Hertfordshire & Middlesex Branch
Saving butterflies, moths and our environment
Transect Walker need for 2025 at Aldbury Nowers. Aldbury Nowers near Tring in the west of Hertfordshire is one of the best sites for butterflies in our area and has a long running regular transect walk recording and monitoring them. Our current recorder can only cover the route until the end of the 2024 season and we would love to hear from you if you would be interested in helping there. It is a regular weekly commitment for up to a couple of hours from April to September and some parts of the site are a steep walk so you need to be reasonably fit and also able to identify what you see Please contact Andrew Wood (details on the contacts page) if you would like to learn more or to have a visit to the site to see what the recording entails. [Posted by Andrew Wood]
Ffy White Letter Hairstreaks. Minimum 5 at Cheshunt Park this morning around the Elms at the sheltered east end this morning before the cloud, also one nectaring on Hogweed. [Posted by Laurence Drummond]
Chimney Sweeper at Trent Park. I counted 10 Chimney Sweeper in the usual field at Trent Park [TQ287965] this afternoon [FOY]. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Rivers Orchard Sawbridgeworth. Usual walk from the house lunchtime, 3 Large Skipper, 6 Brimstone (4 male 2 female), 4 Common Blue (3 male 1 female, the female was in a courtship chase with one of the males), 2 Holly Blue, 6 Meadow Brown and 22 Small Heath. [Posted by Laurence Drummond]
Butterflies near Royston. From a private site visited with permission near Royston a Small Blue (first for that 2Km square) and a Brown Argus [Posted by Andrew Wood]
Moth larvae in the Royston area. About 10 Brown-tail larvae on sallow on Therfield Heath, 8 Mullein larvae in central Royston and the larval case of Coleophora conspicuella at a private site near the town. [Posted by Andrew Wood]
Hillbrow, Letchwoth. I spotted a minimum of 4 Small Blues today, 2 Brimstone and a Small Heath [Posted by Phil Barron]
Local patch. A walk down the fields mid-afternoon to the Rivers orchard site Sawbridgeworth, 5 Large Skipper, 1 Brimstone (m), 2 Common Blue (m), 2 Holly Blue, 1 Peacock (faded but intact), 1 Meadow Brown (first of the year here), 14 Small Heath. [Posted by Laurence Drummond]
Adonis Blue at Therfield Heath. Visit to Therfield Heath with Bob Clift in cloudy, breezy weather but warm 17c did not deter some butterfly activity in the sheltered areas between 1100 and 1300 hours. We did not see our first butterfly until about 1130 - a Holly Blue. Towards the southern end where the path bears to the right (TL3492 3996) we saw our first Adonis Blue. In all, we counted 6 Adonis Blue, 3 Meadow Brown, 3 Small Heath, 2 Brown Argus, 1 Common Blue and several Yellow Shell moths. [Posted by Peter Clarke]
Road Along Therfield Heath closed East Bound. For people wanting to come to Therfield Heath the road along the bottom of the Heath is one way until at least the 19th June. This may still be in place for the branch walk on 21st June. Will try and update the day before on this page. You can go from Royston to the McDonalds roundabout but not the other way so to get to the Heath from the West you need to go round the bypass and through town. Both the Cafe and Therfield Road car parks are still open but you have to go west when returning to the Baldock Road from the Therfield Road car park. Adonis Blue and Brown Argus about when it is not raining. [Posted by Nick Keep]
Two Caterpillars at Heartwood. During Saturdays branch walk two caterpillars were located. ID has proved tricky, as can sometimes be the case with moth larvae. Having consulted with Andrew Wood, his view is that they are Scalloped Hooktip and Hebrew Character [Posted by Malcolm Hull]
Green Hairstreaks at Horsenden Hill. 2 different Green Hairstreaks this morning at the same part of Horsenden Hill West about 50 minutes apart. [Posted by John Eborall]
Green Hairstreak at Oakwood Park. 1 Green Hairstreak photographed in NE corner of Oakwood Park [TQ30509530] this afternoon by Eugene Dillon-Hooper. The first record for the site, as far as we know. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Heartwood Forest. Tried for Small Blue today but just had 2 brief sightings, 1 in the carpark that flew around my feet for 2-3 seconds and an egg laying female along the entrance road that just melted away also 10 Brimstone their great summer goes on (4 male and 6 female). 2 Common Blue (males) 2 Holly Blue, 1 Red Admiral, my first 3 Meadow Brown of the year and 20+ Small Heath. [Posted by Laurence Drummond]
Small Blues at Heartwood. I returned to Heartwood in better weather to see if I could improve on the meagre Small Blue Counts from my last two visits. In total 10 were recorded, 5 in the Airfield, 3 in Valley Field and 1 at the Ham Wood entrance on Coleman Green Lane. All these were on Kidney Vetch. The tenth was in young woodland near to the Airfield where it was taking water/salts from mud on the path. The only other species today which I’ve not reported from this site recently were Small Yellow Underwing and Green-veined White [Posted by Malcolm Hull]
Holly Blues and Bee Orchids at Waterford Heath. 11 Holly Blues feeding on Goat's Rue, and over 300 Bee Orchids on site. 50 by car park and over 200 in central square. the most I have ever seen here. Also first Meadow Browns of the year. [Edited by Peter Clarke] [Posted by Steve Kiln]
Branch Event: Small Blue at Heartwood Forest. Conditions were overcast for the Branch Butterfly Walk, but that did not deter 20 of us from setting off on Saturday morning. On the way to the Airfield, a Meadow Brown was spotted hunkered down in long grass and a roosting cinnabar moth. The Kidney Vetch at the Airfield was in good condition, but no Small Blues were identified (Andrew had seen seven there last week). Moving on to Valley Field we saw Burnet Companion, Small Heath and two Grass Rivulet moths. Finally in an area sheltered from the cold northerly breeze, Andrew found a roosting Small Blue, which posed obligingly for photos. Several children joined the walk and their enthusiasm lifted the mood on a grey day. [Posted by Malcolm HULL and Andrew Steele]
Common Blue & Small Heath at Grovelands Park, Southgate. 2 male Common Blue & 3 Small Heath near tennis court at Grovelands Park this afternoon [TQ307946]. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Holly Blue at Broomfield Park, Palmers Green, N13. 1 Holly Blue near Community Orchard at Broomfield Park, Palmers Green, N13 this afternoon. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
A few sightings from Therfield Heath. Today at Therfield Heath Three Adonis Blues, 3 Common Blues and 5 Small Heaths [Posted by James Somerville]