A RARE species of ladybird unrecorded in Cheshire for over 100 years was discovered at Cheshire Wildlife Trust’s Open Farm Sunday earlier this month.

The tiny 16-spot insect was recorded at the trust’s Bickley Hall Farm headquarters near Malpas on Sunday, June 5, by none other than the man who has been searching for it since 2009.

Ecologist, educator and county recorder for ladybirds Jeff Clarke has been looking for the 16-spot ladybird since 2009, and stumbled upon the rare find while running a mini beast hunt.

He said: "I couldn't believe it – it's only taken seven years of searching but I finally found a 16-spot ladybird, and it was right there in the species-rich meadows at Cheshire Wildlife Trust's headquarters!

"The 16-spot ladybird is a grassland specialist, particularly unimproved grassland. The discovery of this ladybird on the farm is a testament to Trust’s environmentally aware and sympathetic approach to landscape management.”

The Trust took part in the nationwide Open Farm Sunday event, inviting members of the public to visit Bickley Hall and gain an insight into daily farm life.

It was one of a handful of open day events across Cheshire, run by the Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF) group.

Spotting the rare, 3mm ladybird was not the only surprise of the day at Bickley Hall, as workers also saw a rare red kite soaring overhead.

People and wildlife team leader Jan Shone, who organised the event, said: “To be able to add the 16-spot ladybird to the list of amazing species we have here, and for it to be the first recording in Cheshire for over a century, is absolutely fantastic.

“We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who came along to support the event, our traders and stall holders, our incredible volunteers and our staff who worked really hard to put the event together."

Events on the well-attended day included guided walks around the 210-acre farm, as well as pond dipping and arts and crafts sessions.