Archive Page
Sightings and news from January to June 2003
This page contains sightings details
of all the butterflies and moths reported to the Sightings page between
January and June 2003.
Note: These pages have been copied from the
original sightings page and some links will no longer work. All
images of butterflies or moths have been removed, but most can be
found in the Photo
House
JUNE
2003
Mon 30th June - (Some of Nick's news was "lost in transet")
29th June, Broxbourne woods from east car
park [10.30 to 1.30], white admiral [12 sightings ],
purple hairstreaks [10],
ringlets[12], meadow brown [60+], large skipper[20], comma [3],
small skipper, small white, large white, holly blue, red admiral,
speckled wood, 4 species of dragonfly. No sign of purple emperor
along sallows but did watch for a hour or so female white
admirals laying flat on the sallow branches waiting for males to
come along the males were flying very fast in and out the branches
covering vast areas in short spaces of time when the pair met they
would fly into the woods I see this happen 4 times in a hour.
28th June, Broxbourne woods from east car
park [1.30 to 4], white admiral
[30 sightings], purple hairstreaks [3], ringlets[6], meadow brown [60+], large skipper[4], comma
[5], small white, large white, holly blue, painted lady, speckled
wood. 2 species of dragonfly and a hornet, 23rd June,
comma at Dane End. 24th June,
painted lady at Thundridge.
22nd
June, Park Wood Bramfield,
ringlets[16], meadow brown [23], Large skipper[14], small
white [12], comma, small tortoiseshell, speckled wood, Broxbourne woods from east car park,
white admiral [9 sightings ] excellent views of one
nectaring on bramble flowers, ringlets[17], meadow brown [33], large
skipper[4], comma, painted lady, speckled wood. - Nick
Sampford
Maple Cross, on
June 25th. I saw 2 red admirals and a
painted lady in the farmland near my house. The weather was only
moderate with a hint of rain in the air, quite cloudy but warm. They
were in the undergrowth, mostly nettle and grasses and not
heading in any particular direction. That afternoon I also saw 1
small/Essex skipper, 2 large whites, 1 small white, 14
tortoiseshells, a pristine comma, and 6 meadow browns. Not bad for
variety! - Ann Piper
Horsenden Hill, summary of
yesterday's sightings; Large Skipper c.10, Small Skipper
c.40(no Essex Skipper positively IDed), Meadow Brown 100+,
Gatekeeper 3male, Speckled Wood 4, Common Blue 1, White-letter
Hairstreak 4 together at Horsenden Farm end,
Comma 10, Red
Admiral 3, Green-veined. White 3, Silver-Y 1 - Neil
Anderson
I don't seem to have sent you
my records for last weekend which are 1 Meadow Brown at Goodfellows Farm, 1 Large White at Mardleybury Manor, 1 Small
Tortoiseshell at Mardleybury, 1
Small Tortoiseshell at Slate Hall
Farm, 1 Meadow Brown at Gannock
Green, 1 Meadow Brown at Notley
Green - Alan Reynolds
Sun
29th June - 2 White Admirals and a Marbled White amongst
butterflies at Bricket
Wood, this morning - Clive Burrows
Purple
Hairstreaks have even reached Crouch End! Perfect specimen in my
garden today. Also Holly Blue - Helen Bantock
Horsenden Hill News, 29th June Purple Hairstreak (1), Gatekeeper
(2),
White-letter Hairsteak (7; including at least 3 nectaring), Comma
(5), Small Tortoiseshell (2), Painted Lady (3), Red Admiral (2),
Speckled Wood (3), Large Skipper (25+), Small Skipper (8),
unidentified Skipper (14), Large White (4), Small White (5),
Green-veined White (1), unidentified White (2), Meadow Brown
(numerous, not counted), Common Blue (1). In
nearby Perivale Wood an additional 1 Purple hairstreak and 1 White-letter Hairstreak. The
Purple Hairstreaks and Gatekeepers were my first of the year. News
from outside the area from Brampton Wood, Cambridgeshire,
28th June: White Admiral (ca. 10), Black
Hairstreak (4) - Andy Culshaw
Broxbourne Woods, first Purple Hairstreaks seen today, yesterday at
least 30 White Admiral
sightings, but fewer today - Nick Sampford - more news to
follow
Brian
Jessop has just rung to say he saw 3 Purple Emperor at
Tring Park yesterday!
I've just had a look at your
site as a result of seeing a Humming-bird Hawk Moth on my
lavender in my back garden in Ickenham (6.30 pm this evening 24th June). First time I've ever
noticed one in this country, and I hope to have pictures of my very
good views! Very pleased to find the entry on your pages from
Wednesday 18 June to reassure me that I wasn't going mad. Good
black and white markings on back end and overall hazy orange effect
of rapidly beating wings. Amazingly long proboscis! Liz
Ackroyd
Sat 28th June - A
further foray into the wilds of TL33 brought 2 Meadow Brown, 2 Small Tortoiseshell and 1 Large
Skipper at Lyle
End Farm, 1 Red
Admiral at Hyde
Hill Farm, 3 Small
Tortoiseshell, 3 Meadow Brown, 1 Ringlet and 1 Comma at Cave
Bridge, 1 Small Tortoiseshell at
Southfields farm, 30 Meadow Brown,
1 Painted Lady, 1 Small Tortoiseshell, 10 Large Skipper, 1 Large
White, 1 Green-veined White and 10 Ringlet at Broadfield Hall, and 1 Small
Tortoiseshell at Southern Green
farm - Alan Reynolds
Fri 27th June -
Following noted near our house at Puckeridge on June 21st
2003:- Painted Lady 1 Red Admiral
1 Meadow Brown 4 Small Tortoiseshell 4 Ringlet 7 Speckled Wood 2
Comma 1 Brimstone 1 Large White 1 Skipper sp 1 (Large/Essex/Small) -
Murray Orchard
Just a quick line to say that
at 08.15am, 26/06/03 I had the pleasure of seeing my 1st
Humming bird Hawk Moth. This was in my terraced garden in Walthamstow just south
of the north Circular Road. It was feeding on summer flowering
Jasmine and stayed approximately 15 minutes - Nick Farrer
Weds 25th June - Brian
Day phoned me today to report seeing 11 White
Admirals in Park Wood
Ruislip on Monday 23rd -
Andrew Wood
Tues 24th June - Balls
Wood, Herts, ten white admirals and around 90 ringlets - Martin
Shepherd
Mon 23rd June
- First Marbled Whites of year seen on Bunkers Park today. 3 were
reported to me by D & T Miller; I recorded one only during a
transect walk this pm - Mike Pearson
Sun 22nd June
- Ringlet at Ninesprings Way, Hitchin today. also at Old Hale Way allotment site
last week. Small Heath abundant on Pegsdon Hills yesterday in Beds -
did not get to the Herts section - too hot - Nigel Agar
At Broxbourne today saw 5 White Admiral, one at the top of the
main ride and four flying around the ferns down the bottom on the
right before reaching the bench. Also saw 3 Comma, 2 Red
Admiral, 1 Tortoiseshell, several Meadow Brown, Ringlets and just a
few Skippers - Lissa Smith
News from Horsenden Hill. A total of 10+
White-letter Hairstreaks at two different locations. Most (7+) were
around the recently coppiced area to the rear of Horsenden Farm on the south facing slope of
Horsenden Hill. They were tending to perch on the usual ash tree and
spiral high over the nearby elms, but I saw one nectaring on bramble
and a couple egg-laying on small (ca. 15foot) elms. The other
three were in the traditional spot west of Horsenden Lane on the regenerating elm hedge (known locally as Batts Field).
They typically emerge slightly later at the latter location as its
east facing. Didn't get a chance to check any of the other areas but
will hopefully get time to carry out a full survey next Sunday.
Other butterflies included comma (5), common blue (1), small skipper
(8), large skipper (36), meadow brown
(190+), unidentified white
(2). Also got 4 silver Y's and about half a dozen narrow-bordered
5-spotted burnets. Dragonflies included a Black-tailed Skimmer and
two Four-spotted Chasers - Andrew Culshaw
White
Admiral seen feeding on Bramble, on Sat 21st June
along Back Lane, Nicolson's Wood (part of Bramfield Woods) -
Dave Webb
Northaw
Great Wood. 1 newly
emerged White Admiral in private garden, also 1 Large White, 1 Red
Admiral, 2 Meadow Brown & 1 Large Skipper - Chris
Beach
Sat
21st June - Hemel Hempstead yesterday, Red
Admiral on Cotoneaster Rothschildianus at 7.10 a.m. Then moved on to
Hebe, Yarrow and Common Valerian. Large White on Cotoneaster and
Sweet William, also Small Tortoiseshell again on Cotoneaster
followed by Wild Privet and Hebe. Large Skipper on Scabious and
Sweet William. Lastly a faded Painted Lady on Sweet William -
Malcolm Newland
2 white letter hairstreaks in
Poles
Lane in elms by the
scout hut entrance also comma small skipper and meadow brown 12+
white letter hairstreaks crooked mile near White Round House there
were at least 4 showing all the time I was there, feeding on
creeping thistle with many eggs laying on the elm and buzzing around
the ash trees. Also red admiral 3 comma 10+ small skippers speckled
wood small green veined and large white 30 + meadow brown, I was
there for about 2 hours - Nick Sampford
Yesterday (20th June),
on a hot but breezy day at Kings
Mead, I saw 1 Red Admiral and 13 Small Tortoiseshell
along just 80 metres of New River bank by White House Sluice, a
further 6 Small Tortoiseshell from White House Sluice to the
flyover, with 6 Meadow Brown and 40 Large Skipper under the flyover between the New
River and the River Lea - Alan Reynolds
Thundridge - I had in my garden
yesterday 6 small tortoiseshells and
2 painted ladies this a higher count of small tortoiseshells than I
had last year so I'm chuffed also had 2 painted ladies 2 large
whites and a brimstone at Widford. Last Saturday my dad had a
painted lady in his garden which he reckons was half the size of a
normal one my first thoughts were a American painted lady but I'm a
optimist after talking to Andy he says he's seen specimens in a
museum which were like this and they are just stunted
specimens. I would of like to of seen it he's looked for it
everyday this week but with no luck as of yet - Nick
Sampford
Went to my local patch - Weston Hills, just outside
Baldock. Saw a single male Marbled White - my first for the
year. Also fresh Ringlet, Commas, Large and Small
Skippers - Ian Small
We spent an enjoyable three
hours over at Tring Park today
and saw 1 White Admiral, 3 Marbled White, 4 Painted Lady, 3
Tortoiseshell, 2 Red Admiral, 5 Small Blue, a large amount of
Ringlets, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, both Large and Small
Skippers, some burnet moths, and 4 Silver Y. Also treated to the
sight of a Roe Deer - Lissa Smith
Fri 20th June
- Broxbourne
Woods, today - 1 White
Admiral,1 Comma,1 Large Skipper, numerous Meadow Browns
and Speckled Woods, also 1 Peacock Moth - Jim Fish
One pristine White Admiral at Balls Wood today. The earliest
date by four days in my eight years recording here. Also
Ringlet, comma, meadow brown, Painted lady and large Skipper
out in reasonable numbers. Also an observation on late flight dates.
