News Archive for Mar 2025

Major new study of butterfly declines. Brian Cassie has recently published a major new study on the decline of butterflies in north america. The major causes are pesticides, climate change and habitat loss. Many of you will know Brian is a regular attendee at our branch Zoom meetings. Read a summary of his findings on this link butterflies decline by 22% [Posted by Malcolm Hull]

Small Tortoiseshell. Very gladdened to see my first Small Tort of the year in Lea Valley Country Park in the bramble down the railway track close to Cheshunt train station. 1 x Brimstone too. [Posted by Nicholas Barnett]

Sightings from Stanwell Moor and Staines Moor. With more sunshine and warmth, as well as a quick tour of my local patch I braved the mud and trekked down to Staines Moor. The weather of the last twelve months has made the path impassable without hefty wellies, but the recent sunshine has dried things up just enough to make it possible to get through with care in my walking boots.. I had hoped to see Small Tortoiseshells, but was out of luck and had to make do with just a couple of Brimstones. There were one or two on the way down as well, and I counted another five on my usual walk, along with two Commas. [Posted by Dave Miller]

Brimstone at Edmonton. Male Brimstone reported by Dobrina Dobreva at Cedars Court, Edmonton, N9 during the afternoon. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]

Brimstone at Forty Hall CP, Enfield. Helen Shore reports a sighting of a Brimstone at Forty Hall CP. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]

Sightings from Stanwell Moor. A warmer day with no frost overnight: the Brimstones in particular responded, and I recorded nine today around my local patch, including an obliging female. Also seen: two Commas, two Peacocks and a Red Admiral. [Posted by Dave Miller]

Comma at Broomfield Park, Palmers Green, N13. 1 Comma flew around & settled on Conservatory roof at Broomfield Park, Palmers Green, N13 [TQ304927] this afternoon at 1446 GMT. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]

Balls Wood and Hertford. A Comma and Brimstone in Balls Wood and 2 male Brimstones clashing on Hartham Common, Hertford. [Posted by Andrew Wood]

Brimstone & comma. Further to my previous report, the male brimstone in my Harpenden garden has now been joined by a very fresh-looking comma. [Posted by Robin Pearson]

Comma

Brimstone. Male brimstone in my garden today, first sighting of anything this year! [Posted by Robin Pearson]

Comma. There was a Comma this morning on the back wall of my South Mimms house. [Posted by Terence Wood]

Sighting from Stanwell Moor. Just one butterfly on my local patch today: a Red Admiral, the same individual as seen on 1st of the month in the same spot. [Posted by Dave Miller]

Butterflies in Hertford. A male Brimstone on Hartham Common, Hertford and a Peacock sitting on a sunny fence in our garden in Bengeo. My first butterflies bar one in Wiltshire last month. [Posted by Andrew Wood]

Small Tortoiseshell. We had a Small Tortoiseshell yesterday (4/3/25) in our South Mimms back garden. [Posted by Terence Wood]

Woodberry Wetlands LWT - Brimstone. Pleasantly surprised to see my first Brimstone of the year. As well as 1 x Red Admiral. [Posted by Nicholas Barnett]

Batford Springs Nature Reserve, Harpenden. One Comma flying somewhat lethargically in the sunshine - my first sighting of 2025 [Posted by David Hunt]

Sightings from Stanwell Moor. The sunshine continues! A Comma and a Red Admiral seen on my local patch today, the latter butterfly being a different individual from those seen so far this year as it had the white spots of the bialbata variation (therefore likely to be female I believe?). [Posted by Dave Miller]

Fairlands Valley Park, Stevenage. Early afternoon stroll in the park yielded my first butterflies of the year. Although only 10c there was brilliant sunshine and light winds prompting a male Brimstone to fly and a Comma to bask on the ground [Posted by Peter Clarke]

Brimstone braves the cold. Only 9? and the ice from the bird bath still frozen on the lawn: but the first male Brimstone of the year flew into our Harpenden garden this morning. Good numbers of honey and bumble bees - and a bee fly. [Posted by Alan Jackson]

Brimstone in my garden. Male Brimstone in my garden in St Albans at lunchtime for the second day running. On both occasions it carefully searched round the evergreen bushes near to the Purging Buckthorn, even flying into them, presumably searching for females. In contrast I walked 5 miles through countryside and didn't see any others. It would make sense for the overwintering sites to be fairly close to suitable foodplants. Also I have up loaded the video of last weeks hissing Peacock to the Herts & Middx BC YouTube channel [Posted by Malcolm Hull]

Sightings from Stanwell Moor. Following what was possibly an even colder night, the temperature rose to close to 14 degrees by the afternoon on my local patch. I found four butterflies on my usual walk, including an immaculate Brimstone, a Red Admiral that may well have been the one seen two days earlier, plus two Commas - my first of the season. [Posted by Dave Miller]

Peacock and Red Admiral. Sightings from Wareside Sunday 2nd March 2025 Peacock - 1 Red Admiral - 1 Disturbed from hibernation in ivy whilst clearing up a fallen tree. [Posted by Philip MacMurdie]

Sightings from Stanwell Moor. Another glorious day following another frosty night in the Heathrow area. I found a Peacock close to where the M25 spur road crosses the River Colne (the first butterfly I've seen in this particular area this year) and then back nearer home I found a Red Admiral circling a sheltered spot that the species often frequents in the summer. [Posted by Dave Miller]

Brimstone. Wareside - TL396156 Brimstone - 2 [Posted by Philip MacMurdie]

Prestwick Meadows Brown Hairsteak egg return. We were hoping that we could turn the egg rescue return into an official branch event at Prestwick Meadows but it wasn't to be. Rick and myself went out this sunny afternoon and tied in those stems with eggs on. Each stems were either left with the original markers and tied in but with the ones marked with plastic and a couple of the wool ones we decided to remove and remark. The plastic was removed to save removing later and environmental reasons. The yellow wool was also removed on a couple of the eggs returned. The reason for this was possible restrictions for a hairy caterpillar to cross. All eggs are marked and have GPS locations recorded. We shall look forward to relocating the returned eggs at Prestwick Meadows to find out how many hatched and hopefully discover if any actually make it to a bud. All the GPS locations will be sent to Liz Goodyear to log into the survey. A special thanks to Rohan Harris who located a good number of these rescued eggs in the first sweep at Prestwick Meadows. [Posted by Peter Fewell]

Sightings from Stanwell Moor. Another Brimstone today on my local patch, flying strongly in the midday sunshine after another chilly night. A little later, a Red Admiral made an appearance in a sheltered spot close to the River Colne. [Posted by Dave Miller]