Of all the animals we have here in the Peak District, the hare is the most elusive, the most mysterious, and the most revered. They are everywhere, surrounding us as we ramble about the moors and dales, but they watch us, rather than let us watch them. They have legends and folklore spoken about them, myth and magic surrounding them.  However you feel regarding the aura of the hare, it’s an animal that causes controversy amongst humans, just like the Fox.  It’s an animal who is loved with a passion by some but it is also hunted by those who don’t seem to understand it.

– Hare in field near Monyash –

The hare is very different to a rabbit but is often mistaken for one. A leveret is a young hare less than one year old, and it is at this age that the mistaken similarity is most often made. They are much longer limbed and far swifter than rabbits and they use their powerful hind legs to escape predators by simply out running their enemies. Hares are absolutely huge creatures, the size of a small dog in fact. If you are lucky enough to get up close and personal with one, and they suddenly take off in fright, they have been known to reach speeds of 72 km/h, which is an incredible 45 miles an hour.

– Hare crouching in field near Wardlow –

Brown hares are widespread throughout central and western Europe and are prevalent through most of the UK, where they were introduced by the Romans. We have hundreds of hares in the Peak District and it is very common to spot them in flat fields, running across ploughed earth or seeing the tips of their ears sticking up through the lush green crops. If you get close to a hare and it catches your eye, it seems to see through your very soul, makes you hold your breath and feel very privileged to look at it somehow. It lets you make eye contact and never blinks its oval pupil, similar in shape and size to that of a sheep. It’s quite unsettling. If you have been lucky enough to get eye to eye, you probably know exactly what we mean!

– Two hares enjoying spring sunshine in field near Foolow –

Its scientific name is Lepus europaeus and the European hare is the fastest land mammal in the UK. They live alone or in pairs and if you see a collection of hares, they are known as a ‘drove.’  Normally a very shy animal, our brown hares change behaviour in spring, when they can be seen in broad daylight chasing one another around meadows. This is the start of the ‘Mad March Hare’ season, which looks like a ferocious battling competition between males, biting and boxing each other to defend either their territory or their female. During the spring frenzy, hares can be seen regularly boxing or striking another with their paws. Unknown to many, this is not actually two males fighting, but a fed up female giving an over passionate male a sock in the eye! Another unique trait for a hare is that they are jointed, or kinetic, which is unique among mammals.

– Silhouette of a hare near Tideswell –

Hares don’t bear their young below ground in a burrow like a rabbit, but use a shallow depression or flattened nest of grass called a ‘form.’ They are generally much larger than rabbits, have much longer ears, and have black markings on their fur. They are almost impossible to be domesticated, while rabbits are kept as house pets. Hares have adapted to the lack of physical protection in the nest, by being born fully furred and with the eyes wide open. They can then fend for themselves soon after being born.

– Hare using a field of grass as cover near Monsal Head –

The hare in African folklore is known as ‘The Trickster,’ lots of stories told about hares and African slaves, which is where the Brer Rabbit stories come from. In Chinese, Mexican and Japanese folklore, the hare is associated with the moon due to the pattern of dark patches on the surface. There is a constellation in the sky called Lepus, which represents the hare, only adding to their mystical association. The famous Aesop Fable surrounding The Tortoise and the Hare has brought love and loathing for the hare through generations, depending which side of the tale you admire.

– Two playful hares racing around a field near Monyash –

In English folklore, the saying ‘As Mad As A March Hare’ revolves around the legend of white hare. It tells of the witch who takes the form of white hare who goes out looking for prey at night or another tale is of the spirit of the broken hearted maiden who cannot rest and who haunts her unfaithful lover. In Irish folklore, the hare is often associated with a fairy or more other pagan elements. It is in these stories that the characters that harm the hare, often get their comeuppance and suffer dreadful consequences.

– Ready to sprint into the distance ! –

The hare is a symbol of fertility and it is traditional for women to feel a strange draw towards these animals, but that’s not to say you fellas don’t get a little bit awestruck too! These photographs prove that the hare is truly magnificent, photogenic and totally beautiful. We are very lucky in the Peak District to be able to spot a real hare occasionally, but they have been portrayed beautifully by several of our talented wildlife artists and captured on camera by our superb photographers.

– Dad why did you have to hit me so hard ? –