Yesterday in
Ware Park I
saw a rather ragged Peacock and today at Balls Wood another two, all of these are 2
weeks later than my latest dates for the over wintering Peacocks. As
Peacocks generally emerge end July and with things being about 2
weeks early this year there could be a tiny gap between the last of
last year's and the first of this year. This morning I had a Painted lady and a Red
Admiral both feeding on a Ceanothus in the front garden (Bengeo) at 08:15, I don't recall
ever seeing butterflies on this bush before and the early flight
after a relatively cool night was a bit surprising. The Painted Lady
was almost transparent - Andrew Wood
There is a strong Small
Tortoiseshell colony at the Old Hale Way allotment site in Hitchin. Also Red Admiral and
Small White - Nigel Agar
Brentford, 1 newly hatched Comma, 4
Painted Lady & 3 Red Admiral so far, and I haven't left the
office yet. The PL & RA heading north showing no signs of
stopping. Has there been another migrant influx? Chris (still
working hard) Court
Thurs 19th
June - This afternoon was hot but windy. Saw 26 small
tortoiseshells in a walk round
local farmland in Maple
Cross. Many were basking out of the wind but several
pairs appeared to be courting! Also my first sighting this year of 2
large skippers. One small white looking rather the worse for wear.
Plenty of peacock caterpillars well developed by now feeding off
nettles. Plus a very active silver Y moth - Ann Piper
Trent
Park,
yesterday, 1 male Essex Skipper and a >male Orange Tip - Robin White
(news via Robert Callf)
Wed 18th June
- Toby Austin, has sent some wonderful pictures taken in Costa Rica
- they are on the World
Butterfly Photo House page - please look at them and help
Toby identify the species please (I had wanted to put them up
on this page but there is isn't enough space at the moment, sorry
LG)
I finally managed to get in a
short visit to one of my favourite sites on Tuesday. I
went to the Aston Clinton Rag Pits to catch some roosting butterflies
(on film!!). I found; 2 fresh Marbled Whites roosting on a flower head - Allen
Beechey
Trent
Park, 1
ringlet, 3 red admirals, small heath, several small
tortoiseshells - Robert Callf and Robin White
Ponders End - Painted lady
emerged between 12:00 and 13:00 hours, then became active
around 4pm and flew off strongly from the garden. Watched it pump
out some fluid several times, then antennae straightened out, then
nothing for 2 hours, then began shivering its wings and opening
them - Andrew Middleton
Wed 18th June - I
enjoyed stunning and prolonged views of a Hummingbird Hawk-moth
in our back garden at Puckeridge on Monday evening 16th
June. It first appeared at 19.15 for a couple of minutes and then
again at 21.15 for about 5 minutes. It was feeding on the flowers of
white campion (Lychnis). I was able to note the yellow
hind wing as it hovered and the black and white pattern on the rear
end of the otherwise grey body, plus extraordinarily long proboscis.
A superb insect! This is the third record for our back garden: one
around kitchen window flower basket on 1/9/96 and one around runner
bean flowers on 18/7/00 - Murray Orchard
Tues 17th June -
Dagenham Chase,
another good butterfly day today - at least until the rain came.
More Meadow Browns out than last couple of days. 10+ small torts,
which is much better than I was getting at Ally Pally. Best sighting
of the day was a beautiful beautiful demoiselle. First sighting for
me and nice to know it lives up to its name - Tom Clarke
Mon 16th June - Work is
now moving back to Stevenage so I
took the opportunity today to have a look down the lane from
Norton Green. In half an hour I saw
1 Red Admiral, 1 Common Blue, 1 Comma, 12 Meadow Brown, 10 Large
Skipper and 1 Painted Lady - Alan Reynolds
Some butterfly/moth news from
Horsenden Hill over the weekend:
15th June (Friends of Horsenden Hill butterfly walk)
10am-12.30pm
Common Blue (6), Painted Lady (2), Large Skipper
(30+), Small Tortoiseshell (6), Comma (4), Speckled Wood (4), Red
Admiral (1), Meadow Brown (30+). No sign of White-letter Hairstreak
at the usual haunts yet. Most remarkable was a Clouded Buff (Diacrisia
sannio) netted and
potted by Rachel Terry and seen by all. Very unusual in Herts/Middx
and usually found on heathland. Other moths seen on the walk
included Silver Y (2), and Cinnabar. Today 16th June
(evening) Small Tortoiseshell (5), Painted Lady (1), Red Admiral (1)
- Andy Culshaw
Oaklands Tube Station - White-letter Hairstreak today. Trent Park area, 17 Painted Ladies, 19
Small Tortoiseshell, 28 Small Heath, 1 Small Copper also on
Friday 13th, 56 Small Heath in one hour - Robert Callf.
Also news via Robert, Robin White saw a Hummingbird Hawk-moth on the edge of
Williams Wood
Sun
15th June - Over the border in Beds - good site for small blue - Sundon Quarry had at least six before put
off by packs motorbike riding youngsters (now I know where all our
stolen cars end-up also). Noted single marbled white at
Barton Hills - Phil
Rhodes.
Walkern garden, a Hummingbird Hawk Moth has been feeding in my garden over this weekend
(14th & 15th June)....often returning to Honeysuckle and
other herbaceous plants. At Frogmore Estate
near Stevenage, at the end of May, 3 or
4 Grizzled Skipper and a
couple of Brown Argus, 10 Common Blue, Cinnabar, plethora of Painted
Ladies - Jeff Davies
Sewardstone Marsh, 13.00hrs. Eight white letter hairstreaks giving
superb views, found earlier today by Enfield Lock Conservation Group
and 13 June, Ermine Street/Balls Wood,
(12.00-14.00hrs) Speckled wood (14), large skipper (20), small
tortoiseshell (4), comma (3), meadow brown (4), red admiral - Martin
Shepherd
Dark Lane, Cheshunt allotments, Saw three Small
Tortoiseshells, four Meadow Browns, one unidentified skipper and one
white butterfly in the distance whilst taking a break from
weeding and watering on my allotment. The butterflies were at the
bottom end by a wood where there is a lot of grass, nettles and
brambles - Roger Newbold
Dagenham Chase,
had first Meadow Brown
today, lots of Small/Essex skippers, 1 small copper and a few
small tortoiseshell - Tom Clarke
Sat 14th June - A few
records from site visits today, Tring
Park, Herts: 2 Dingy Skipper, 3 Brimstone, 1
Common Blue, 1 Brown Argus, 4 Painted Lady, 2 Small
Tortoiseshell, 1 Red Admiral, 24 Meadow Brown, 12 Speckled Wood, 16
Large Skipper, 21 Burnet Companion, 8 Silver-Y, 4 Yellow Shell. Totternhoe Quarry: Over 1000 Small Blue on or at the
base of the high north-facing cliff, just north of the village
(actual count 1035 but this is an under-estimate). Counted
between 3.30pm and 5pm with 700 counted on the slopes (but many
would have been missed higher up the slopes especially as count
mainly refers to flying individuals) and over 300 associated with
the roosting area at the base of the cliff. Also counted
here 3 Dingy Skipper, 7 Small Tortoiseshell, 5 Large Skipper, 2
Common Blue, 4 Meadow Brown, 6 Cinnabar, 1 Silver-Y, 5 Burnet
Companion - Andrew Palmer
I would like to report
the sighting of around a score of small tortoiseshells
earlier this evening at the Radlett Road recreation ground
(junction of Radlett Rd and Balmoral Rd, Watford.) Although I have previously
seen individual specimens on this site this was far and away the
largest grouping. Marvellous. As they have become rare in this part
of Watford from being extremely common a few years ago. On the plus
side we now have orange tips, holly blues and occasional common
blues in North Watford when previously their were none to my
knowledge - John Liberty
Also, 3 white-letter hairstreaks chasing over an elm and flying
to nectar on lime flowers along road between King George V & William Girling
Reservoirs (Middx) this afternoon. Sewardstone - c 5 fresh comma -
Andrew Middleton
Tom Brereton of BC Head Office
asked Transect walkers to record when they first saw Marbled Whites,
but what may be of more interest locally is that the first dark green fritillaries are emerging on
Sharpenhoe. Seeing the entry for DGFs on the Hertfordshire
Butterfly & Moth Report (just received) it might be useful for
our members to, quote "start looking for the butterfly in those
parts of Hertfordshire that stick into Bedfordshire around Barton le
Clay". Angie & I did the Sharpenhoe Clappers (Beds) Transect at
lunchtime today (Saturday June 14th) and are pleased to report the
first Marbled White (male) of the season on the site. Also looking
newly emerged today, we saw four Dark Green Fritillary (three male
one female). Angie & I stopped and watched a particularly
darkly marked (upperside) male Dark Green Fritillary finish off
pumping up his wings on the ground. Other newly emerged
species seen this weekend on Sharpenhoe are Large Skipper and Meadow
Brown. NB: Small Blue & Green Hairstreak still flying too - Dave
Chandler (news courtesy Beds & Northants Branch)
Another hot day, this time in
TL43. Very little butterfly activity with only 2 Small Tortoiseshell
at Old Manor Farm, 1 Painted Lady
at Abbotsbury Farm, 1 Painted Lady, 1 Large White and 1
Meadow Brown at New Lake, and 1
Speckled Wood and 1 Painted Lady at Brent
Pelham Hall - Alan Reynolds
Dagenham Chase, Okay, not really in Herts
& Middx but thought I might as well continue to pass on news
from this sight (my new place of work). Today, small skippers and common blues in
good numbers, a couple of painted ladies, speckled wood, red admiral
and a few commas - Tom Clarke.
