Hertfordshire & Middlesex Branch
Saving butterflies, moths and our environment
Brimstone, Holly Blue & Speckled Wood at Enfield Town & Town Park, Enfield. 1 Holly Blue along New River at Town Park, male Brimstone & 1 Speckled Wood along New River at Enfield Town. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Adonis Blue and Brown Argus at Therfield Heath. We had 3 sightings of Adonis Blue and 5 sightings of Brown Argus. Also Brimstone seen. [Posted by John Yates]
Adonis Blue out on Therfield Heath. Seen during a very brief early morning visit to Church Hill: Adonis Blue (1 male), Brown Argus (3), Painted Lady (1), Red Admiral (1). [Posted by Martin Johnson]
Waterford Heath workparty volunteers needed. Myself and Andrew Wood on Friday 24th May, had a good meeting with people from Herts & Middx Trust who lease Waterford Heath. What we are expecting is there will be a workparty in July on mid week day date TBA. We are looking for volunteers to help improve the North Pit at Waterford Heath which is the best place locally for Grizzled Skippers. We will be part of a large workparty on the heath. The task will be part of Herts & Middx workparty programme. I am looking for volunteers to help. Work starts 10am finishes 3 -4pm. Tools provided. Please register your interest & contact Steve Kiln on 0792048211 or stevewkiln@gmail.com. Thank you. This is great opportunity to help this important local site. Steve Kiln [Posted by steve kiln]
First Adonis Blues at Therfield Heath. After a not long hunt around to see if the first batch of Adonis Blues had started to come out. I saw 2. I also saw one Brown Argus and one Common Blue. Numbers still seem to have suffered in this part of the country sadly due to the drought from August 2022 the Small Heath numbers are very good so far this year, they were out in force. [Posted by James Somerville]
Garden Pebble at Enfield Chase Station. 1 Garden Pebble at Enfield Chase Station this evening. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Ffy Large Skipper. Light winds and some sun tempted me down the field from the house to the Old Rivers orchard site, not much about but a ffy Large Skipper was an unexpected bonus and my first ever in May, 2 male Brimstone, 2 tatty Green-veined White, 3 Holly Blue and 3 Small Heath. [Posted by Laurence Drummond]
Red Admirals. Very few on the wing today, I was boosted by seeing a pair of Red Admirals in the West Highgate Cemetery on my transect. Only one Holly Blue otherwise. [Posted by Dee Cullen]
Alabonia geoffrella, Brimstone, Cinnabar, Green-veined White, Holly Blue, Mother Shipton, Orange Footman, Orange-tip, Peacock, Red Admiral, Silver Y, Small Heath, Small White, Speckled Wood & Yellow-barred Longhorn at Enfield, Southgate & Trent Park. 2 Alabonia geoffrella at Trent Park [1 edge of Church Wood & 1 near Water Grdn], male Brimstone at a private site at Enfield near Trent Park, 1 Cinnabar edge of Church Wd/Trent Park [FOY], 6 Green-veined White [2 at Trent Park & 4 at private sites at Enfield near Trent Park], 3 Holly Blue [1 at Dalrymple Close, N14, 1 at Trent Park & 1 at Jolly Farmers PH, Enfield Road, EN2], 5 Mother Shipton at Trent Park [3 at 'New Fields' & 2 at 'Old Golf Course'], 1 Orange Footman at Rough Lot/Trent Park [FOY], 3 Orange-tip [female edge of Church Wd/Trent Park & 2 males at a private site at Enfield near Trent Park], 2 Peacock [1 near Water Grdn/Trent Park & 1 at a private site at Enfield near Trent Park], 1 Red Admiral at a private site at Enfield near Trent Park, 3 Silver Y [1 near Church Wd/Trent Park & 2 at a private site at Enfield near Trent Park], 7 Small Heath [3 at 'New Fields' & 1 at 'Old Golf Course' Trent Park, 3 at private sites at Enfield near Trent Park], 1 Small White near Oakwood entrance/Trent Park, 5 Speckled Wood at Trent Park & 2 Yellow-barred Longhorn near Church Wd/Trent Park [FOY]. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Small Heath out in force. This afternoon I visited Nomansland Common, Sandridge and recorded 37 Small Heath and 4 Small Copper. Cinnabar and Silver Y moths were also around in good numbers [Posted by Malcolm Hull]
