AMATEUR wildlife watchers are checking on creepy-crawlies and flying insects.

And butterfly enthusiasts are being hunted to help Bury complete its biodiversity audit.

A group of volunteers has already been recruited to assemble a "map" of how flora and fauna are doing around the borough.

Volunteers are invited to a training day on Sunday, May 17, at the Barn, Philips Park, Whitefield.

Mr Geoff Higginbottom, chairman of Bury Environmental Forum's natural environment subject working group, said: "Insects are the Earth's most diverse life form, with more species than everything else put together.

"Although it would not be practical to do an audit of them all, by choosing one easy group, such as butterflies, we can assume that if the 58 different British species are doing well then so are the 2,500 moth and 3,500 beetle species - not to mention the teeming ants, flies, bees, grasshoppers and all the rest.

"Also, butterflies are relatively well recorded, and the easily identifiable adults are active on the sort of sunny day when a walk to record them can be a real pleasure."

The audit concentrates on 13 of the 27 species known in Greater Manchester.

"Some species are actually spreading, including the Gatekeeper, which has been seen in Bolton but not yet in Bury," said Mr Higginbottom. "This audit may help to answer the question, why?" The training day will feature slides and videos to help identification and surveying.

Weather permitting, there will also be a practical lesson out in the field. Anyone who wants to get involved in the training day should phone Dave Dutton, Bury Council's wildlife and projects officer, as soon as possible on 796 6404.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.