1 o'clock, Sewardstone Marsh, White-letter Hairstreak 1 out on
Wych Elm - Andrew Middleton
Took my son to a cricket match
at Hertford (Balls Park) on
Friday evening. Spotted a Speckled Wood and
two Large Skippers, the latter on some bramble flowers - Roger
Newbold
Andrew Middleton's Painted
Lady pupa has been added to life-cycle photos below
Fri
13th June - Hemel Hempstead, My first Humming-bird Hawk-moth of the
year on Red Valerian and Sweet William. Painted Lady, Small
Tortoiseshell and a Large White also seen - Malcolm
Newland
Just like old times. During my
weekly foray at Kings Mead, I
counted no less than 30 (yes thirty) Small
Tortoiseshells in 5 minutes on the New River bank by
White House Sluice. This must be the most I have seen in such a
short time since I was a boy (more than 10 years ago !!). Further
along the New River towards the flyover, a further 3 Small
Tortoiseshells and a male Brimstone! (a little odd?) (I had 1 in
my garden today as well - LG). Under the flyover, along a
200 metre stretch, I counted 26 Large Skipper, 1 Small Tortoiseshell
and 4 Painted Lady resting on the vegetation. Also 4 Meadow Brown on
Kings Mead itself. Earlier, in my garden (Hertford),
2 Painted Lady flying due west at 10 feet/second. The one on the
left had the map - Alan Reynolds
News from 9 June, Rammey Marsh, mid-morning: Cinnabar - Martin Shepherd
| Andrew Middleton trapped
a Small Ranunculus (a moth
once considered extinct) on the night of 11th June
in
Ponders End.
This is a message from Colin
Plant. This spread away from the Thames is expected,
and the Lea Valley could easily allow it to reach Herts. The
green caterpillars feed on Prickly Lettuce and Great
Lettuce (Lactuca virosa and L.seriola),
sitting on the developing flower heads and being EXTREMELY
camouflaged until you get your eye in. These are typical
plants of derelict land, railway yards, etc. However, adults
are on the wing NOW and they do come to light readily.
EVERYONE SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR THIS IN HERTFORDSHIRE - we have
not yet recorded this species in the county, so first one to
find it gets the credit for adding a new macro to the county
list. Look it up in the book so you know what to look for. It
looks remarkably like an incorrectly coloured Broad-barred
White (no surprise there - its the next species along in the
checklist). If you catch one, please keep it (will be
fine in a tube in the fridge) since someone will need to
confirm the identity. If you telephone
me, I may be able to come and look the same
day |
|
Ware garden this morning, 1 Small
Tortoiseshell, 1 Red Admiral, 1 Large Skipper and later male
Brimstone - Liz Goodyear
Thurs 12th June - Out
for a quick break and rescued a freshly emerged Comma inflating its
wings from the road, Brentford Middlesex - Chris
Court
1 female and 1 male common
Blue at different sites either side of Ware
Park Quarry and one on the verge of northbound slip
between
the A10 and A602 in Ware. 8 meadow Browns near Ware Park
Quarry. 3 Painted ladies in Ware Park and 3 off Westmill Road, Ware along with a
Small Tortoiseshell - Andrew Wood
Brimsdown/King George V Res/Sewardstone - 12 small tortoiseshell, 4 painted lady - Andrew Middleton
Speckled
Yellow moths frequent in Broxbourne
Woods. Meadow Brown out this afternoon in Danemead (part of Brox woods.) - Nigel
Agar
Wed 11th
June - I thought I should share an interesting report of
local butterfly abundance with you from Greg Herbert. Greg
visited Totternhoe Knolls & Quarry (Beds)
tonight and, between 6pm and 6.30pm and on the old chalk quarry
face counted an amazing total of 814 Small
Blue. This site is known for its strong colony of "cupido", but this total is exceptional -
news via Dave Chandler, Beds & Northants Branch
Bunkers
Park, 5th June: Painted Lady 10, no
particular direction of flight and 9th
June: Painted Lady 2, plus Meadow
Brown and Large Skipper on the wing now - Dr. Paul Clack
The Painted Lady caterpillar
has now pupated and the image will appear later - Andrew
Middleton
Tues
10th June - Ponders End, large skipper - Andrew
Middleton
Mon 9th
June - Hemel Hempstead, got back from the allotment to
find 4 painted ladies at once all on red
valerian. This is the greatest number that I have ever seen together
since I started keeping records. Thought you might like to see the
photo which my son David took with his digital camera - Malcolm
Newland
At lunch time today I saw a
painted lady in my Ware garden, and this
afternoon a Red Admiral in Widbury Hill -
Ian Edwards
Today, walking in the vicinity
of N.W.Bishop's Stortford, 7 Small Tortoiseshells, 3 Large Skipper, 1
Common Blue, 4 Speckled Wood, 1 Brimstone, 1 Small Heath, 1
Painted Lady, 6 Red Admiral, and 1 Cinnabar Moth. Also in the garden N.W.Bishop's Stortford, 1 Small
Tortoiseshell, 1 Painted Lady, and 1 Red Admiral, all were nectaring
on a small Hebe - Jim Fish
Sun 8th
June - A couple of Painted Lady sightings from this
weekend: Sat. 7th June: 1 Bentley Priory, Middx - not obviously
migrating. Sun. 8th June: 1 Barnes WWT, Surrey - flying east at high
speed (wind assisted) - Andy Culshaw
Sat 7th
June - Further to my recent notification of 164 Common Blues
counted for Bunkers Park on 2 June, I have just be given CB figures
which put mine in the shade. Dulcie & Tom Miller, co-walkers of
the Bunkers Park transect, did a walk on
the hot Saturday, 31 May, and counted
over 400 Common Blues. I find these
numbers extraordinary in view of the very sharp drop in 2nd brood
sightings I reported for August last year; have you any thoughts?
Mike Pearson
Rammey
Marsh East: Meadow brown (13.30hrs),
30+ common blues, two red admirals on bramble flowers. Also, three
painted ladies from this site nectaring on bramble flowers on 5 June, 09.30hrs - - Martin Shepherd
Today, whilst on dragonfly
Atlas duty, I saw 1 Painted Lady, 1 Orange Tip and 2 Red Admiral at
Cave Bridge, 1 Red Admiral at Southfields Farm, 1 Painted Lady at Broadfield Hall,
1 Peacock, 1 Red Admiral and 2 Orange Tip at Southern Green - Alan Reynolds
Alexandra Palace news from 5th June - 5 Painted Ladies, 1 Red Admiral,
1 Peacock, 1 Small White, 1 Holly Blue, 2 Commas and 11 Speckled
Wood - Diane Andrews (news by phone)
Thu 5th
June & Fri 6th June, single Painted Ladies seen both
days in Welwyn Garden City - one flying
down the road as I returned from lunch, and the other from my office
window, apparently undeterred by the wind and rain - Ian Small
News from Monday 2 June, I recorded 164 Common Blues on my Bunkers Park transect. This is by far
the highest single visit total during June that I've recorded since
the transect started in 1999. I also note that this is still
in week 9; in previous years, June peak counts have been during
weeks 10 or 11 - Mike Pearson
Thurs
5th June - 1 Painted Lady basking on the track at Kings Mead - Alan Reynolds
At Balls
Wood today I saw my first Large Skipper
and Meadow Browns of the year (one of each), also a Small
Tortoiseshell which is never numerous in the Wood. There were also a
couple of Painted Ladies and as ever plenty of Speckled Woods. Also
saw a Small Tortoiseshell in Ware Park
Road on the 3rd. - Andrew Wood
Trent
Park & Vicarage Farm, Enfield, male
Meadow Brown, 29 small heath, 7 small
copper, 8 painted lady, emperor species of dragonfly, smallish,
bright blue base to otherwise brown abdomen, seen for c5 minutes -
Robert Callf
I've just counted 4 Painted
Ladies in our front garden, here in Harrow, feeding on Red Valerian.
Margaret and I saw 5+ on yellow rape flowers in the Hampden Valley, Bucks on Tuesday - John Hollingdale
On my way to check the "Palace
trap" (central Middlesex) this
morning there were no fewer that 17
Painted Ladies on a probable Buddleja alternifolia plant growing
in the garden. Many were very faded but some were remarkably fresh -
Martin Honey
Saw my first Painted Lady of
the year in my Ware garden this morning
at 8.45 - Liz Goodyear
Tues 3rd
June - I forgot to mention that I saw a Meadow Brown on Sunday too. It was flying down the
main path from the car park at College
Lake - Allen Beechey
Mon 2nd
June - Hemel Hempstead garden, saw
four Painted Ladies today, two were heading northwards in a hurry,
one stopped briefly before carrying on, while the fourth one
decided to stay for the afternoon, nectaring on Chives, Delphinium,
Knautia, Sweet Rocket and pink, white and red Valerian. No other
species seen - Malcolm Newland
Brimsdown, Middx, 3
painted ladies, 1 buttoned snout flew
onto a bush and wrapped itself around a twig - Andrew
Middleton
News from Robert Callf - The Trent Park area. First a
correction the Large Skipper was seen on the 26th May and not
27th. Robert was thrilled to report that he has confirmed his
sighting of 2 Brown Argus at Trent Park
today. The first one was seen by Robert and Robin White on
Friday but he/they were able to get a positive id today. This
is a new species for the site. Also seen today, 3 Common Blue,
10 Silver Y moths, and 1 Small
Copper. 2 Large Skipper were seen
by Robin White today. On 30th May
Robert saw 9 Small Copper and 40 Small
Heath in less than one hour
Harold
Court, Essex, 15 painted ladies, first
meadow brown - Colin Jupp
Today I saw 2 Painted Lady in the MBDA car park at Stevenage and another at Kings Mead - Alan Reynolds
Today Mon, 2 Painted Lady's in my garden N.W.Bishop's Stortford nectaring on Valerian
and basking on Gravel. Possibly another migration coming up with the
storm last night ? - Jim Fish
I went out on Sunday to College
Lake nr. Tring, to look for, ...well anything small and
airborne! Although the weather was brewing up for a storm I
managed to see quite a bit. In total I saw 14 Small Blue (see pictures), 30+ Common Blues, 1 Painted Lady, 1
Brimstone, 1 Female Orange Tip that failed to land thereby robbing
me of the chance to complete Liz's photo challenge, 1 Speckled Wood
and finally 1 male Chalkhill Blue. I am 105% certain of this
last sighting as a) it landed on my foot! (almost!) and b) it was
considerably larger than any of the Common Blues hat it was fly
with. One of the reserve wardens had also seen one earlier in
the week. Oh and still no Green Hairstreaks by the way!! :-( - Allen
Beechey
North
Harrow, Colin Plant has just informed me that the odd moth I
sent to him on Sunday was an Orange
Footman. This is a rare visitor to Middlesex. It turned up in my
garden trap on Saturday night, May 31st -
John Hollingdale
Sun 1st
June - Hertford, it's all a bit worrying. After the early
spots of rain, I started some gardening at 11.00am and carried on,
with lunch in the garden, until 4.00pm when rain stopped play. In
all that time, on a sometimes sunny and warm (24 degs C) day, I did
not see a single butterfly. However, thanks to the photographs on
the website, I was able to identify a Burnet
Companion which settled on the grass - Alan Reynolds
East
Warwick Res: Painted Lady - 1, Lockwood
Res: Painted Lady - 5+. 31
May, Tottenham Marshes, Clouded
Yellow - David G Darrell-Lambert
May
2003
Sat 31st
May - After 5 hours carrying out dragonfly Atlas work on a hot
and sunny day in TL33, all I managed to
see were 1 Large White at Mardleybury
Manor, 1 Small White at Gannock
Green, 1 Common Blue and 2 Orange Tip at Roe Green , 1 Red
Admiral, 1 Peacock, 2 Orange Tip and 1 Large White at Lyle End Farm and 1 Orange Tip at Hyde Hill Farm. Fortunately, dragonflies
were rather more numerous - Alan Reynolds
Sewardstone area: 1,260 common blues between 15.45 and
18.00. Also two small coppers and painted lady - Martin
Shepherd
I went over to Ivinghoe Beacon (UpperThames Branch NT site
in North Bucks) today [May 31st] to see if the butterfly collectors
were still around and am very pleased to report that none were
seen. However, I did meet a lovely couple from BC's Suffolk
Branch who were photographing Duke of Burgundy butterflies. We saw a
freshly emerged male and, very pleasing, an egg-laying female.
