Hertfordshire & Middlesex Branch
Saving butterflies, moths and our environment
Immature lepidoptera on hop in Stevenage garden. On checking the hop, I discovered a Comma egg (photo taken on 15 July but egg still unhatched), a Comma larva and a Vapourer moth larva within inches of each other about 4 feet above ground. The hop is supported by a 'wigwam' structure of bamboo canes and the leaves are tightly packed. Also, an adult Vapourer (a first) turned up in my moth trap on Thursday night. [Posted by Peter Clarke]
Friends of Alexandra Park Walk. I led a local walk after a lunchtime shower; 14 people came along, we spent most of the time in the anthill meadow. We saw many Six-Spot Burnet Moths, some mating pairs among them. Otherwise there were still a couple of Marbled Whites around, Many Gatekeepers, Meadow Browns and a Purple Hairstreak fluttering about an oak on the edge of the meadow. There were a few flypasts from Whites one of which was a Green Veined. A few Small Skippers were also flitting about. [Posted by Dee Cullen]
Silver-washed Fritillaries in Berrygrove Wood. 3 male SWFs on territory in the tiny sunny pockets within the wood. Two were hotly contesting rights to the best location, duelling ferociously Seeing me enter their space, one flew close over my head and the other straight at my eyes, veering away at the last moment - a clear case of intimidation! Elsewhere in the wood new broods of Large White (20) and Green-veined White (around50) were dominant. Just one Purple Hairstreak, they seem to be having a poor year. 12 species in all [Posted by Malcolm Hull]
Batford. 19.07.24 - Batford - 1 PURPLE EMPEROR seen for about 1 second in flight before disappearing behind hedgerow along public footpath beside KW school, Batford just north of the weedy/scrubby field. Spent another hour and a half but found nothing. [Posted by Darin Stanley]
Purple Hairstreak & Six-spot Burnet at Trent Park. 2 Purple Hairstreak settled on ash at Icehouse Wd/Trent Park this morning & 7 Six-spot Burnet at 'Old Golf Course' Trent Park. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Ware garden. Having spent the last six weeks of the 'summer' on the other side of the world, I came back to a garden of butterflies with 2 Commas chasing, 1 female Brimstone nectaring on Everlasting pea, 1 Large and 1 Green-veined White, 1 Red Admiral, 1 Peacock, 1 Gatekeeper, 1 Meadow Brown and a fly past by a Marbled White - 9 species during the day! [Posted by Liz Goodyear]
Purple Emperor at Bedmond. Female Purple Emperor flitting around and perching on a young Ash within a small woodland on Bell Lane, east of Bedmond. She stayed in sight for around 30 seconds ten meters above ground level, providing excellent views. Delighted at this as I first searched this area for PE 12 years ago and several times since with no luck previously. Earlier in Potters Crouch Plantation I added Silver-washed Fritillary to last weeks haul. At lunchtime at Serge Hill I saw my first Large Skipper of the year in Herts and my first new brood Brown Argus and Peacock. 16 species in all (including 6 spot Burnet), browns are dominant, but overall numbers of butterflies now seem to be increasing [Posted by Malcolm HULL]
Comma, Peacock, Red Admiral & Speckled Wood at Trent Park. 1 Comma, 1 Peacock, 1 Red Admiral & 2 Speckled Wood along bridle-path near Merryhills Brook at Trent Park. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Hertford Heath and Balls Wood. There were many butterflies out today in the hot and sunny conditions. Many Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Ringlet and Large Skipper were on the wing with Small Skipper, Peacock, Marbled White, Small Heath, Brimstone, Large White and Small White also seen on the walk. The highlights though were two Silver Washed Fritillary and one tatty White Admiral. [Posted by John Yates]
Uxbridge Fields & Hillingdon House Farm. On a thorough check of Hillingdon House Farm and neighbouring fields, I saw 1 Speckled Wood, 2 Commas, at least 5 Small Skippers, 2 Meadow Browns, at least 6 Gatekeepers, 1 Holly Blue and 1 Green-veined White. [Posted by Matthew Milne]
