The project co-ordinators

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

As a result of the project Liz Goodyear and Andrew Middleton are recognised as the country's leading experts on finding elm and recording White-letter Hairstreak.

Important note for planners, consultants and developers
White-letter Hairstreak (Satyrium w-album)
Biodiversity Lists - England England NERC S.41 England_NERC_S.41
Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 - Species of Principal Importance in England (section 41) and Wales (section 42)
Sections 41 (England) and Sections 42 (Wales) of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 require the listing of species "of principal importance for the purpose of conserving biodiversity" and therefore need to be taken into consideration by a public body when performing any of its functions with a view to conserving biodiversity.
2008 Geographic constraint=Listing is for England only Species "of principal importance for the purpose of conserving biodiversity" covered under section 41 (England) of the NERC Act (2006) and therefore need to be taken into consideration by a public body when performing any of its functions with a view to conserving biodiversity.

If you would like to contact the co-ordinators and discuss our work please email either
or telephone: 020 8245 0847 (mobile: 07866654056) or
or telephone mobile: 07815581934 (please leave a message if unavailable or text)

About us

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........

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