However, even more surprising was a very very early male Dark Green Fritillary. Its the first
time I've ever seen Dukes & DG Frits on the same day on the same
site. I also saw Green Hairstreak, Brown Argus, Common Blue,
Brimstone, Small Heath & Large White - Dave Chandler
Ickleford: 2 Small Copper, 25 Common Blue, 1
Orange-tip, 2 Burnet Companion, 3 Sitochroa verticalis (pyralid). Hexton Chalk Pit: 1 Painted Lady, 2 Dingy Skipper, 1 Silver-Y, 4 Common Blue,
1 Brimstone in a brief visit (me, not the Brimstone), Pegsdon: 1 Painted Lady, 6 Small Heath and
over just the border nearby 1 Green Hairstreak, 1 Mother Shipton, 1
Dingy Skipper. Over the border at Sharpenhoe: 8 Small
Blue (plus 3 eggs), 1 Painted Lady, 1 Green Hairstreak, 2 Dingy
Skipper, 22 Small Heath, 1 Mother Shipton, quite a few Common Blue -
Andrew Palmer
Wed 28th
May - I went up to Tring Park this
evening to look for Grizzled Skipper and Green Hairstreak.
Missed out on the Hairstreaks again but did find one very photogenic
Grizzled Skipper along with 3 Dingy Skipper, 5 Common Blues and 1 Large
White. I did also find three Red Admiral Caterpillars up at
the top of the site and several 5 spot Burnet moth caterpillars
pupating on grass stems. I also saw a interesting green moth that I
couldn't identify. Any ideas? (Its a
Green Carpet, see below) - Allen Beechey
Frogmore
Quarry: In good sunshine only one Grizzled Skipper seen after one hour search.
Also seen Common Blue 10, Brown Argus 1,
Small White 1, Orange Tip 1. 26th
May, Wheathampstead Education Centre:
Common Blue 8, Large White 1, Orange Tip 3 (one feeding from
Ragged Robin). Day flying moths Burnet Companion 4, Cinnabar 1 and a Burnet caterpillar - Trevor
Chapman
Tues
27th May - News via Robert Callf, Trent
Park area 1 Large Skipper seen by
Robin White (now confirmed as being seen on
the 26th May)
'Quote of the week' from Alan
Reynolds - "Anything about Alison?" " Not really, apart from the
Green Hairstreaks in my garden." Alison Jones, Holme Norfolk
WT, 26th May 2003
Mon 26th
May - Ivinghoe, 4 Duke of Burgundy, 1
Brimstone, 2 Common Blue, 2 Brown Argus, Burnet Companion and Mother
Shipton moths but no sign of Green Hairstreak. Nearly forgot, lots
of Small Heath - Malcolm Newland
Tingley
Wood (Highdown), nice to find at least one Green Hairstreak in it's traditional spot on
the slope - Stuart Pittman
Sun 25th
May - Wheathampstead Education Centre: Common Blue 4, Orange Tip
2 - Trevor Chapman
Sewardstone area - 200+ common blues in an hour, also one or
two orange tip, large white, peacock and small tortoiseshell. Found
brimstone larvae on alder buckthorn and 'my' painted lady (see image below) caterpillar is feasting
back home on its thistle. Hatched after a week and is now about 6mm
long a week later - Andrew Middleton
Sat 24th
May - Barton-le-clay: Green Hairstreak 1, Brimstone 4, Dingy
Skipper 1, Common Blue 2, Brown Argus 1, Small Heath 3, Large White
1, Orange Tip 2, Common Heath moths 5. Sharpenhoe Clappers: Dingy Skipper 2, Common
Blue 5, Small Heath 6, Peacock 4, Brimstone 5, Orange Tip 2, Painted
Lady 2, Holly Blue 1, plus one probable female Common Heath moth -
Trevor Chapman
Ickleford, nice to see a pristine Brown Argus at the site today always scarce
hereabouts - Stuart Pittman
Fri 23rd
May - As a result of perfectly timing my free time and holidays
with the worst of British weather, I haven't had the chance to visit
any local butterfly sites until recently. Today, though I
managed to pay a visit to Aldbury Nowers and a little known site
called the Aston Clinton Rag Pits (in Bucks). In the short
periods of sunshine I manged to see; Aldbury
Nowers:- 2 Male and 1 female Common
Blues (see pictures), 3 Brown Argus
(one sat still for long enough to have its photo taken!), a Small
Heath, 1 Brimstone & 1 Large White. All were seen on the
isolated area of grassland in Turlhanger Wood. However, I singularly
failed to se my target species; Green Hairstreak and Grizzled
Skipper. Aston Clinton Rag
Pits:- Just over the border in the
badlands of Bucks, this is a cracking little site which as far as I
know is relatively unknown to Butterfly recorders. In a brief
sunny interlude 8 male and 2 female Common Blues appeared along with
2 Dingy Skippers. The female Common Blues at this site seem to
possess a wide variety in wing pattern between individuals (see
pictures) - Allen Beechey
Thurs
22nd May - In the recent fine spell before the rains came I
visited 35 Tetrads in under-recorded areas of Herts. and
recorded Orange Tips in 30 Tetrads, Peacock in 16, Small White
in 11, Green Veined White in 9, Brimstone & Small Tortoiseshell
in 8, Large White in 7, Holly Blue in 5, Red Admiral in 2,
& Comma in 1. Most were singles and there were rarely more than
3 of any species at any site. Many of the sites are roadside verges
with Garlic Mustard. I have records of most of these sites
from 1985 & 1986 when recording for Brian Sawford' s book and I
remember seeing swarms of Orange Tips on many of these roadside
verges then, but unfortunately we did not record numbers. The very
thin scattering of butterflies now was noticeable - Charles
Smith
A nice surprise to see a
Painted Lady on Rothamsted Farm on May
21st. It didn't seem to be going anywhere - Michael Healy
Wed 21st
May - Trent Park
area, Silver Y, 5 burnet companion
moths, several mother shiptons, 7 small
copper, 11 small heath, speckled wood, small yellow underwing. 9 common blues on old golf course, painted
lady - Robert Callf, also Robin White
Cheshunt
Park area, over approx 2 hours period came across 1 Mother
Shipton, 2 Burnet Companion, 9 Small Yellow Underwing moths, 4 Small
Copper, 2 Small Heath, 1 Peacock and 6 Common Blue including a
female - Liz Goodyear and Andrew Middleton
Grizzled
Skipper at Bunkers Park, Hemel
Hempstead. On Thursday 15 May, at
about 15h30, I had just completed an an uneventful transect walk and
was putting off a few spare minutes walking through the meadow which
is bounded by sections 1-3 of the transect route. I saw this
small brown butterfly/moth flying very close to the ground through
the longer grasses. It settled quite near me on a grass stem
and I was able to approach within a couple of
feet (I could even have touched it) before it flew
off. It was obviously a butterfly, not a moth; at rest it held
its wings in a "V" position and gently opened and closed them.
The underside of the wings was a mottled pale brown; the upper side,
which I could not see all of, appeared to be dark chocolate brown
(not black) with vividly contrasting white spots; the description
"chequered" pattern seemed entirely appropriate. A confirmatory
sighting of a single Grizzled Skipper was made in the same area on
the following Saturday, the 17th, by
Dulcie & Tom Miller, who also walk my transect - Michael
Pearson
Orange Tips at Amwell Pit including a female egg -laying on
Wild Turnip (16th May) - Nigel Agar
Sun 18th
May - Pegsdon Hills Rather disturbingly - no GHs on their master
hedge on the 15th. Perfect day in
high season. Possibly heavy rain squalls had wiped out the
individuals seen on the 4 - 5 May. Also an assiduous party of
Long tailed Tits were working the site! Brown
Argus on Telegraph Hill - Nigel
Agar
Fri 16th
May - There were Painted Ladies on Thursday 15th May at Shenleybury and Radlett - Colin
Everett
Here's yesterdays sightings in the Bishops Stortford area, 1 Holly Blue (Kent
Crescent), 1, Brimstone (Cambridge Road) and a white species in West
Road - Nick Sampford
Thurs 15th May - Broxbourne Wood NR - 2 speckled woods
nectaring on garlic mustard, c10 speckled
yellows, 2 mother shiptons, orange
tip, large white, couldn't find any grizzled skippers - Andrew
Middleton
Finally last week saw 5
Speckled woods in Darlands NR on Tuesday 7th at between 1/1.30pm - Frank
Johnson
Had three butterflies yesterday
and here goes: Male orange tip Sandon,
Painted Lady at Ashwell and
Green-veined White at Buntingford - Nick
Sampford
MIGRANT BUTTERFLIES - There
have been reports of Painted Lady and other migrant species over the
weekend, so as usual, when you see a migrant species, record the
direction of flight as exactly as possible. If several keep
appearing, switch to the stopwatch function on your wristwatch (if
you have one) and time the flight over two identifiable boundaries,
such as the two sides of a garden, which can then be used to get the
flight speed. Other information such as wind direction, wind
speed (Beaufort scale - see
transect instructions on the website) and weather conditions
are also useful.
