Undeniably cute, the water vole has always been a firm favourite with wildlife lovers. Kath Stapley, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust’s Living Rivers Officer, and a dedicated team of volunteers have been doing everything they can to ensure Derbyshire remains a stronghold. Let’s take a closer look at these small mammals.
THE WATER VOLE (Arvicola terrestris) is the largest and most famous of the British voles. ‘Ratty’ in Kenneth Grahame’s Wind in the Willows was not a rat, but a water vole and in Derbyshire, water rat is the local name for the species…