Hertfordshire and Middlesex Branch of Butterfly Conservation

Butterflies of the Wide Countryside Recording Survey

Link sections on this page . . .


	Where are we surveying?
	How to plan the survey
	Obtaining access to the survey route within squares
	How to survey
	When to survey and recording criteria
	Exceptions to general recording rules
	Species identification
	Co-ordinator contact details

Would you like to help a new butterfly survey scheme?

Can you spare time on 2 days in July and August to visit a grid square and do two 1km walks to record butterflies?

Then this is for you.

Between 2006 and 2008 a few Butterfly Conservation branches took part in a pilot scheme to test a method of sampling butterfly populations in the wider countryside. This method is intended to compliment, not replace transects, and enable records from a wide variety of habitats to be collected. The areas to be surveyed have been randomly picked by Butterfly Conservation headquarters to give a good spread in each branch area. Some squares will be rich in butterflies, others less so, but all results will be important.

Where are we surveying?

The 1km squares selected at random by the national survey co-ordinator are:

1km square

Location

Volunteer found
Wider countryside map for Herts & Middx

TL2305

Welham Green (NEW)

YES

TL2316

Welwyn (not Garden City) NEW

TL3212

Hertford NEW

YES

TQ2480

Ladbroke Grove NEW

TL2722

Aston (SE of Stevenage) NEW

TL1734

south of Henlow (N tip of Herts/Beds border) NEW

TL2332

eastern Letchworth NEW

TL1031

north of Hexton (part in Beds)

YES

TL1232

Apsley End (part in Beds)

YES

TL2502

Swanley Bar/Little Heath

YES

TL2804

Northaw Great Wood

YES

TL2831

between Clothall and Rushden

YES

TL2904

Cuffley Camp

YES

TL3000

west of Crews Hill

YES

TL3128

south of Cottered

YES

TL3207

Broxbourne Wood (south of Brickendon)

YES

TL3618

High Cross

YES

TL4135

North east of Nuthampstead

YES

TL4216

North of Widford

YES

TL4421

west of Bury Green near Little Hadham

YES

TL4717

Trims Green west of Spellbrook, south of Bishops Stortford

YES

TQ1492

Harrow Weald Common southern half

YES

TQ1593

Bentley priory/Stanmore Common

YES

TQ2397

London Shire golf course west of Monken Hadley

YES

TQ2688

east side of Hampstead Garden Suburb

YES

TQ2782

Baker Street/Regents Park

YES

TQ3778

Isle of Dogs west of Mudchute City Farm

YES

How to plan the survey

If you are a surveying a square that has been allocated to you, it will be necessary to establish a fixed survey route through the square The survey route is two parallel 1-km long survey lines across your square (running N-S or E-W), that are subdivided into ten continuous 200m sections numbered 1-10.

Ideally, survey lines should be around 500m apart and 250m in from the edge of the square.

Because these squares may be re-surveyed in future years, it is important to note the starting points of each section either with the help of permanent landmarks (trees, hedges, boulders, houses etc) or by using temporary markers (coloured tape or cord etc).

In practice, your survey lines are likely to deviate from the 'ideal' because of problems with access, or barriers such as roads, rivers, and canals. In cases where the survey lines deviate considerably from the 'ideal', at no point should the two lines be closer together than 100m.

For each of the two survey lines, only record 1-km even if it means not reaching the edge of the square

Minor intrusions into adjacent squares are perfectly acceptable and may provide the only practical way to carry out the survey. Indeed the route will be acceptable as long as more of the survey line falls within the square rather than outside.

It is advisable to make an initial visit to your 1-km square to familiarise yourself with the route.

Obtaining access to the survey route within squares

A large number of 1-km squares have paths, roads, bridleways or open access across them. This information can be gathered from an OS map and the open access website (www.countrysideaccess.gov.uk). Unless there is open access to your whole square then it is important that you contact the landowner to gain permission to carry out the survey visits. We advise contacting the nearest dwelling to your square either by telephoning to arrange a visit or by sending them a letter. A letter template is available which outlines the reasons why the surveys are being carried out and what they entail.

How to survey

For each square record butterflies along the two 1-km survey lines on the same day.

Walk each section at a slow, steady pace counting all butterflies seen within 2.5m either side of the survey line, 5m ahead and 5m from ground level up.

Try to avoid double counting where possible e.g. when an individual butterfly repeatedly flies in and out of your recording box. However, if you lose sight of an individual, and later regain sight of the same species do not assume this is the same individual.

Do not count butterflies behind you.

When to survey and recording criteria

A minimum of two visits to each square are required to take part in this survey and these should take place in July and August, with at least 10 days between the two visits.
In addition, one or two further visits can be made to the square during May, June, July or August with at least 10 days between visits.
If possible return visits to squares should be made at the same time of day.
Record the time at which you start and end each survey line (1-km) on the survey recording form.
Survey lines should generally be walked between 10.45am and 15.45pm and only when weather conditions are suitable for butterfly activity: dry conditions, wind speed less than Beaufort Scale 5 and temperature 13°C or greater if there is at least 60% sunshine, or more than 17°C if overcast.
If a distinct shadow is cast (bright cloud) then conditions may be classed as sunny.
If possible, sunshine should be estimated for each section to the nearest 10% of the time it was sunny while you were walking that section (shade cast by features such as trees does not count).
At the end of each survey visit, record shade temperature (e.g. with a portable thermometer placed in a shaded position at the beginning of the first survey line before you start), estimate average sunshine (based on section data), and average windspeed, using the following Beaufort Scale (see Table 1).

Exceptions to general recording rules:

It is also permissible to record from 09:30-10:45 and 15:45-16:30, if at these times the majority (>75%) of the survey area is unshaded and the standard (described above) weather criteria have been met.

Species identification

Try to identify and separate all species you encounter, including where possible similar species such as Small and Essex Skipper, and the ‘cabbage’ whites.

Further information will be made available in the coming months but if you are interested (no obligation!) please contact Andrew Wood