Hertfordshire & Middlesex Branch
Saving butterflies, moths and our environment
Leavesden Country Park. After hearing about Rohan Harris finding a Brown Hairstreak egg at this site from last season I did want to pay a visit to Leavesden Country Park. Rick and myself did find some potential spots for Brown Hairstreak although we didn't see any. We did however walk the perimeter between Langley Lane and South Way Grid ref TL097 011 would be the approx centre of site. This area turned out to be another gem. Although we didn't see a Clouded yellow today it was rather windy! There was a good amount of Lucerne growing with a good mix of other wild flowers there. However we did see some butterflies and the Small Copper stole the show with 20+ seen all around that perimeter path mentioned. We did encounter a few other species too today. Comma 1, Red Admiral 1, Speckled Wood 3, Brown Argus 1, Common Blue 3+. There were also some White Butterflies seen some Large and the others Unidentified Flying Whites. This place needs further exploration over the course of a butterfly year! [Posted by Peter Fewell]
3 mile route around Ruislip Gardens and Ickenham Marsh. 5 Common Blue, 1 Small Heath, 4 Small Copper, 8 Speckled Wood, 1 Peacock, plenty of whites and after 1.5hrs a brief but unmistakable sighting of a female Brown Hairstreak deep in the thicket. Yesterday during a 3 hour blackthorn clearing session on the Ickenham Marsh Reserve no Brown Hk (1 possibility) but 2 Common Blue which were a welcome distraction. The motivation for the 2 above visits was 5 days earlier on 31st Aug I had my sighting surprise of the decade which was a female Brown Hairstreak making a visit to my suburban garden coming to rest on Osmanthus (lower left 'topiary' frond in picture) whose leaves are waxy and similar in size to blackthorn. The garden is 2 miles from the area above and 0.6Km from any blackthorn. [Posted by Nick Furtek]
Sightings at Enfield. At private sites near Trent Park - 1 Small Heath, 1 Green-veined White, 1 Small White, 1 Red Admiral & 1 Blood-vein. At Bay Farm, along 'Jubilee Path/London Loop' - 1 Small Copper & male Common Blue. At Rectory Farm, Enfield - female Common Blue & 1 Clouded Yellow. At Flash Lane, EN2 - 1 Speckled Wood. 2 Small White nectaring on Michaelmas daisies at Chase Road, N14 at Southgate this afternoon. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Clouded Yellow at Nomansland Common. 2 Clouded Yellows spotted in Nomansland Common. Found East side on knapweed alongside Ferrers Lane and another on the track that runs parallel with High Street road. [Posted by Alex Penn]
Sightings at Enfield & Trent Park. At private sites near Trent Park - 1 Small Heath & 1 Speckled Wood. At Trent Park - 2 Small Heath together at 'Old Golf Course', 1 Small White & 4+ Green-veined White by lower lake, 1 Red Admiral near Ride Wd & 1 Speckled Wood edge of Williams Wd. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
St Albans garden. Gorgeous Knot Grass moth caterpillar in my garden this afternoon. This weeks transect in my hibernation shed recorded 4 Peacocks - one up from last week. I suspect one of those which left hibernation last week for a late top up feed [Posted by Malcolm Hull]
Sightings at Enfield & Trent Park. At private sites near Trent Park - 2 Small Heath, 2 Speckled Wood & 1 Red Admiral. At Trent Park - 1 Speckled Wood edge of Water Grdn. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Sightings at Enfield & Southgate. At private sites near Trent Park - 1 Small Heath & 1 Speckled Wood. 1 Small Dusty Wave at bus-stop shelter at Enfield Road, EN2. 1 Angle Shades at ASDA Southgate. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Sightings at Enfield & Trent Park. At private sites near Trent Park - 2 male Common Blue & 2 Small White. At Trent Park - 1 Speckled Wood near Shaws Wd. Also 1 Garden Carpet at bus-stop shelter at Bramley Rd, N14 at Oakwood this afternoon [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Common Blue. I persuaded a Common Blue to perch on my finger today in cool breezy conditions at Hill End Chalk Pit reserve, near Hitchin [Posted by Phil Barron]
