'Moment of great hope' as iconic butterfly returns to National Forest

HUGE CONSERVATION EFFORT RESULTS IN VOLUNTEERS REPORTING MANY SIGHTINGS OF PURPLE EMPEROR

- By JOSEPH RICHARDS

THE iconic purple emperor butterfly has made a triumphant return to the skies above the National Forest.

A huge conservation effort, along with the continued warm weather, led to the first sightings earlier this summer - on a driveway in Ticknall, South Derbyshire.

Expert observation skills of volunteers have contributed to several more confirmed sightings across the region.

Further reports have emerged from Carvers Rocks near Foremarke, Gresley Woods, as well as Cademan and Swannymote Woods in Leicestershire.

On June 28, a significant discovery was made in the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Wood, believed to indicate the potential establishment of a new colony.

This development offers encouraging signs that the long-term initiative, launched in December 2023 at Rosliston Forestry Centre, is creating suitable conditions for the purple emperor's return.