About us - the project co-ordinators

The project co-ordinators are Liz Goodyear and Andrew Middleton of the Hertfordshire & Middlesex Branch.

In 1999, whilst surveying for the Millennium Atlas Project Andrew Middleton was walking through a rarely visited area of woodland in South Herts looking for White Admiral, when he saw a Purple Emperor taking salts from the roof tiles of a cottage. That same year, Liz Goodyear was surveying nearby woodland when a large dark butterfly hurtled past her.  It was only later, after she had met Andrew that she realised that her large butterfly was a female Purple Emperor.  In the summer of 2000, now working as a team, more Purple Emperors were found and since then, the two observers have been responsible for finding over 10 'master' assembly areas in the woodlands of south Hertfordshire. Until 1999, the Purple Emperor was not thought to exist in Hertfordshire!

Presentations have been made at the Butterfly Conservation, National Annual General Meeting in 2004 and the International Symposium in 2005.  Their work on the study of Purple Emperor is nationally recognised and in November 2006, Liz was  presented with a Butterfly Conservation 'Outstanding Volunteer' award at the National AGM in Bristol for her work studying Purple Emperor and the contribution she makes to branch work.

In 2005, the Hertfordshire & Middlesex Branch asked for volunteers to act as 10km square co-ordinators to ensure the some poorly recorded areas, were visited more reqularly. Liz volunteered to take on TL41, an intensely agricultural area acknowledged for its lack of bio-diversity in east Hertfordshire, and Andrew took on TQ38 & TQ39, a mainly urban habitat in the north of London.

In addition to the 'usual' species both decided to target White-letter Hairstreak in 2006 and the idea of the project came from the results of that work........

We intend to add notes from recorders from other regions, who have also made significent efforts to find and record the species. Presently contributions have been included from Martin Greenland of Yorkshire Branch, but we hope that this will develop into an interesting resource, gathering insights and experiences from further regional work.

If you would like to contact the co-ordinators and discuss the project or telephone: 020 8245 0847 (mobile: 07866654056).