TRANSECT WALKERS NEEDED - Denis Shepperson will
be unable to walk The Warren and Colney Heath transects next
year. These were among the first transects to be established
in Hertfordshire - in 1991 and 1992 respectively, and are thus
important when measuring long-term trends in species
abundance. If you can help, either by taking over, or just
standing in to walk the transect now and then, please let me
know. The transects are both near Smallford, which is close
enough to Hatfield, St Albans, Welwyn or Potters Bar - John Murray
Wed 14th
May - Just a single butterfly species to report from urban
Middlesex .... a male Common Blue was
seen in The Natural History Museum Wildlife
Garden yesterday (13/5/03) and,
despite last night's heavy rain, it was still there this morning at 7am - tightly hugging a
flower stalk - Martin Honey
Mon 12th
May - I saw a painted lady on 5/5/03
adjacent to Aldbury Nowers, and two Green Hairstreaks on 9/5/03 along with another grizzled skipper in a different part of the
site than before. Several possible dingy skippers but I remain to be
convinced they are not moths - Martin Hicks
Sat 10th
May - Horsenden Hill Butterfly News;
Small Copper (3), Common Blue (3), Orange
Tip (4), Large White (1), Green-veined White (2), Peacock (1),
unidentified White (Small/G-veined)(2) - Andy Culshaw
Had my first red admiral of the
year - it was at Sewardstone Marsh,
Essex, on 9 May at 10.15hrs, flying north
before settling some distance away - Martin Shepherd
Fri 9th
May -Trent Park area 29 small heath, 10
small coppers 1 red admiral, 3 painted
ladies, Also holly blue, 3
small tortoiseshell. - R Callf
Small
Heath (2) Common Blue (1) Mother Shipton (3) - lunchtime today
on site at work in Stevenage -
Trevor Chapman
A day off work allowed me to
walk the Highdown transect,a lovely Wall at the top of the Lane and a bonus
Painted lady flying. No green Hairstreaks yet though at Tingley wood
slope, it is very scrubbed up there now - Stuart Pittman
Thurs
8th May - Searched for Green Hairstreaks and Dukes at Ivinghoe Beacon yesterday. Perfect weather
but no sightings. Did not check Bison Hill - Nigel Agar
One (probably more but only saw
one at a time) at Marsworth reservoir in
the reed bed on Sunday. Also present
speckled wood, green veined white - Ian Burrus
Yesterday, Wednesday, on a walk
between Wickham Hall and Bourne Brook nr
Bishop's Stortford, 1 Painted Lady, 1 Small Tortoiseshell (Egg
Laying), 1 Brimstone, 5 Orange Tips and 2 Small Whites - Jim
Fish (sorry Jim missed this one, if anyone
sent in anything and it's not up - please shout!)
Wed 7th
May - Trent Park area, Vicarage
Farm 6 painted
ladies. Trent Park 'new fields' - 20 small
heath, 4 small copper. Also red
admiral, brimstone and c 5 small
tortoiseshell - Robert Callf
Yardley
Hill, Epping Forest 1 painted lady - Andrew Middleton.
Also visited Waterford Heath/Rickneys
area today, a controlled field walk near railway line in North Pit, lasting about an hour produced 10 Grizzled Skipper with 2 more right up in
the north end. Rickneys, 1 Small
Copper, "several" Painted Ladies, 1 Red
Admiral, Peacocks, whites, Orange Tips (male + female), Brimstones,
2 Holly Blue, 2 Small Tortoiseshell, and the following moths - several Small Yellow Underwing, 1 Latticed
Heath, Burnet Companion and Mother Shipton - Andrew Middleton
and Liz Goodyear
Spent 2 hours up at Waterford
(south pit) today and saw 9+ grizzled
skippers, 2 small coppers, 20+ orange tips, 3 brimstone, 2 large
white, 10+ peacocks, 1 small tortoiseshell, 10 whites (either green
veined or small) - Nick Sampford
Hemel
Hempstead garden, first male Brimstone seen since 4th April
stopped to nectar on Honesty flowers. My first Red Admiral of the season paused briefly
before continuing its northward progress. Many Orange -Tips seen
with an increasing number of females, also Small and Green-Veined
Whites. Forget-Me-Nots equalling Honesty in popularity - Malcolm
Newland
Frogmore
Quarry nr Stevenage lunchtime today 7/5/03. Small Copper (1), Green Veined White (1),
Small White (3), Speckled Wood (1), Peacock (1) and Common Blue (4). Then what I was looking
for.....Grizzled Skippers grand total
of 16. Oh, and 3 burnt-out cars - Trevor Chapman
Three
Green Hairstreaks yesterday at the
usual master hedge site on the Pegsdon
Hills. Not easy to see as the hawthorn there is only just coming
out and that is where they were nectaring. They seem to take no
notice of the Wayfaring Tree which has been out some time. Dingy Skipper also present on old chalk pit
and Small Heath on new grassland.
Unfortunately all the sightings were on the
Beds side of the border. I think we must think of Telegraph/ Pegsdon as one site. Orange Tip
also and Holly Blue reported - Nigel Agar
A very good start to the
season, significant rise in brimstone sightings - (from nil). I seem
to be finding them all over the place. Also early holly blues +
painted ladies flying north (at speed) yesterday, both on the North Enfield Transect and in St. Albans (whilst playing cricket) - Phil
MacMurdie
Tues 6th
May - One Painted Lady on the Meads near Sacred Heart school at Ware about
17:00 today - Andrew Wood
Bedfords Park, (Essex) 10 species of
butterfly inc red admiral, holly blue,
small tortoiseshell, small copper - C Jupp
Trent Park/Vic Farm total 12 species of
butterfly inc 4 small coppers, 15 small heaths, 20
speckled woods, painted lady (Trent and one Vic farm) - Robert
Callf & Robin White
Benington Monday pm, farmland: 2 Painted Ladies
along with more usual of which Small Tortoiseshell most numerous
- P. Smith
Hemel
Hempstead garden, had my first Painted
Lady this year, 9.30a.m.which stopped to nectar on Viburnum
Carlecephalum before continuing its flight northwards. At lunchtime
had four Orange Tips in view at once including a pair mating on a
Garlic Mustard plant (good choice!). Plenty of Holly Blues on warmer
days plus a few whites - Malcolm Newland
3
Painted Ladies seen today all in the vicinity of Bishop's Stortford - Jim Fish
Ware Old Lea - This morning I saw one male
Orange Tip, noticeably smaller than others I have seen in this area
- Ian Edwards
I had two Painted Ladies yesterday 5th May: Perivale
Wood, Middlesex - the insect was stationary (it was early and
quite cool!) although was doing some sunning. Broadwater Gravel Pit, Middlesex). This one
was on nettles at the side of the River Colne but then flew out of
sight (heading west and gaining altitude over trees) very rapidly -
Andy Culshaw
Mon 5th
May - Trent Park area, 3 Small Heath,
2 Small Copper. 2 Painted Ladies one
Trent Park Church wood area, one Vicarage Farm - Robert Callf, also
Robert reports that John Whiteman saw a Small
Heath at Trent Park on Sunday
Saw a Painted Lady and Red
Admiral spiralling together today on Patmore Heath - Gavin Vicary
Brimsdown (Mossops Creek) 3 Orange Tips - Helen Bantock
Nice views of Painted Lady today at Tyttenhanger. Definite near A414 entrance to
Fishing club. Then another probable in a rape field between Tyttenhanger Farm and Colney Heath - Rupert
Pyrah
On a lovely sunny day, if a bit
windy, (May 4) I saw 4 large whites, 3
small whites, 3 orange tips (2 male, 1 female) 10 peacocks and 8
small tortoiseshells. This was on my usual walk along a farm
footpath in Maple Cross. I also spotted 3
groups of caterpillars on nettles, quite small still, but almost
certainly tortoiseshells not peacocks. I will keep an eye on their
progress! - Ann Piper
Red
Admiral, 1; Whitehall Bishops
Stortford, Painted Lady 2 Near Bishop's
Stortford - Looks as if you were right, migrants have come in in
the last two days - Jim Fish
Wall
Brown sunning in pathway leading to flood channel South end of
William Girling Reservoir (just Middx!) - Tony Clancy (Tony has told Andrew Middleton many times that
Wall was fairly common around south end of WG Res not so long ago
{in early 1990s})
Sun 4th
May - Along the bank of the River Stort N.W. Bishop's Stortford today two Red Admirals, and numerous Orange Tips
all Male - Jim Fish
At Kings
Mead today, on a very warm and sunny but windy day, I managed to
see 1 Brimstone, 20 White sp, 1 Small White, 1 Large White, 7 Orange
Tip, 1 Blue sp (presumably Holly), 1 Small Tortoiseshell and 1
Peacock - Alan Reynolds
Out a bit today and saw the
following: Bengeo St, Hertford Holly Blue
1; Sacombe Rd Bengeo Holly Blue 1, Orange
Tip 1; Waterford Heath South Pit Grizzled Skipper 1, Speckled Wood 1; Waterford Heath North Pit Large White 1,
Brimstone 1, Orange Tip 1, Green-veined White 1, Ware Lock Orange Tip 2 Peacock 2; Mead Lane Hertford Orange Tip 1; Meads near end of Mead lane Hertford Red Admiral 1; Ware
Park Red Admiral 1, Peacock 1,
Green-veined White 1, Waterford Heath South Pit Peacock 1 - Andrew
Wood
Nomansland Common near Wheathampsted - 1
Small Copper - Robert Callf
Fri 2nd
May - Had a Wall Brown at Rainham Marshes on Wednesday - Howard Vaughan
I saw an Orange Tip
while I was working in my mother's garden (Violet Chandler) in King's Langley on Wednesday afternoon (30th April) - Dave Chandler
Thurs
1st May - Bishops Stortford, my first Speckled Wood of the year
in my garden this morning, choosing the compost heap / wood pile to
enjoy a brief spell of sunshine - Andrew Hardacre
Ware
garden, a strange event this year - a butterfly - 1 Comma at
lunchtime - Liz Goodyear
April
2003
Wed 30th
April - 2 Orange Tips today at Great
Hormead one of each sex - Nick Sampford
Tues
29th April - Ware Old lea Two male Orange Tips this morning -
Ian Edwards.
