Hertfordshire & Middlesex Branch
Saving butterflies, moths and our environment
Speckled Wood at Town Park, Enfield & Holly Blue at Edmonton. 1 Speckled Wood at Town Park, Enfield & female Holly Blue at Stark's Field Primary School, Lower Edmonton this afternoon [my first of the summer brood]. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Stafford Road Open Space. I released what I thought at first glance to be a Gatekeeper from the clutches of a spiders web on a head of Ragwort soon to discover it was a female Brown Hairstreak. Regaining its composure on the tip of my finger if flew and settled on a nearby bush, spread her wings as if to say thank you before flying off ! 3 Small Coppers, 3 Common Blues, 3 Speckled Woods, 1 Magpie, I Small Heath, 4 Brown Hairstreaks. [Posted by Jed Corbett]
Chalkhill Blue abberation. Seen on 2 Aug at Therfield Heath. I believe this is the female form with partially blue hindwings called semi-syngrapha [Posted by Andrew Wood]
Sawbridgeworth. Walk from the house down to the Rivers Orchard site, 4 "Small Skipper" two identified ,1 Small and 1 Essex, 9 Common Blue (8 male 1 female), 4 Peacock, Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown in the 50+ region and first of the new brood Small Heath (1). [Posted by Laurence Drummond]
Common Blue at Trent Park. Male Common Blue settled at North Lawn/Trent Park this morning at about 0845 BST. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Toadflax Brocade larvae. Toadflax Brocade larvae....On Purple Toadflax but none on the extensive area of Yellow Toadflax? Shire Golf Course Barnet ....+ 10 x Peacock...2 Red Admiral ..2 Comma...Many Gatekeepers. An area in centre of Course is planted out with most popular nectar and food plants for pollinators ..kj [Posted by Kitt Jones]
Purple Hairstreak. One of several Purple Hairstreaks seen during branch walk at Claybury park [Posted by Paula Moore]
Jersey Tiger at Trent Park & Brimstone Moth at Southgate. 1 Jersey Tiger edge of Moat Wd/Trent Park & 1 Brimstone Moth at ASDA Southgate this afternoon. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
White Admiral in Knebworth Woods. White Admiral on edge of Newton Wood during transect (first ever) about 20 yards from spot of previous sighting in 2021. Also a Small Copper, only my second of the year anywhere, in Knebworth Park. Ringlets and Marbled Whites are just about hanging on. [Posted by Peter Clarke]
Brown Hairstreak in LB Barnet. Brown Hairstreak in Ash at Darlands Nature Reserve in Totteridge. It flew along the edge of the canopy about 50 feet off the ground and perched obligingly allowing good views through binoculars. Also 5 Purple Hairstreaks, mostly low down. Other butterflies few in number with just 8 other species seen. Moths included Mother of Pearl, Shaded Broad Bar and Silver-Y [Posted by Malcolm Hull]
Croxley Moor. An escape to Croxley Moor after work provided the perfect fix to a lack of Small Copper this season. We hadn't long got through the gate before our first sighting of the year! 21 + seen which we were glad to see. 7 Common Blue including 1 female, 4 Small Skipper, 2 Peacock, 1 Speckled Wood, 12+ Small Heath, Gatekeeper in good numbers well over 30 seen, Meadow Brown also in similar numbers. 5+ Large White with other Whites seen. Rick may have spotted a Brimstone but alas that one got away. No Brown Hairstreak seen yet but has potential when the females get going. Unfortunately due to continued problems with the website I am unable to post photographs. [Posted by Peter Fewell]
Grovelands Park & Southgate. 1 Red Admiral at Dalrymple Close, N14 & 1 Comma & 5 Speckled Wood at Grovelands Park, Southgate this afternoon. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Trip to Croxley Common Moor. No luck today searching for Brown Hairstreak at this site where eggs were found last winter. But the habitat quality is quite good and I’d expect BH to become established there. 15 butterfly species and 3 moths, the stand outs for me being Small Copper(21), Small Heath (14), Common Blue (9), Purple Hairstreak (5) and my first Holly Blue of the summer (1) [Posted by Malcolm Hull]
Gordon Hill Station, Enfield. 4 Least Carpet, 4 Riband Wave & 1 Mother of Pearl at Gordon Hill Station near lights this morning. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Please Support a National Ban on Urban Pesticides. A new campaign has been launched to tackle pesticide use, one of the main causes of declines in butterflies and moths. Their first step is to launch a petition calling on the new government to ban unnecessary pesticide use in towns and cities. Click this link to support the petition and learn more about the campaign https://pesticidecollaboration.org/go-pesticide-free/ [Posted by Malcolm HULL]
Trip to Bushey. Long-tailed Blue at Bushey Open Space. This former golf course site is reverting to nature and the Branch are working with the site advisers to share ideas on habitat creation. On the adjoining Woodland Trust Merry Hill site I had 15 Purple Hairstreaks, 3 Brown Hairstreaks (all in Ash trees) and 17 Six-spot Burnets(a rare sight so far this year) including this mating pair [Posted by Malcolm Hull]
Yellow-tail at Oakwood Station. 1 Yellow-tail at Oakwood Station this afternoon [FOY]. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
New broods at Waterford Heath. I had my first Brown Argus and Common Blue at Waterford Heath (south) for a while. Also had 5 newly hatched Brimstones. [Posted by Steve Kiln]
Three species of Hairstreak in Hayes. A visit to Minet Country Park, Hayes looking at the extensive Elm and Blackthorn hedges. First a Purple Hairstreak in a small Oak, then onto looking at the Elm Hedge which has been a WLH hotspot, just the one in the canopy today. I have looked at the Blackthorn here over a number of years and today right at the end of the walk saw a fresh Brown Hairstreak in small row of Blackthorn in the cycle track. Lots of other butterflies despite an early cut of the meadow including Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Speckled Wood, Brown Argus, Small Skipper, Peacock, Red Admiral, Holly Blue as well as a couple of Jersey Tigers. [Posted by Paul Busby]
Brown Hairstreak Merry Hill Bushey. It was a delight to see our first Brown Hairstreaks in Hertfordshire with 2 males seen. First spotted by Rick Vickers both at TQ 13132 93944. To our good fortune the first stayed still long enough for a photo. Other butterflies seen good numbers of Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood 1, Common Blue 4+, Purple Hairstreak 5+, Brimstone 1, Marbled White 6, Small Skipper 15+. Large White and other Whites were also on the wing. [Posted by Peter Fewell]