Small Copper. One on allium flowers in my St Albans garden TL130046, in pristine condition while I was hanging out the washing so no chance of a photo as it moved off after a few seconds. [Posted by Alan Gardiner]
Large Tortoiseshell. Battered LT at Incombe Hole (Bucks) SP 9573 1549 W3W: pulses.upset.stiffly [Added 'Bucks' - Peter Clarke] [Posted by Richard Ashford]
Small Heath at Oakwood Park & Holly Blue & Speckled Wood at Enfield Town & Town Park, Enfield. 1 Small Heath at Oakwood Park this morning at 0900 BST. 1 Holly Blue at Chase Green Grdns, Enfield Town this afternoon. 1 Holly Blue & 1 Speckled Wood at Town Park, Enfield this afternoon. 1 Speckled Wood near New River at Enfield Town this afternoon. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Holly Blues. Late afternoon, 4 Holly Blues in my Ware garden - 2 taking moisture from a puddle and 2 chasing each other! Also Red Admiral and male and female Brimstone [Posted by Liz Goodyear]
Small Blues. Further count of 9 Small Blues, male and female at Chiswell Green in late afternoon sunshine. [Posted by Clive Burrows]
Branch Walk: 7 Dingy Skippers in Hemel. Today's Branch Walk at Shrubhill Common in Hemel Hempstead attracted 10 people, who saw 7 Dingy Skippers. The site looked in good condition I spite of poor weather conditions we saw. 7 Dingy Skippers, 3 Mother Shipton (including a mating pair), Silver Y moth, 6 Small/Green-veined Whites, 5 Burnet Companion, 2 Small Yellow Underwing, 4 Brimstone, 1 Orange Tip and 1 Holly Blue egg laying on Dogwood. Earlier at Bovingdon Brickpits, the morning walk organised by the branch had less success. Conditions remained cloudy and 7 of us saw just 1 Common Blue, 1 Small Yellow Underwing, 1 Green-veined Whife, 1 Small White and 1 Green Longhorn Moth. We also met five old English goats who are now carrying out Conservation grazing at the site [Posted by Christine Ridley and Malcolm Hull]
Butterflies & Moths at Enfield, Southgate & Trent Park. 1 Angle Shades near outside light at ASDA Southgate this afternoon, 1 Common Carpet at a private site at Enfield near Trent Park, 5 Green-veined White [3 at private sites at Enfield near Trent Park & 2 at Trent Park], 2 Mother Shipton [1 at a private site at Enfield near Trent Park & 1 near Shaws Wd/Trent Park], 1 Snout at Hadley Rd, Enfield [FOY], 2 Speckled Wood [1 at a private site at Enfield near Trent Park & 1 at Rough Lot/Trent Park]. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Small Blue. 2 Small Blues seen in the late afternoon on the outer perimeter fields of the old Butterfly World site in Chiswell Green. The butterfly was on the wing here earlier in the week. [Posted by Clive Burrows]
Hexton Chalk Pit. Good numbers of Dingy Skippers. Brimstone and Small Heath plus a couple of Green Hairstreak, a Brown Argus and a variety of moths - Pyrausta Nigrata, Small Purple-barred and Burnet Companion [Posted by Patricia Clegg & Nikki Williams]
Beane Valley Grizzled Skippers. A permission visit to another private site today. 13 Grizzled Skipper adults and 10 eggs, all on Agrimony (It is the easiest larval food plant to examine). One leaf had four eggs on it. We hope to visit it in the next few weeks to see if we can locate larval activity. [Posted by Andrew Wood & Liz Goodyear]