Green
Hairstreaks active on the Pegsdon
Hills this afternoon. None seen at Telegraph Hill or Hoo Bit on
the Herts side but the weather was not ideal and I don't know where
there is a 'master bush' in this area - unless of course there is
just the one that we know about on the Beds side where all the males
congregate - Nigel Agar
Trent
Park area, 4 Orange Tip - Robert Callf
Mon 28th
April - Aldbury Nowers transect (27th), thought you might be interested to
know that I recorded at least one confirmed grizzled skipper on the very last stretch,
which I was quite pleased with. I have never seen one before, but
clear ID - it was on my finger at one point - Martin Hicks
Sat 26th
April - I am still walking over Darlands Nature Reserve, but as
yet nothing to report, seen a few butterflies on way over. On
Tuesday 22 April I was in Mill Hill and saw two Orange Tips around ten
past one - Frank Johnson
Wed 23rd
April - Essex, Noak Hill area various sites, 30+ orange tips inc. 9 males and a female
around lady's smock in sheltered spot by farm. 2 brimstone, 8
green-veined.whites, 12 speckled woods,
several peacocks, only single small tortoiseshell, comma and holly
blue - Colin Jupp
Rickneys
Quarry area, 1 Small Copper -
Andrew Middleton and C. Shepperson
Just back from Waterford Heath, 2
Grizzled Skipper on north pit near railway line (one was
malformed!), left Andrew Middleton and C. Shepperson looking for
more although South pit on Sacombe Road side had earlier drawn a
blank - Liz Goodyear
Whilst searching the
surrounding countryside for JM's elusive Orange-tips, I saw an early
Small Copper on a site alongside Oxhey
Lane near Watford. Incidentally I evicted
the fourth Aphomia sociella (Bee Moth) from our front room this
morning. Must be a bee-nest under the floorboards - John
Hollingdale
Saw the first Grizzled Skipper on the Waterford North transect yesterday - Richard
Bigg
Tues
22nd April - I'm back at work now and I'm buzzing around the
countryside, seen today. Orange
Tips seen at Thundridge [1 m],
Braughing [2m], 5 between Braughing and Furneux Pelham [4m 1f], Ware [1 m], Tonwell [1 m], Sacombe park [2m 1f]. Bennington [2 m]. Green-veined white and
holly blue at Park Road, Ware. 2
small white together at Furneux Pelham -
Nick Sampford
I saw my first Holly Blue of
the year today at lunch time. It was flying round a hawthorn in the
car park at the University of
Hertfordshire. Denis saw his first Holly Blue of the
season on his transect at Smallford Lake
in TL10Y, together with his first Small
Coppers (2) - C. Shepperson
Mon 21st
April - c20 larvae of white-letter
hairstreak on just the lower seeds and bursting leaves of a
roadside elm between the King George and William Girling
Reservoirs (Ponders End) - Andrew
Middleton
Over a period of 2 hours at Kings Mead today, I saw 3 Small
Tortoiseshell, 2
White sp, 1 Small White, 4
Orange Tip and 1 Peacock - Alan Reynolds
Denis and I took advantage of
the warm weather on Good Friday to
explore parts of East Herts for butterflies. We visited some well
known sites as well as some more off the beaten track. Here are the
results, some of the Brimstone or Orange Tip records from the NE of
the County might fill in a tetrad or two. Bencroft Wood ( TL3206) - one each of
Peacock, Small White, Gv White, Speckled Wood, with lots of Lily of
the Valley on the banks of the pond (not yet in flower) and a lot of
flowering Oxalis.
Broxbourne Woods - (TL3206) - One Speckled
Wood, 2 Peacocks, 2 male Orange Tips, lots of fragile Wood anemones
in flower and a Grass snake a good 18" long swimming in the pond.
Much Hadham -
(TL4216), a male and female Orange Tip on a lovely stand of Cuckoo
Flower on the roadside verge just north of Hadham Mill. Hadham Mill - (TL4216) - 4 Orange Tips, 2 GV
Whites, 1 Peacock and 2 male Brimstone's. Hadham Hall - (TL4422) - Only a Brimstone
and 2 Comma's despite bright sunshine and a nice sheltered area of
flowery scrubland, which ought to have attracted something! Despite
Jack by the Hedge being in evidence along 'The Causeway' nearby,
there were no Orange Tips
At Patmore Heath, (TL4424), where sheep were
grazing peacefully behind an electric fence on part of the site, we
only saw a single Large White fly swiftly
by - no other butterflies although the sun was blazing down.
As we drove further north we saw a few butterflies 'en passant' all
in, or around, Stocking Pelham. At (TL4226) we saw a single male Brimstone and
at (TL4428) two male Orange Tips - C
& D Shepperson
Sun 20th
April - Horsenden Hill butterfly
news, Friday (18th) a good butterfly walk
in the sunny conditions, with 5 Orange Tips, a Brimstone, 2 Holly
Blue, and multiple Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Speckled
Wood, a Green-veined White, and a Large
White. Bluebells are almost at their peak in Perivale Wood if
anyone fancies a look - Andy Culshaw
Sat 19th
April - First Dukes and Grizzled Skippers
seen in the Upper Thames region - news from Tom Dunbar UTB
webmaster. I saw first Dukes of Burgundy in Bucks
yesterday. Further details visit Upper Thames website at http://members.sniffout.com/butterfliesutb
First Green Hairstreaks seen in Bedfordshire
- news via Beds &
Northants BC Website. April 18th. Sharpenhoe - The
first Green Hairstreak of the season was seen pumping up its wings
on a Hawthorn bush. David & Peter Chandler.
12
April - Whomerley Wood, Stevenage. 2
Speckled Wood 18 April - Whomerley Wood,
Stevenage. 1 Orange Tip together with 10 Speckled Wood -
Peter Clarke
Essex news, Harold Court - Tylers Common,
Butterfly totals for day various places 1 large white, 6+ small white, 3
green-veined white, 8 orange tips, 3 holly blue, 3 small
tortoiseshell, c20 peacock, 5+ comma, 10+ speckled woods, Colin
Jupp
Essex news, Fairlop 2 orange tips,
Hainault, brimstone, 2 orange
tips. - Sewardstone, total 8 species of
butterfly including Large White (missed
out on small white and small tort) - sightings by Alan
Bell
Fri 18th
April - Don't forget the 2003 SPRING CHALLENGE - The 2000-2002 Herts &
Middx distribution map for
Orange Tip is now online. Please look at it and try
and visit as many of the empty tetrads NEAR YOU as possible during
the next few weeks. Please email John Murray if you would like more
information - Liz Goodyear
>Reported on the UKleps, Grizzled Skipper
seen in Cambridgeshire today
Aston
End, 4 Brimstones (3m 1f) 3 Orange Tip
(2male 1 female), 1 Green-veined
white, 1 Small White, Thundridge, 2
Brimstone (m & f) and Small White and Brimstones at Tonwell (2 male) and Watton at stone by pass (m & f) - Nick
Sampford
Thurs
17th April - Bennington - 1 Orange Tip,
Dane End, 1 Orange Tip and Brimstone - Nick Sampford
A brisk 20 minute walk in Broxbourne Woods resulted in; one Holly
Blue, one Speckled Wood, two Peacocks, one Orange Tip and an
unidentified white - Roger Newbold
Visited one of John's empty
tetrads on 15th. (TL3416 - off B158 between Wadesmill and
Tonwell) saw no Orange tips but did see the
following, Peacock 4, Brimstone 1,
S/Green-Vein White 2, Speckled Wood 1, Comma 1, and best
of all two Small Tortoiseshells. Is this a sign of their
return? - Richard Bigg
Wed 16th
April, Lots of butterfly news from Nick Sampford. 16th April, Bennington: 4 Brimstone (3 male 1
female), 2 whites, Green-veined White. Ware: 1 male Brimstone, Cold Christmas: 1 male Brimstone, 1 white, 1
male Orange Tip. A10 by Hanbury
Manor: 1 male Brimstone, 1 male Orange Tip. Much Hadham: 1 male Brimstone, 1 male Orange
Tip. Thundridge: 1 male Brimstone, 2
whites.
15th
April, Bennington 2 Brimstone, m
& f, 3 whites, Holly Blue. Tonwell: 2
Brimstone male, Thundridge: 1 male
Brimstone, Ware: 1 female Brimstone, white (poss female Orange Tip),
Small Tortoiseshell, A10 by
Hanbury Manor: 1 male Brimstone, Dane
End: male Brimstone. Aston: 1
white
2 PM today, I saw my
first Small White, it was flying through Finsbury Circus, London - Dave
Chandler
KGV
Reservoir area 4 Small
tortoiseshells, peacock, male brimstone - Robert Callf.
Trent Park area, 2 brimstones Robin
White
Yates/Yardley Hill, 8 speckled woods, holly blue, brimstone, 4
peacock, comma, green-veined and small whites - Andrew Middleton
On Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th April I went
to the St. Albans Watercress Beds LNR and
saw the following: Comma x 2, Red
Admiral x 1, Small tortoiseshell x 3, at least 4 x
Peacock, Small white x 1, Brimstone x 2 and 1 x Orange tip
butterfly - Chris Bowden
Ware
- Week 3 of the Transect season, and I have just seen my first
butterfly, a Brimstone! An awful start to the year - Liz
Goodyear
Sun 13th
April - Fishers Green, Essex: Orange tip, mid-afternoon, just north of car
park on track up to sailing club. Also Speckled Wood near Holyfield Weir - Martin Shepherd
Trueloves, Epping Forest, Male Brimstone and
3 Peacocks - Helen Bantock
Three butterflies seen in Vi Chandler's garden in King's Langley on Saturday 12th April: A
Peacock, a Comma and a freshly emerged male Holly Blue who posed, wings slightly open,
on the gooseberry bushes in the warm sunshine - David Chandler
Several sightings of Holly Blue in Ponders End garden - Andrew Middleton
During 3 hours of recce work in
TL33 for the Dragonfly Atlas yesterday (12th April) on a beautiful day, all I saw
was a Peacock at Southern Green and a
long distance high speed white. And today, during 4 hours of gardening in Horns Mill, Hertford on a sunny and warm but
windy day, I did not see a single butterfly - Alan Reynolds
Sat 12th
April - After looking at your distribution map for Orange Tips for 2000-02 we went to Lemsford Mill in TL21B and saw two
males together with 4 Peacocks and a Comma just over the River
amongst scrub and brambles at the start of the footpath across
Brocket Park. So that's one less tetrad to cover! D
& C Shepperson
Just a record of a Brimstone in
my Tewin garden, early afternoon - Les
Borg
Tue 8th
April, Speckled Wood at Weald Park,
Essex - Colin Jupp
Mon 7th
April, Small Tortoiseshell at Brimsdown, Enfield - Andrew
Middleton.
