Hertfordshire & Middlesex Branch
Saving butterflies, moths and our environment
Sightings at Enfield. At private sites near Trent Park - 8 Common Blue, 2 Brown Argus, 1 Small Copper & 1 Yellow-tail coaxed onto my finger for a close inspection - my first of the year [FOY]. At Bay Farm along 'London Loop' - 1 Red Admiral, 4 Common Blue & 1 Small Copper. At a private site in North Enfield - 1 Red Admiral. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Big Butterfly Count. Yes, the Big Butterfly Count is back for another year. Please take 15 mins on a sunny day to record butterflies in your garden, local park, or anywhere you like, all results help! All the information gathered is important Last years results were so bad they led to the declaration of a Butterfly Emergency and a ban on using neonicotinoid pesticides. We hope this years results will be better. I carried out my first count today on my allotment at Folly Lane St Albans - Over 40 butterflies, with Gatekeepers by far the most numerous (they love my Marjoram), also Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Comma, Peacock, Large White & Small White. You can access details of the Big Butterfly Count here [Posted by Malcolm Hull,]
Butterfly walks in the rain showers. Kinsbourn Green, Harpenden - 9 people turned up for this afternoons branch walk with the Friends of Kinsbourn Green. This acid grassland site is being restored, following acquisition by the Friends last year. We saw 13 species in total including Brown Argus, Common Blues(5), Small Heaths(7), Small Copper and Purple Hairstreaks(2). Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns were in the biggest numbers. We walked round the site, discussing how it is managed at present and how it might be improved for butterflies. At the end a Comma was feeding avidly on an overipe blackberry. This morning in Verulamium Park, St Albans, another guided walk for the new Friends group for that park. Overcast and not much in the way of butterflies. We admired how well the fairly new meadows in the park are developing and the extent of plant species they now support. We also looked at the areas of elm which support WLH and talked about how best these might be managed. The highlight was discovering a roost of Common Blues, seven butterflies, some of which opened their wings and displayed nicely. Their docile state allowed close examination of the spots on their underwings, which determined that two were infact Brown Argus [Posted by Malcolm Hull]
JERSEY TIGER MOTH. A Jersey Tiger Moth landed on our courtyard wall today at 5pm. I have never seen one before and, I have lived at my present home for 40 years. I attach a photo. We also have seen Cinnabar Moths this year and, last year Hummingbird Hawk Moths. [Posted by Vanessa Gates]
Red Underwing at Southgate. 2 Red Underwing & 1 Yellow Shell at ASDA Southgate this afternoon. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Jersey Tiger - Letchworth. Seen in our kitchen today. Jersey Tiger moth. SG6 Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire. Released out of window!! [Posted by Mike adams]
Merry Hill Bushey. After getting out of work unexpectedly early on Friday I met up with Rick at Merry Hill. Unfortunately we drew a blank this time for Brown Hairstreak but did get to see 7+ Purple Hairstreak 3 of which were photographed. I was expecting to see the last of the Marbled Whites and some Skippers but never got a confirmed sighting of either. It was a good day for Common Blue with 20+ seen, Brown Argus 2, Holly Blue 3+, Small Heath 3, Red Admiral 1, Comma 1, Large White in good numbers with other whites seen. Meadow Brown still in good numbers with Gatekeeper now in full swing. A few Six-Spot Burnett moth pupa were seen but was surprised not to see any on the wing as they were out in their hundreds along the coast of Cardigan Bay when I was away. [Posted by Peter Fewell]
Purple Emperor sightings in Heartwood Forest. A tattered female Purple Emperor was seen on the gate by the dog pond at 09:30 feeding on Andrew's bait (fermented banana mixed with red wine, honey, and brown sugar!). Sadly she only stayed for 30 seconds. Another female, in better condition, was seen at 12:15 and stayed on the bait for over a minute, went away then returned at 12:36 till 12:39. As a matter of interest, a Speckled Wood also visited the bait (at 12:44). Later in the day at least 4 individual Small Blues, and a single Purple Hairstreak, were seen puddling at the edge of the dog pond just after 4pm. [Posted by Andrew Neild on behalf of Alex Penn!]
