Hertfordshire & Middlesex Branch
Saving butterflies, moths and our environment
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]
Brimstone, Comma, Peacock & Red Admiral. 1 Comma at Trent Park Equestrian Centre at 0942 BST, 1 Peacock at Prince George Ave, N14 at 0957 BST, 1 Red Admiral near bus-stop opposite Oakwood Station & male Brimstone nectaring on purple-loosestrife at wetland area in Town Park, Enfield at 1246 BST. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Jersey Tigers in Stevenage. 5 Jersey Tigers turned up in and on moth trap in my Stevenage garden last night [Posted by Peter Clarke]
Peacocks out in St Albans. Peacocks on buddleia in my garden and along the street. Ten spotted in the local park. 15 in total this morning compared to none yesterday. Glad for some good butterfly news at last! [Posted by Malcolm Hull]
Silver Washed Fritillary form valezina. After just leaving Sherrardspark Wood, I noticed what appeared to be a valezina form of a Silver Washed Fritillary in a flowered garden. First SWF I have ever seen at, or near, this generally butterfly devoid site. [Posted by John Yates]
Sawbridgeworth. First walk from the house to the Rivers orchard site since mid June, looking very different with all the Knapweed out and a big display of Red Clover, 15 "Small" Skipper, none of which stopped long enough to be identified but I suspect the very tatty ones were small and the fresh looking ones Essex..., 4 Brimstone (3 f 1m), 1 Common Blue (m), 2 Red Admiral , 9 Peacock, 1 Speckled Wood, 2 Marbled White (nearly over here), Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown both well in the 60 + range. [Posted by Laurence Drummond]
Branch Event. Millhoppers Reserve. During the butterfly walk at Millhoppers reserve today when 2 visitors and 2 wardens took part, we saw: 2 Speckled Wood, 3 Brimstone, 35 Gatekeeper, 15 Meadow Brown, 3 Ringlet, 4 Small Skipper, 2 Large White, 4 Peacock, and 1 Red Admiral. [Posted by Christine Ridley]
Finchley N3, N12 Pollinator Group at Long Lane Pasture. 25 people arrived for a butterfly walk at this 2 acre site on the North Circular Rd. Rescued from development 20 years ago, it is now an emerging woodland with sunny pockets of scrub and grassland. We recorded 14 species altogether, 11 butterflies and 3 moths. Gatekeepers were dominant with over 50 seen. The highlight for me was two Large Skippers - more than I have seen on any site this year. Finchley Pollinators is an enthusiastic local group promoting planting for insects in the local area. [Posted by Malcolm HULL]
Purple Emperor at Alexandra Park. This morning about 10.20 I was walking along the east side by the sallows and where the path floods when I saw a Purple Emperor flying low and then landing on the ground, perhaps looking for minerals. [Posted by Helen Bantock]