Sat 5th
April - Sewardstone Marsh, Essex: Had
a productive couple of hours this afternoon, 13.15-15.15, in warm,
sunny conditions with a slight northerly breeze. Saw 14 peacocks, 13 commas, 11 small whites, four
brimstones, two holly blues, two small tortoiseshells, and a
speckled wood - Martin Shepherd
Ware,Widbury Hill two Brimstones, one in the
morning along the river. One in the afternoon by the allotments.
Also one Peacock. Ian Edwards
Sighted Waterford;- Brimstone, Peacock and Comma -
Richard Bigg
Holcroft
Springs is a woodland area between Harpenden and Kimpton where I
do a transect. It is currently a sea of Wood Anemone and I was
delighted today to see a Speckled Wood
nectaring on one of the flowers - Michael Healy
Trent
Park area - Small tortoiseshell, Green-veined white & peacock - Robert
Callf
Sewardstone Marsh, 2
speckled wood - Andrew Middleton, Helen Bantock, Tony Clancy
Orange tip in Ponders
End garden - Andrew Middleton
Nothing in my Ware garden - Liz
Goodyear!
Fri 4th
April - Speckled Wood at Garston near Watford today - Colin
Everett
While at work today released
small tortoiseshell from shed and saw my first speckled wood of year, both Kings Langley. Released 2 peacocks from
another shed and saw an orange tip in Abbots Langley, all today - Clive
Burrows
1 Small White south
end W.
Girling Reservoir this afternoon. Tony Clancy
Trent Park area, total 6 Peacock &
4 Comma - Robert Callf
Essex news, Rochetts Farm 3 small
whites, small tortoiseshell. Noak Hill
4 peacock, comma. Priors
GC 3 small white, 4 peacock - Colin Jupp
North
Harrow, a Speckled Wood turned up in
the garden just now. First sighting for me - John Hollingdale
At Kings
Mead today, on a sunny day with a cool breeze, 1 Comma, 1 Small
Tortoiseshell, 1 Peacock and 2 male Brimstone - Alan Reynolds and
C.Shepperson
Fishers
Green, Essex: small white at 12.22 between Bittern Watchpoint
car-park and the left turn to Hayes Hill Farm - Martin Shepherd
Todays
sightings from Nick Sampford, Brimstone (2 males together) and a
Peacock at Thundridge, and a female
Brimstone Hanbury Manor (by A10).
Thurs
3rd April - On April 1st, UK-Leps reported that 2 Green
Hairstreak were seen at Eldwick (VC64) on 30th March. Nigel Agar (Species
Co-ordinator) asks "All members please look out for them"
March 2003
Just a reminder that in the
butterfly world, April 1st has another significance: the start of
the transect season. If you need recording sheets or transect
instructions, these are downloadable from the website at HERE - It's
perfect weather for it at the moment - I hope that doesn't mean rain
tomorrow Remember that this year,
each week starts on a Tuesday. If you are planning to
start a transect, please read through the transect
instructions (on the website) thoroughly before doing so. And
if you live near Highdown (north Hertfordshire), Therfield Heath
(near Royston), or the St Albans area, we do need someone to help
with important transects there. Similarly, if you would like to help
with a transect but cannot commit yourself to doing it every week,
please let me know as there are plenty of transects near you that
need the odd week filling in during holidays etc. Best of luck
for a sunny, butterfly-friendly summer - John Murray
Mon 31st
March - On walk around footpath near farmland in Maple Cross on last day of March saw a small
white, 2 commas, 5 peacocks and over 20 small tortoiseshells many flying in
pairs or even threes! - Ann Piper
Ware
area, my attempt to see 10 species in March failed but I did
reach eight with a Green-veined White in
The Hyde, Ware and best of all a male Orange
Tip feeding on aubrietia in the garden of a flat in Broadmeads,
Ware. I also saw Brimstone, Peacock, Comma and Small Tortoiseshell
in various parts of Ware this lunchtime - Andrew Wood
Some recent sightings
from Nick Sampford - Today, 2 small
whites (Ware & Thundridge), female brimstone (Bishops Stortford),
Holly Blue (Wadesmill). Sunday 30th, 1 small white
(Thundridge), 1 Brimstone (Rib valley)
Trent Park, 2 Small Tortoiseshells - R
Callf
Bernard Page wrote "After
helping at the Disabled Garden with the Wednesday Club, I walked
round the garden at Capel Manor, Enfield
and was lucky to see feeding in full sunshine on aubrieta and
magnolia, 2 Comma and 2 Peacock butterflies on 27th March at 1.30pm"
Sun 30th
March - Walthamstow Marshes,
Peacock; 2 Small Tortoiseshells. chasing; Small
White - Jeremy Gaskell
1
Speckled Wood Coppetts Wood today
-Tony Clancy
Holly
Blue of my own at home here in Tring
today. Usual other hibernators as well (i.e. not Red
Admiral) Nick Bowles
Brimsdown, 2 Small White, Peacock. Essex - Long Running 2 Peacock. Sewardstone Marsh 2 Brimstone, c5 Peacock,
5 Comma, 2 Small White, 2 Small Tortoiseshell, 1 Speckled Wood.
Tristan & Helen Bantock, Andrew Middleton
North
Harrow - saw a Holly Blue in the
garden today, but no sign of Speckled Woods yet - John
Hollingdale
An earlyish Small white at the Valley School wildlife
garden, Stevenage on 27th March, and a very nice count of 15 Brimstones at my Ickleford site on 23rd March. Roll on the spring for Small
Blues - Stuart Pittman
Ware
garden, virtually no butterflies apart from a Small White, but later visits from a male
Brimstone, Comma and a pair of Peacock either clashing or pre mating
but not totally sure what the behaviour indicated! - Liz
Goodyear
Fri 28th
March - There was a Painted Lady at
Langleybury near Watford on Thursday
afternoon (27th). Also Red Admirals at three sites on 23rd-24th and an unidentified white sp near
Watford on 26th - Colin Everett (There have been several reports of migrants so
we'd better keep our eyes peeled for immigrant species
generally. - John Murray)
Tring
town - John Wyatt rang to say that he had seen a Green-veined White on 18th March. Also Red Admiral on 18th
March, Small Tortoiseshell, 15th March and Brimstone since the
15th March
Henry Stroyan rang to say that
he saw a Red Admiral on 25th January on
his patio before it flew off over Harpenden
Common. He has also seen 2
Brimstone, 2 Comma, 2 Small Tortoiseshell and a Peacock in the last week
Belated news from Hampton Hill. Two & half
sightings so far this year; much earlier for me personally than last
year - but that's down to awareness more than anything, I suspect.
The "half" sighting was too distant to id so I'm down to two: Comma: 16th March, basking in the sun on
earth in flower beds. Quick feed from a daff then off over the
fence. Comma: 18th March and
possibly same individual. Weather on both days fine, sunny and still
- Amit Chaudhuri
One Comma at Watery Grove, Newton Green lunchtime today - Trevor
Chapman
Thurs
27th March - Trent Park area, 5 Small
Tortoiseshell, Small White, 2 Comma -
Robert Callf
I saw a
couple of Small Whites in the vicinity of
Harefield yesterday but they are probably
not the first sightings this year. A Brimstone also visited our Harrow garden last
weekend: a welcome sign of spring - John Hollingdale.
Wed 26th
March - On Sunday, I walked the Aldbury Nowers transect (Allan will be walking the transect this
year) and saw 2 Commas (both male I
think as they had both set up territories with favourite
perches. I have enclosed a photo of one of them plus the
resident!), 3 Brimstones and 1 Small Tortoiseshell. I'll keep you
posted on developments at this site throughout the year! I have also
enclosed a picture of a Male Brimstone that I took this past weekend
in my garden in Chesham (Bucks). It was
determined to have a midday kip under an Ivy leaf so I took
advantage of it and took a shot or two - Allan Beechey
Ware
garden - Another butterfly at last, 1
Peacock - Liz Goodyear
Tues
25th March - Harold Wood
area 6 Comma, 4 Peacock, and in
garden 2 Comma & Peacock - Colin
Jupp
1 Small
White, Wengeo Lane, Ware, 1 Red Admiral
Hanbury Manor. I don't think I have ever seen 6 species in March
before and still a few days to go! Andrew Wood
Comma
at Fairlands valley park, Stevenage -
Trevor Chapman
Mon 24th
March - Had a Holly Blue today at Stanstead Abbotts gravel pits. It was
found by Simon Rasch while we were photographing great crested
grebes and id by ME, also a brown
butterfly probably a Peacock - Nick Sampford
Well a slow start but 15 Brimstones at Ickleford on the 23rd must be worth a mention a solitary Small Tortoiseshell was my first of year and
the usual Comma duo - Stuart Pittman
Some news from Valerie
Fullforth - 6th March, Hitchin garden, Comma; 23rd
March, Patmore Heath NR, 4
Brimstone and 1 Comma, West of Patmore Heath, 1 Small Tortoiseshell,
South of Furneaux Pelham, 1 Peacock
Sun 23rd March - Wheathampstead garden, Brimstone and peacock - Trevor
Chapman
Walthamstow Reservoirs, 1 Red Admiral Stephen Harris
Harold Wood garden - Brimstone, Comma, Small
Tortoiseshell, Brentwood
Honeypot Lane-Weald Rd 6 Peacock, 3
Comma, 3 Small
Tortoiseshell (inc nectaring in prunus & aubretia). - Colin
Jupp
Ponders End - Small White, Lippitts Hill - Comma - Andrew Middleton
Saw my first three butterflies
of the year today - a male Brimstone
flying across the road by Cheshunt golf
course and then a Comma and a male Small White back home in our garden in
Cheshunt - Roger Newbold
Ware.
This morning in the cemetery at the top of Watton Road I saw a
Small White. I saw a Peacock this afternoon by Widbury farm
- Ian Edwards.
