that Flora Incognito phone Application for taking / identifying images of vegetation. In some respects, good as it is, the design of the Application is unnecessarily constraining. I have deleted the Application off my phone. Those images I did take were easily and accurately identified by the Google image search tool on the front page of Google.
For the Butterfly project I need to know how to identify food plants at all times of the year, hence the need for images now, as well as spring and summer. I can work better with my cameras to deliver the accurate detail I need. I have tested Google image search with many complex images already accurately known to me.
I have already produced illustrated charts (not yet online) from my previous ongoing efforts. I will continue with my charts as I was before, one per Butterfly I am especially interested in. That will only be a few.
22.02.2026
Made a start today shooting 'test' images of 'vegetation' using my phone on the monopod. I need to get up to speed on vegetation in support of my Butterfly project for this year. I am using an excellent phone App(lication) and full details of all this should be online in the 'Plants' section of the Wildlife pages, starting tomorrow. I am assuming it will be rain-stopped-play. If not I'll be out again. Tuesday and Wednesday are looking promising.
20.02.2026
The Brown Butterflies PDF mentioned below has been revised. with No: 3 which is finalised and needs to be tested in the field in due course. Some warmer weather promised.
19.02.2026
The Brown Butterflies PDF mentioned below has been revised.
16.02.2026
While we continue to be haunted by rain, I have kept busy producing a document on 'brown' Butterflies which will remain resident in the appropriate pages once it is tried and tested this season. This PDF document can been download now.
16.02.2026
Everyone seems to be limbering up for the new (long overdue) season, Butterflies in particular. I have received details relating to a training day (Butterflies) date change which can be downloaded here as a PDF. I will be submitting regular 'casual' records on a weekly basis (Derbyshire) this year. This is part of a larger project. I can supply further details relating to casual recording on request.
04.02.2026
Found snow to my surprise in the Goyt. Blown in horizontally (blizzard) rather than vertically (gravity). Snow present in some unusual places (drystone walls decorated with snow) and absent in others (none on the ground). My guess is just one overnight blizzard. I am seeing Ladybirds (2 spot) about (28.01.2026 actually) as well as three in my kitchen trying desperately to escape. Where they were hiding I have no idea. The Peacock below still hibernating and waiting for pretty weather.
26.01.2026
I am delighted to have received today a spreadsheet from Ken Orpe the Derbyshire County Butterfly Recorder and have his consent to publish here. I have altered the presentation to include some title information that was only in the original accompanying email. All the data is faithful reproduced and very interesting. Also embedded in the spreadsheet, an invitation to a free event in March 2026, where you can train to become a Butterfly recorder. You can also use the spreadsheet list as a useful i-SPY book.
My own recording historically has been on an ad-hoc basis and even those records have been welcomed on a spreadsheet which mirrors the preferred format to enable copying and pasting. Recording data points necessarily includes BNG data and all maps provided on this website include sufficient references to enable anyone to extrapolate BNG references to save your valuable time. No need to buy OS maps or carry a GPS device.
26.01.2026
In the latter half of 2025 a Peacock Butterly elbowed its way into my Hedgehog House, climbed a gable wall and appeared to pass away there, as it remained rigid for weeks. I was checking the house one morning through one of my wildlife cameras and saw it move. Having checked with an expert on the subject I was to learn that some species over-winter as adults. I also have a Great Tit using a box as an Airbnb roost, though she never nests in that box.
I have since evicted a spider, spider egg sacks and changed all the leaf bedding. Following this disturbance, kept as brief as possible, the Peacock quickly settled down and has now been static for more than 24 hours. It appears all is well.
This brief video which is captured at a resolution of 720 x 480 (hence the small physical size) shows the Peacock very much alive and getting re-settled.
The peacock had moved to a difficult to see position, possibly to avoid the spider and I moved it back gently to where it originally was.
The roof is designed to open easily and quickly to enable me to evict spiders should the need arise.
Hopefully we can witness the date of emergence in due course. The box is checked daily because we do occasionally see Wood Mice and for a time there was a giant frog using the house as a base.
16.01.2026
Route 17 has now been remapped and includes GPX data for those who use GPX. As a reminder the zipped folder still includes the route presented in the traditional format with PDF map and a PDF page of text. GPX data includes the GPX data itself plus an A4 visualisation of the route both annotated and plain. The latter so people can annotate maps themselves for running/walking club use. The scene is on part of the route 17 leading to St. Joseph's Shrine.
16.01.2026
Three days agp I was walking this route wearing crampons the whole route (6) on solid ice and snow. Now there is not even the slightest trace of ice or snow. The reservoir was 300mm below the spill-over then and now it is noisily overflowing. The scene is Wildmoorstone.
14.01.2026
A superb sub-zero day with tonnes of bright sunshine. The whole road from Pym chair to the Goyt Forest access gate completely iced over but clear of cars. A few off-road abandoned cars obviously there from earlier days. I had no problems in my 4WD set on downhill descent control (5mph) when entering. Early enough to do the popular route 6 (anti-clockwise). Some gorgeous scenes and fitted my crampons as the ice was thick everywhere under the snow. Even the well known deep boggy trails were rock solid for a change but care still needed; a very rare perfect day.
03.01.2026
Well below zero and access to the Goyt from Pym Chair denied. Notices and (unusual) fenced off as well. Thick ice everywhere and my guess there have been incidents overnight, hence the road closure. Chaos at Pym so moved back to Hooleyhey Lane (beware, riddled with pot-holes) and then on to Derbyshire Bridge where it was quiet. It will be the same all weekend at least. One problem now is that modern Sat-Nav is diverting people via the Goyt.
From landscape page A2. Street lay-by to Errwood Hall - St. Joseph's Shrine: February 10th.
