Getting a jump on spring

This European hare - also known as the brown hare - is thought to have arrived on our shores in Roman times, if not before, and has become firmly established as part of the UK landscape. Spotted in grassland and around woods and hedgerows, you’re most likely to see one in early spring when they can put on remarkable ‘boxing’ shows as they fight for attention during the breeding season. This high-spirited behaviour is thought to be behind the expression ‘as mad as a March hare’ – popularised in modern times by the March Hare character in Lewis Carroll’s classic book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
© Jim Brandenburg/Minden Pictures