Sightings at Enfield & Trent Park. At private sites near Trent Park - 1 Small Heath, 2 Speckled Wood, 1 Green-veined White & 1 Red Admiral. At Trent Park - 1 Meadow Brown. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Adonis Blues Therfield. A bit late, but I went to Therfield heath on 26 August. I parked at sports ground and walked up towards the Rifle Range. On the left were several male Adonis Blues some recently hatched. I saw about 10 of them plus females and some bedraggled Chalk Hill Blues. Also Brown Argus, Common Blues, Small Heath and Meadow Brown. A bit late but I thought it worth recording. Should be some still there. [Posted by steve kiln]
Cassiobury Park and Whippendell Woods. Although windy this afternoon Rick and myself went to have a check on Cassiobury Park in part to see if any of our plants had survived the drought of the summer. Although not many species seen today it was a delight to see 10 Small Copper. One of which was taking nectar from one of the field scabious plants that did survive our original planting a few seasons back. Fortunately other than a few thistles the ragwort flowers were keeping a nectar source going. Some of our birds-foot trefoil plants had survived and we did see our first Common Blue of the day there too. We had a count of 3 Common Blue the other two were lower down the park towards the river where birds-foot trefoil has gone banana's this year in the park! Whippendell Woods wasn't too successful once we reached there only 2 Whites seen 1 Green-veined White confirmed the other wasn't large and two moths on ragwort. [Posted by Peter Fewell]
Sightings at Oakwood Park & Town Park, Enfield. At Oakwood Park [0920 to 1000 BST] - 5 Speckled Wood, 4 Meadow Brown, 2 Small Heath & male Common Blue. At Town Park, Enfield [1240 to 1305 BST] - 4 Speckled Wood. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Autumn arrives in St Albans. An Autumnal feel to the butterflies on my allotment this morning. Small Whites out in profusion with rather less Large Whites. A Speckled Wood was enjoying the rotting fruit and the first new brood Comma feeding on Sedum. Two Common Blues and 2 Small Coppers fed avidly on the Fleabane and Innula. [Posted by Malcolm Hull]
Sightings at Enfield & Trent Park. At private sites near Trent Park - 1 Small Heath, female Common Blue, 1 Speckled Wood, 1 Red Admiral & 1 Green-veined White. At Trent Park - 1 Small White & 1 Brown Argus at Nrth Lawn by lower lake. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Sightings at Enfield & Trent Park. At a private site near Trent Park - 2 male Common Blue & 1 Small White. At Trent Park - 1 Meadow Brown & 3 Speckled Wood. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Hibernating Peacocks in St Albans. What better activity for a rainy day than to check on the Peacocks hibernating in my shed. There has been a total of five in residence since mid July. Today the total has reduced to three. No evidence of any being attacked by predators and I think most likely that they have temporarily emerged from hibernation for a top up feed before winter. I have observed this happening in previous years when we get a late hot spell, it was over 30 degrees here over the bank holiday. In fact I saw a Peacock flying locally only yesterday, the first time I've seen one on the wing for 6 weeks. Sadly still no Small Tortoiseshells in hibernation here this year [Posted by Malcolm Hull]
Sightings at Enfield & Trent Park. At private sites near Trent Park - 3 female Meadow Brown, 1 Small Heath, 2 Green-veined White [pair mating], 1 Small White. At Trent Park - 1 Small Heath at North Lawn by lower lake, 1 Green-veined White nectaring on buddleia, edge of Water Grdn & 1 Speckled Wood edge of Water Grdn. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Sightings at Trent Park. At Trent Park this morning - 4 Green-veined White [2 at North Lawn by lower lake & 2 edge of Icehouse Wd], 3 female Meadow Brown at North Lawn by lower lake & 3 Speckled Wood [1 edge of Icehouse Wd, 1 edge of Williams Wd & 1 near Shaws Wd]. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]