Welcome to Ashby
Welcome to the Ashby NatureSpot page which gives local residents the opportunity to find out about, and contribute to, our knowledge of the wildlife in the parish. Just click on the headers of these stories to read more.
Ashby de la Zouch
Selected parish / Wild Places / Public footpaths / Parish boundaries
To find out more about featured Wild Places in and around the parish (red boundaries on the map), visit the Wild Places page. Contact NatureSpot if you have an idea for any additional Wild Places.
Wild places in this parish
The ancient market town of Ashby de la Zouch is in north-west Leicestershire, near to the borders with Derbyshire and Staffordshire. It was known as Ashby in the 1086 Domesday Book but later came into the ownership of the De Zouche family who built the castle in the 12th century. The ruins of the castle still stand and are managed by English Heritage. Ashby stands near the centre of the National Forest so is surrounded by many new woodlands.
Parish Update
Ashby has joined the Leicestershire verge biodiversity project by taking on the management of two local verges to improve their value for wildlife. You can find out more by visiting the Wild Place pages for the Lower Packington Road and the Woodville, Ashby Road verge using the link above.
Our new Tiny Forest
There is a new grove of trees in Western Park. A Tiny Forest was planted there at the end of November. This involved pupils from Willesley Primary school and members of the public, under the auspices of EarthWatch Europe. It will be very interesting to see how this exciting addition to Ashby's trees develops. Tiny saplings are now waiting for the spring to burst into leaf.
The Tiny Forest movement is a really exciting development. It aims to bring trees to smaller urban spaces.There are now more than 200 of these Tiny Forests across the UK.
This forest is in Ashby largely due to the efforts of Ian Retson. He kept the idea alive when the original funding bid, ably organised by Barbara Kneale, lost out to another town.
Total species seen in this parish:
Wild places
Parishes
Thanks
Thanks to the following for supporting this page:
- Leicestershire County Council
- Ashby de la Zouch Town Council
Verges for wildlife
Parish Councils are being invited by Leicestershire County Council to take over the management of selected road verges in their area in order to improve their value for wildlife. So far, over 50 verges have been adopted and all have been, or will be, surveyed by NatureSpot to find out which species are already growing there. Surveys by NatureSpot have revealed a surprising diversity of flora with an average of over 30 species on each verge. Encourage your parish council to take part! More information about the project can be found here.
Recording wildlife in Ashby
We need more wildlife observations from around Ashby. So, if you've seen a species you recognise, from a Blue tit to a Bluebell, click on the header to find out what to do.
Southern Marsh Orchid
The beautiful Southern Marsh Orchid is uncommon in Leicestershire. This one was recorded in June 2021 just south-west of Ashby. As the name suggests, it prefers damp habitats, but can be found in meadows, verges, parks and golf courses.
The images and records below are all from the parish/ward and have been submitted by members of the public.
Latest images
The latest images and records displayed below include those awaiting verification checks so we cannot guarantee that every identification is correct. Once accepted, the record displays a green tick.
In the Latest Records section, click on the header to sort A-Z, and again to sort Z-A. Use the header boxes to filter the list.
Latest records
| Species group | Total no. of species | Total no. of records | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 1906 | 10773 | |
| Moths | 348 | 958 | |
| Wildflowers | 286 | 1994 | |
| Beetles | 226 | 446 | |
| Fungi | 182 | 444 | |
| Birds | 124 | 3618 | |
| Spiders | 116 | 316 | |
| Bugs | 90 | 217 | |
| Trees, Shrubs & Climbers | 76 | 757 | |
| Grasses, Rushes & Sedges | 55 | 394 | |
| Flies | 48 | 93 | |
| Mosses & Liverworts | 41 | 112 | |
| Bees, Wasps, Ants | 39 | 114 | |
| Hoverflies | 32 | 99 | |
| Butterflies | 27 | 449 | |
| Mammals | 22 | 178 | |
| Craneflies, Gnats & Midges | 20 | 25 | |
| Dragonflies and Damselflies | 19 | 110 | |
| Ferns & Horsetails | 18 | 113 | |
| Slugs & Snails | 14 | 35 | |
| Mites, Ticks & Pseudoscorpions | 14 | 24 | |
| Lichens | 13 | 24 | |
| Sawflies | 12 | 21 | |
| Fish | 11 | 28 | |
| Caddisflies | 9 | 16 | |
| Woodlice, Crustaceans | 8 | 10 | |
| Amphibians | 5 | 108 | |
| Grasshoppers & Crickets | 5 | 8 | |
| Springtails & Bristletails | 5 | 5 | |
| Slime Moulds | 4 | 6 | |