Country diary: A priceless view of a tiger beetle – let's keep it that way
There's a tiger burning brightly in front of me – not in the forests of the night, but on a Derbyshire moor, among the heather and bilberry, and in warm sunshine. It isn't orange and black, but an iridescent green, and I need to hunker down to reach its level.
The green tiger beetle is widespread in Britain, and at least to the ants and caterpillars that it predates, it is every bit as threatening as the big cat immortalised by William Blake. Magnified, its fearful symmetry becomes more apparent, its mouth parts ferocious, the dandyish purple of its elegant legs more richly obvious.
One other thing I appreciate about the green tiger beetle is how easily it's identified. There are thousands of beetle species in Britain, and they're not always this easy to tease apart. It makes the green tiger especially exciting to kids, a secure toehold in the shifting complexity of nature. And it's that question, of inspiring the next generation to explore the marvels around them, that's on my mind.
The day I spot my tiger, the chief executive of the Peak District national park publicly floats the idea of a tax on visitors. After a decade of deep cuts by successive governments, the authority has been stripped to the bone and can now focus only on its statutory functions, particularly planning.
Earlier this year, it announced cuts to its outreach programme at local schools and visitor centres. More and more, the park and its users are perceived by politicians as just another part of the tourist industry. This seems at odds with the far‑reaching vision of the postwar Labour government that created the parks when the country was almost broke. A connection to nature was, in their eyes, a necessary part of life that should be free to all.
Next year is the Peak District national park's 75th anniversary. I expect the government will bask in the achievement of its predecessor. The future for nature, though, has never seemed so uncertain. 'What the hand,' as Blake asked, 'dare seize the fire?'
Ed Douglas
Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian's Country Diary, 2018-2024 is published by Guardian Faber; order at guardianbookshop.com and get a 15% discount
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