Country diary: A bum note amid the dawn chorus | Mark Cocker

Hogshaw, Derbyshire: Our old Buxton tip is an area rich in nature. It’s depressing out local council wants it developed Our old Buxton tip might bear the scars of former abuse, but it’s now an entangled, self-willed wood, largely made up of willows and birch, which is surrounded by flowers in summer and has a species list of 870, composed mainly of insects. The diversity arises because these two pioneer trees are among the most invertebrate-friendly in our islands. Where you find insect abund...

By Mark Cocker