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Drystone Walls

Spiders love the nooks and crannies in drystone walls. Mary Colwell is in the Peak District, where 100s of miles of limestone walls are home to many different species of spider.

Spiders love the nooks and crannies in drystone walls. The Peak District has 100s of miles of them and many different species of spider, from web builders to fast hunters, live there. Wolf spiders race after their prey on long, powerful legs. Jumping spiders leap from a hiding place. The tiny money spiders build webs like hammocks for prey to fall into and lace weaving spiders construct mats of web with recoiling strands that drag the prey to the spider. The limestone walls of the White Peak are not only a beautiful feature of this part of the National Park, they were built with great skill and patience by generations of skilled workmen. Mary Colwell meets Sarah Henshall, lead ecologist with Buglife and Simon Nicholas, the local Ranger for the National Trust, to discover the 350 million year old limestone that forms the walls and search for the mini beasts that live in their depths.

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22 minutes

Last on

Sun 16 Nov 2014 06:35
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4

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Dr Sarah Henshall

Dr Sarah Henshall
Dr Sarah Henshall is Lead Ecologist for - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust. Sarah leads on a broad range of invertebrate species research and habitat projects, passionately promoting invertebrates and their conservation through policy, campaign and advocacy work.


This passion stems from a childhood growing up in the Peak District, a fascination with the natural world and creepy crawlies coupled with many years of conservation volunteering and amateur bug hunting. Following her PhD. in invertebrate ecology Sarah now specialises in beetles and spiders.


At Buglife, Sarah works to push invertebrates up the conservation agenda. There are 40,000 invertebrate species in Britain compared to less than 400 birds and mammals and her dream is to see invertebrates spark the same interest and attention as these vertebrates.


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Simon NIcholas

Simon NIcholas
Simon Nicholas is the Area Ranger for Dovedale & Derbyshire Area Properties.Β He grew up in Bedworth, just north of Coventry, in a street bordered by the Coventry canal with farm fields beyond and it was here, as a child, that Simon became interested in the natural world, spending hours catching newts, tadpoles, frogs, toads and butterflies.

He moved to the Cotswolds aged 19 to train as a Countryside Warden with the National Trust and spent three wonderful years working at properties around the Stroud area.Β After studying Countryside Management at the University of Derby, Buxton and working as a Seasonal Warden with the National Trust in the White Peak Area of the Peak District, he became a full-time Ranger in 2007.

Broadcast

  • Sun 16 Nov 2014 06:35
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4

Natural Histories

Natural Histories

Nature that has had a profound impact on human culture and society across history.

Related Links

  • (www.dswa.org.uk)
  • (www.buglife.org.uk)
  • (www.nationaltrust.org.uk)