Peacock,
Comma, and Small Tortoiseshell seen in the Fishers Green area this afternoon - Martin
Shepherd
2
Commas Wadesmill/ Fishers Green and a
Brimstone in Ware - Nick Sampford
At North
Mymms Park 2 Comma and 1
Peacock. At Tyttenhanger Farm,
2 Peacock - Rupert Pyrah
I had to wait until the 22nd for my first butterfly - a Comma. This
morning, 9 Brimstone and a Peacock on
my walk around Bloodhounds Wood /Wickham Hall
farm near Bishops Stortford. This is just inside Herts
although the boundary does run through the wood! - Andrew
Hardacre
Sat 22nd March - Coppetts Wood 1 Comma - Tony Clancy
Fri 21st
March - Humming-bird Hawkmoths have
been seen in gardens at Digswell (20th), Datchworth (19th)
and Enfield(18th) - news via Colin Plant
Thurs
20th March - The Hyde, Ware - Brimstone 2, Comma 2, Peacock 1, 1 Small White (seen at rest so a
definite). Interestingly a walk along the Lea, across
Amwell Gravel Pit and back across fields and allotments on Wednesday
in good weather produced 0 butterflies. Does this say something
about the state of the countryside compared to unkempt urban areas?
- Andrew Wood
Trent
Park area, total 4 Comma & 1
Peacock - Robert Callf
Southbury Leisure Centre, 1 Comma near flats - Andrew Middleton
Brimstone news from Hertfordshire's arctic
north, 2 males 'sparring' in our garden
in Ashwell on Sunday (16th) afternoon. Also a male flying around Buckthorn at Ashwell Quarry NR yesterday 19th - Chris James
Wed 19th
March - Harold Hill, Essex - Small
White and Small Tortoiseshell - Colin
Jupp
Brimsdown, 2 Comma, 3
Small Tortoiseshell & Ponders
End garden, 1 Comma - Andrew
Middleton
Yesterday at 11.00hrs, saw a Comma in Welwyn
Garden City garden and later 13:30hrs Peacock at Amwell
Nature Reserve - Michael Worby
News from Berkhamsted, Peacock
on Monday and a Brimstone today -
Michael Anderson
Hertford - a male
Brimstone in my garden today - Alan Reynolds
Tues 18th March - Had my
first butterfly sighting of the year yesterday (Monday 17th) - a female Brimstone
in Welwyn Garden City - Ian Small
I have had quite a few
butterfly 'firsts of the year' this week: Friday, 1 Small Tortoiseshell (Horsenden
Farm), Sunday, 1 Brimstone in my
garden at Barnet, Monday, 1 Peacock. (Horsenden Farm) and today in Horsenden
Farm Wood, 1 Comma - Rachel Terry
Trent
Park area, totals of 3 Comma, Peacock, 2 Small
Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral for Robert Callf and Robin
White. Robert would also have had 3 Orange Underwings but one
was snatched by a Robin!
Epping Forest, Comma and Small
Tortoiseshell - A Middleton
Mon 17th
March - Mudchute Farm area, Isle of Dogs
(Middx) 1 Brimstone - Sean Huggins and Weald Park (Essex) 2 Brimstone
and 6 Comma - Colin Jupp
In St
Albans on Sunday, 4 Small
Tortoiseshells & 3 Comma. I thought everyone
else would have seen similar species, but it appears that apart from
Tring, ST's aren't around much in Herts! - Malcolm Hull
10.40 Admiral's Walk Lake, near
Hoddesdon, 1 Small Tortoiseshell, 11.50 Feilde's
Lock on start of River Stort, Brimstone - Jeff
Butcher
Ware,
1 Brimstone, Walton Road and 1 at Amwell End, 1 Peacock and 2
Small Tortoiseshell on the Meads near
Sacred Heart School. Balls Wood -
3 Brimstone, 7 Comma, also 3 Orange Underwing/Light Orange Underwing
moths - Andrew Wood
Important Orange/Light Orange Underwing info
from Colin Plant - Charles Watson has just brought me a
male Orange Underwing (unfortunately from Hatfield Forest, over the
border in Essex). This was fluttering about amongst grasses under an
ash tree at 14.30 hours today, 17th March, in the hot bright
sunshine. It is clearly worth getting out and looking
for this birch feeding species (and its aspen feeding cousin the
Light Orange Underwing) this week and next - in lunch breaks or
whenever. Don't forget that although the foodplant is a
guide, if both trees are present in a wood then you really do need
to catch the moth and look at the UNDERSIDE to separate the two. See
Skinner page 16 for the appropriate details of how to do this.
Please report sightings even if you cannot separate the species out
- other people may be able to make repeat visits and sort them
later. Both species are hopelessly under-recorded in
Hertfordshire. Click here for a
picture
Had
Brimstones today - Ware, 1 Park Road and Poles Lane , 1
at Sacombe Park, 2 at Hanbury Manor [all males], also Emma had 2
male and 1 female Brimstone at Presdales school dinner time, she was well
pleased to tell me - Nick Sampford Widespread male Brimstones
about in mid and south Bucks today (Sunday
16th) as I drove home from a conservation task and then another
in my own garden -Tring; along with an
estimated 18 Small Tortoiseshell (very
definitely 16 could have been over 20) in the field behind my house.
Last year the first week of April turned up 22 ST here, so 16 in mid
March is encouraging. Several courting couples among a largely
male assemblage, but no sign that the females were interested in
playing along - busy nectaring on lesser celandine and wild plum -
Nick Bowles (news via UK Leps)
St
James's Park, Central London. 3
Brimstones at lunchtime - I don't recall seeing this species
here in previous years - Stephen Harris
Ware, at last I've seen some
butterflies! I had just got to the point where I had decided
if the butterflies weren't going to come to me, I would have to go
to them, when a male Brimstone flew quickly through the
garden. Walking down my road, I noticed the sound of what
seemed like a lot of bees, looked up and saw a Comma, nectaring on a
pink ornamental prunus blossom. A few minutes later, by Dark
Lane, 2 male Brimstone were
patrolling the footpath and 2 Comma were
fluttering around. One of the Brimstone could have been the
same one that passed through my garden continuing its circuit as all
the butterflies were very mobile! No more after that but I
then took about 15 attempts to find Endothenia gentianaeana in a massive patch
of teasels (ouch) - Liz Goodyear
Marshalls Heath, I saw my first butterfly of
the year in the garden on Saturday: a
Comma. I saw nothing on Sunday despite it being warmer - John
Murray
Sun 16th
March - Ware, in my garden 1 Brimstone - Ian Edwards.
Denis and I saw our first
butterfly of the year today in the car park at Oxhey Wood LNR , a Peacock in a sunny patch of bracken &
brambles - C. Shepperson
Sewardstone Marsh 1
Brimstone - Brian Dawton
Trent
Park & Vicarage Farm area, 2
Commas, Peacock, 2 Small Tortoiseshells (one nectaring on sallow
blossom) - Robert Callf
Brookmans Park garden, 1 Brimstone - Ruper Pyrah
Bengeo,
1 Brimstone & 2 Peacocks in the
garden - Andrew Wood
Lippitts
Hill area, Essex, 3 Commas in
sheltered spots - Andrew Middleton
Here in Berkhamsted, we have seen 1 Brimstone today
and on Saturday, 1 Comma - Michael
Anderson
Sat 15th
March - Trent Park, Orange Underwing (moth) - Robert Callf
Comma 150yds east of St. Marys Church, North Mymms - Rupert Pyrah
Mossops Creek, Brimsdown, Small
Tortoiseshell sunning itself - T Clancy & A Middleton
Fri 14th
March 2 Commas in The Hyde ware and 1
in Poles Lane Ware. Also a report
from a member of Bishops Stortford Natural History Society at
the meeting I spoke at last night of a Small
Tortoiseshell in the Bishops
Stortford town centre on the weekend of 8/9 March - Andrew Wood
Thurs
6th March - Rye Meads RSPB, Small Tortoiseshell - R. Cope
Sat 1st
March - My first of the year. A Brimstone at Kings
Mead (Ware) today, and then it rained - Alan Reynolds
Ware, just a report of a Small Tortoiseshell in my Dad's garden on Monday 24th. He said it was flying
around his conifer hedge which is a sun trap. Roll on Summer -
Nick Sampford
February
2003
Thurs
27th February - Ally Pally, Brimstone, seen yesterday afternoon
- Tom Clarke
Wed 26th
February - Ware (Chauncy Pool Car Park), Brimstone - Andrew Wood
Weald
Park (Essex), Comma - Colin
Jupp
Tues
25th February - Ally Pally, Red
Admiral on Monday 24th and a Comma today,
about time too - Tom Clarke
Fri 21st
February - Nick Bowles emailed to say that Upper Thames Branch
investigated the Large Tortoiseshell and suggested to the owner, the
butterfly was put into a box in his garage. On calling around the
box was empty but on being shown a set specimen of SMALL
Tortoiseshell, the owner decided that the captured butterfly
had been a Small not Large - thanks Nick was
letting us know - this is good tip for anyone finding a butterfly
that has come out of hibernation early
Fri 7th February -
Anyone interested in a book about the Butterflies of Russia - click here
Wed 5th
February - Some news from Stuart Pittman via Dave Chandler
(Bed & Northants Branch) (even
though it is just over the border in Bucks). Had a very
intriguing phone call from Chesham
in mid January was of a Large Tortoiseshell disturbed from a
shed. I put the the Bucks branch onto it for a
confirmation visit
January
2003
Thurs
30th January - Third hand report of a 'brown butterfly' feeding
on a shrub in a garden in Crouch End on
Monday 27th. Comma maybe???(or Small Tortoiseshell?) Also another third
hand report of a Red Admiral in Islington on Sunday
26th - Tom Clarke
Wed 29th
January - I've had a sort out and found this photo taken at Noar
Hill in 2001, of a Brown Hairstreak laying an egg - zoom in for more
detail - Nick Sampford >>>
Mon 27th
January - Ally Pally (Alexandra Palace), 1 Brimstone reported today at 1.30pm - Tom
Clarke
Sat 25th
January - Just had a report of a Red
Admiral in the Stanmore garden of
Peter Peretti today. Peter is the warden of Bentley Priory
Open Space, Stanmore - news via John Hollingdale
Sun 19th
January - No butterfly news yet, but here are some photos from
Clive Burrows - thanks Clive
Fri 10th
January - Here are three more butterflies from India. The Common
Baron (Euthalia aconthea) and Black Rajah
(Charaxes fabius) are feeding from
decaying pawpaw,which I used to attract them. The third butterfly is
a Common Grass Yellow (Eurema hecabe). I
would like to acknowledge the help received from Isaac Kehimkar,
co-author of 'Common Butterflies of India' (WWF-India/OUP), in
identifying the Black Rajah - Bob Hasra
Tues 7th
January - Thanks to Roger Kendrick in Hong Kong for identifying
Bob Hazra's unkno