Sightings at Trent Park & Enfield. 1 Red Admiral along bridle-path near Merryhills Brook at Trent Park. 1 Red Admiral at a private site near Trent Park, 3 male Common Blue & 1 Peacock along 'London Loop' at Bay Farm, Enfield. 1 Red Admiral at Rectory Farm, Enfield, 1 Jersey Tiger at Strayfield Road, EN2. 1 Comma & 1 Peacock at a private site at North Enfield. 1 Toadflax Brocade & 1 Yellow Shell at Gordon Hill Station. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Rivers Orchard and fields Sawbridgeworth. Mid Morning, 3 Small Skipper, 1 Essex Skipper, 2 Brimstone (m), 4 Brown Argus (first here this year), 36 Common Blue (just 2 females but also 2 very small males), 2 Red Admiral, 4 Peacock, 1 Comma (not regular here), c100 Gatekeeper, 50+ Meadow Brown , no Marbled White or Ringlet seen, 8 Small Heath. [Posted by Laurence Drummond]
Stafford Road Open Space - West Ruislip. Stafford Road Open Space - West Ruislip [Posted by Jed Corbett]
Small Blue at Redbourn. With butterfly numbers in the local woods now declining, it’s a good time to head for chalky areas. Today I explored some of the smaller chalky sites north of St Albans. At Redbourn (Redbourn Lane) I had 4 Small Blues, 28 Common Blues and 20 Brown Argus. All super active, so took some time to identify, also a few Small Heath, Brimstones and Shaded Broad-bar. At Watery Lane Flamsted, the Kidney Vetch had all gone over and no Small Blues, but did get 2 Common Blues and 3 Six-spot Burnet. Finally at Butterfield, Wheathampstead, there was no sign of either Kidney Vetch or Small Blues, tho I did see 15 species including 12 Common Blues and 1 Purple Hairstreak [Posted by Malcolm Hull]
Jersey Tiger Chorleywood. I think I’ve just seen a Jersey Tiger on a wall in our garden in Chorleywood’s Hertfordshire. Photo enclosed. [Posted by Emma Parsons]
What are all those brown butterflies?. Whizzing around up and down the street, very erratic flight and disappearing into bushes where they can’t be seen? Yes they’re back and out in numbers in suburban St Albans this afternoon. It’s the Gypsy Moth, which has become a very common regular summer spectacle in the last six years. Though not long before that was classed as extinct in Herts & Middx [Posted by Malcolm Hull]
Brown Hairstreak. Despite a very cloudy but humid day, a late morning visit to Stafford Road Copse produced a number of butterflies, amongst the myriad of Gatekeepers, a Brown Hairstreak was seen resting on a bramble patch, followed by Purple Hairstreak around small Oak. Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood, Green-veined White, Common Blue, Brown Argus made up the numbers as well as a Magpie and Shaded Broad-Bar moths. At Stafford Road Open Space despite drizzle saw more Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Common Blue, Brown Argus, Green-veined White plus a Small Copper and a Large White. [Posted by Paul Busby]
Red Underwing at Southgate. 1 Red Underwing at ASDA Southgate this afternoon - my first of the year [FOY] & my first for this site! [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Sightings at Enfield & Southgate. At private sites near Trent Park - male Brown Argus, 3 Common Blue [2 males & 1 female], 1 Comma, 2 Large White & 1 Dusky Sallow nectaring on thistle head. At Grovebury Crt, N14 - 2 Large White nectaring on buddleia this morning. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Jersey Tiger moth rescued again. Jersey Tiger moth in Royston, rescued again [Posted by John Keith Gypps]
Peacocks in Hibernation, St Albans. Todays Shed Transect walk revealed five Peacocks are now in hibernation. One objected to my torch, flashed its eyespots and hissed at me. There are still a few Peacocks on the Buddleia in my garden, so I'm expecting more hibernators next week. Sadly no Small Tortoiseshells again this year so far [Posted by Malcolm Hull,]
Hairstreaks at Merry Hill, Bushey. Having never been before I went today to get my bearings and make sure there was enough there before bringing the family to look for Brown Hairstreaks on the following weeks. The bramble is mostly heavy with fermenting fruit but on the last dregs of bramble blossom there was a single Brown Hairstreak with a large tail cut out. Also seen was several Purple Hairstreak including a female busy laying eggs, 2 Small Coppers (1 on Fleabane, 1 on Ragwort), 4 Holly Blues, 20+ Common Blue males. I look forward to revisiting. [Posted by Nathan Ellis]