Comma & Large White at Trent Park. 1 Comma at Water Grdn/Trent Park & 3 Large White near Icehouse Wd/Trent Park this morning. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Comma & Large Skipper at Trent Park. 1 Comma edge of Moat Wd/Trent Park & female Large Skipper near Shaws Wd/Trent Park this morning. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Latticed Heath & Six-spot Burnet at Trent Park. 2 Six-spot Burnet at 'Old Golf Course' Trent Park [TQ287977],1 Latticed Heath near Dew Pond/Trent Park [TQ294973], 1 Comma, 1 Large White & 1 Green-veined White near Water Grdn/Trent Park. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Double-striped Pug & Garden Carpet at Southgate. 1 Double-striped Pug & 1 Garden Carpet at bus-stop shelter at Chase Road/Charter Way, N14 [TQ295951]. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Feast for an Emperor. We arrived along the Lime Avenue with fingers crossed that we would at least get a sighting. Rick set the table with a suitable waft of flavours soon emanating. The weather was sunny to start with but sadly after looking up until 12.30 no sightings were seen. There seemed little point in continuing so we packed down and took the decision to look for butterflies in Whippendell Woods instead. Red Admiral, 1 Comma, Large White, Ringlets and Meadow Brown seen along the Lime Avenue. Nicola who had joined us for the Emperor search needed to take her dog home but the other two did join us for a while in Whippendell Woods. With no sightings of White Admiral it looks like they have had a bad year in Whippendell Woods compared to the last 5 years. We did see 8 fresh looking Silver-Washed Fritillary between us, 4+ Comma, 3 Gatekeeper, 1 Large Skipper, 3+ Small Skipper, 6+ Red Admiral, 1 Green-veined White, Large White and several other Whites. Ringlets and Meadow Brown. [Posted by Peter Fewell]
Big Butterfly Count has started. Please download the app and submit your sightings over the next three weeks https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org/. Todays weather in St Albans was much improved and I carried out my first count on my allotment. The first butterfly I saw was my first Brimstone of the summer - a male, sitting on one of my Alder Buckthorn trees where it had probably fed as a caterpillar. Gatekeeper was the species with the highest numbers with 6 crowding round the marjoram. Meadow Browns, Ringlets, Large and Small Whites, a Comma and female Brimstone also featured in the count. Please record as many Big Butterfly Counts as you can over the next few weeks [Posted by Malcolm Hull]
Cloudy day at Broxbourne Wood. A cloudy day at Broxbourne Wood, very small numbers of Silver-washed Fritillary, loads of Ringlets and a couple of Commas . [Posted by James Somerville]
Goldingtons Wood. We went up to Goldington's Wood at Hertford Heath this morning. There was a White Admiral on bramble not far from the main ride, and another (or maybe the same one) swooped down to rest on woody nightshade growing through the irises around the pond. A Silver-washed Fritillary at the Haileybury end and a Patrolling Purple Emperor shortly after noon in the assembly area at Mount Pleasant. Also Purple Hairstreaks near the pond and at Mount Pleasant. Also saw Peacock, Comma, Red Admiral, Large and Green-veined White, Ringlet, Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper. [Posted by Andrew Wood]
First Painted Lady Highgate Cemetery. In the East Cemetery on my transect at noon I saw a fresh looking Painted Lady on the main avenue in the East Cemetery. This is a first at this site since I started my transects. [Posted by Dee Cullen]
Wildfest Cassiobury Park. We had an enjoyable day at the Wildfest despite the overcast conditions and we were pleased it didn't rain. We had a fair number of people come over to our stall and of course was plugging the Big Butterfly Count. We gave out leaflets with one of those bookmarks with the discover and learn website address. Hopefully some of the parents and their children will take part over the coming weeks. We did both at least get to put on a butterfly walk this year. I went out on the first walk with a small group of people. We didn't get to see a great number of butterflies unfortunately with several Ringlets seen and a few Meadow Brown. I was hoping to see lots of skippers at this time of year as it is usually about their peak time. We managed 1 Essex Skipper and it wasn't me who spotted it but did manage to get a photo, my first of the season! Rick went out on the second walk with quite a following at least double the attendees for my walk and if the late comers caught up with Rick almost triple. Ringlets, Meadow Brown, a couple of Skippers, 1 White and a Gatekeeper. Before and after the walk Red Admiral, 1 very brief glimpse of a White Admiral in Whippendell Woods with a confirmed sighting of a Small Skipper. Not the best of day's for butterflies but hopefully we found a few more people who will take part in future Butterfly Conservation projects. [Posted by Peter Fewell]
