Hertfordshire & Middlesex Branch
Saving butterflies, moths and our environment
Garden Carpet & Meal Moth at Southgate. 1 Garden Carpet & 1 Meal Moth at ASDA Southgate this afternoon. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Hampstead Heath Brown Hairstreak. Three Brown Hairstreak eggs at new locations on Hampstead Heath. [Posted by Rohan Harris]
Croxley Moor. After reading about Malcolm's count of Small Copper at Croxley Moor I hooked up with Rick Vickers for an afternoon visit. We didn't reach the numbers seen by Malcolm but still reached 48+. They were in various states of condition from fresh to semi tatty. Some with variant blue scales on the lower hind wing and others without. Some finding the dwindling amount of ragwort to feed on others basking on semi dried cow pats. Looking at where we had travelled on site we realised there was a lot we missed. We can conclude that there must have been well over a hundred on the wing and probably over 200 over the entire site! Thanks Malcolm for sharing the info on Small Coppers. Other butterflies seen 11 White's unidentified , 1 Green-veined White, 8+ Small Heath, 2+ Meadow Brown and a single Comma. [Posted by Peter Fewell]
Brown Hairstreak at Hampstead Heath. Two Brown Hairstreak eggs found at Hampstead Heath. [Posted by Rohan Harris]
Large White at Enfield. Female Large White at a private site near Trent Park this morning. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Welsh Harp. Three Brown Hairstreak eggs found in new areas at Welsh Harp [Posted by Rohan Harris]
Small Coppers at Chorleywood. Visited Chorleywood Common to continue my search for Small Coppers. I recorded 6 myself, but met up with the transect walking team who had seen 5. With only one possible overlap that’s a site total of 10. Half were on Ragwort, the rest on heather. Courtship attempts were observed and one male was flying round all the Ragwort plants searching for females. One female left the Ragwort and went exploring for egg laying sites on Sheep’s Sorrel . Meadow Browns still out in good numbers - I saw 48. Also Small Heath, Silver Y, Red Admiral , Small and Large Whites [Posted by Malcolm Hull]
Brown Hairstreak. Brown Hairstreak eggs found at Welsh Harp (3). Woodfield Park (1) and West Hendon Playing fields (12). [Posted by Rohan Harris]
Trent Park. 1 Comma & 3 Speckled Wood at Water Grdn/Trent Park this morning. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Small Coppers in London. Continued my quest for Small Copper at Osterley Park in Hounslow. 15 spotted, mostly nectaring on the plentiful supply of Ragwort with a couple of courtships. Speckled Wood, Comma and Brown Argus also on the wing at this site [Posted by Malcolm Hull]
Comma at Whitewebbs Park. 1 Comma along Flash Lane at Whitewebbs Park this afternoon. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Brown Hairstreak. Brown Hairstreak egg at Parkfields and Allum Lane Spinney. [Posted by Rohan Harris]
UK Butterfly Emergency Declared. Big Butterfly Count results reveal lowest numbers on record - Butterfly Conservation calls on Government to declare a ‘Nature Emergency’ and act now by banning toxic neonicotinoid pesticides, before it’s too late - People encouraged to sign open letter to Steve Reed here: https://butterfly-conservation.org/emergency - Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count 2024 saw the lowest number of butterflies spotted per Count in its 14-year history - A third of species had their worst year on record ever - More than 9,000 Big Butterfly Counts reported not seeing a single butterfly. Wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation has today declared a national ‘Butterfly Emergency’, with results of this summer’s Big Butterfly Count showing a marked and hugely concerning decline in numbers. Overall, participants spotted just seven butterflies on average per 15-minute Count, a reduction of almost 50% on last year’s average of 12, and the lowest in the 14-year history of the Big Butterfly Count. It was the worst summer in the Count’s history for Common Blue, Holly Blue, Green-veined White, Small White, Small Tortoiseshell, Painted Lady and Scotch Argus. And the majority of species (81%) showed declines in the number seen this year compared with 2023. In total, just over 935,000 butterflies and day-flying moths were recorded across the UK from 12 July - 4 August, down almost 600,000, equivalent to more than a third of 2023's total, and 9,000 Counts were logged as seeing zero butterflies, the highest in the citizen science programme’s history. These figures have alarmed scientists and resulted in the charity declaring a nationwide ‘Butterfly Emergency’. Dr Richard Fox, Head of Science at Butterfly Conservation, said: “The previous lowest average number of butterflies per Count was nine in 2022, this latest figure is 22% lower than that, which is very disturbing. Not just that, but a third of the species recorded in the Big Butterfly Count have had their worst year on record, and no species had their best. The results are in line with wider evidence that the summer of 2024 has been very poor for butterflies. “Butterflies are a key indicator species; when they are in trouble we know that the wider environment is in trouble too. Nature is sounding the alarm call. We must act now if we are to turn the tide on these rapid declines and protect species for future generations. Butterfly Conservation is writing an open letter to Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs calling for the Government to act now for nature by declaring a ‘Nature Emergency’ and banning butterfly-killing neonicotinoid pesticides once and for all, with no exceptions, before it’s too late. Dr Fox explains: “When used on farmland, these chemicals make their way into the wild plants growing at field edges, resulting in adult butterflies and moths drinking contaminated nectar and caterpillars feeding on contaminated plants. Many European countries have already banned these chemicals, it’s time for the UK to follow suit and put the natural world first. If we don’t act now to finally address the long-term drivers of butterfly decline, we will face extinction events never before seen in our lifetime.” More than 85,000 citizen scientists took part in Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count this year, submitting 143,241 Counts. This is equivalent to 35,810 hours, or four years worth of time spent counting, in gardens, parks, school grounds and the countryside. Dr Richard Fox concluded: “If every single person who helped with the Count this summer signs our letter to the Government, we could prevent the very real and pressing threat of species becoming extinct in our lifetime.” [Posted by Malcolm Hull]
Enfield & Trent Park. 2 Comma [1 at 'Old Golf Course' Trent Park & 1 at a private site near Trent Park], 3 Green-veined White including a pair mating at a private site near Trent Park, 4 Meadow Brown at a private site near Trent Park, 3 Small Heath at a private site near Trent Park & 4 Small White at private sites near Trent Park. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Brown Hairstreak egg. Brown Hairstreak egg at Stanmore Country Park. [Posted by Rohan Harris]
Green-veined White at Trent Park. Female Green-veined White along Leeging Beech Gutter near 'Three Bridges' Trent Park this morning. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
More Small Coppers. Today I visited Gustardwood Common north of Wheathampstead. This has always been a secondary site, but subject to significant habitat improvements in recent years. Heather and acid grassland was plentiful, but only 2 Small Coppers recorded plus 1 Silver Y, 4 Small Heath and 2 Commas. Slightly disappointed, I stopped at Nomansland Common on the way home and recorded 55 Small Coppers - more than double last weeks total. This species really does seem to be having a strong finish to the season this year. Half were nectaring and the other half engaged in courtship activities. No sign yet of egg laying [Posted by Malcolm Hull]
Green-veined White & Small Heath at Enfield. Female Green-veined White flew into a spider's web & was caught by a spider & 1 Small Heath at a private site near Trent Park. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
More Small Coppers. At lunchtime I visited Patmore Heath near Albury, a HMWT reserve. Small Copper was the dominant species with 31 recorded. Most were nectaring, Devils-bit Scabious being the most popular flower at this site, with others on Ragwort and garden flowers from the surrounding houses. Only one courtship today, but plenty of aggression between competing males. Also on the wing Small Heath, Brown Argus, Common Blue, Speckled Wood, Comma, Red Admiral, Large, Small and Green-veined Whites [Posted by Malcolm Hull]
Merry Hill Bushey. Another visit to Merry Hill Saturday saw a drop in numbers of butterflies, not entirely surprising with the temperatures dropping to near freezing during the week. Whites were the most common sighting with a mixture of Large and Small about 20 seen. Meadow Brown sightings down to 2, Small Heath 1, Red Admiral 1, Comma 3 and first spotted by Rick Small Copper 1. We had two glimpses of butterflies unidentified but no further sightings of a Brown Hairstreak. [Posted by Peter Fewell]
