 Male Brimstone at Chorlton Water Park |
| Amazing the difference a bit of sunshine can make. On the insect front plenty of Peacocks, Brimstones, Small Tortoiseshell’s and Orange Tips around with the occasional Comma.The local Blackcaps, Whitethroats and Grasshopper Warblers have arrived to join the Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers that arrived earlier in March. Some of the Swallows are back for the Summer but in common with the Willow Warblers numbers still seem relatively low. Now we’re just awaiting the Swifts. |
 Alder Leaf Beetle at Barlow Moor Tip |
| I can’t recall noticing any of these distinctive beetles before. Whilst I could have overlooked them in previous years the sheer devastation they cause to the newly emerging Alder leaves is unmistakeable. |
Peacock Butterfly at Barlow Tip |
 Dipper on the bank of the River Mersey in Cheadle, Cheshire. |
 and now back across the county boundary in Didsbury, Lancashire |
 Snakeshead Fritillary in Didsbury. |
 Crown Imperial – Parsonage Gardens |
| Historically recorded in 1849 in a meadow adjacent to the River Bollin close to Cotterill Wood (Clough). | A close and spectacular relative of the native Snakeshead Fritillary. |