Hertfordshire & Middlesex Branch
Saving butterflies, moths and our environment
early walk of transects plenty of butterflies. waterford heath south 2 Brimstones, 4 Commas , and 5 Peacocks. [Posted by steve kiln]
Brimstones. Lovely to see two Brimstones enjoying the sun this morning whilst walking in the Amwell - Stansted Abbots area.(TL386134 and TL374123) [Posted by Roger Newbold]
Dull day in St Albans. Just 5mins of sunshine and no butterflies in action. So a perfect day to carry out my shed transect and check on hibernating butterflies. Of the Five hibernating Peacocks, one has flown and four are still present. Weather for the coming week looks warm and sunny, so keep your eyes peeled for more butterflies in flight [Posted by Malcolm Hull]
Oak Beauty at Upper Edmonton. 1 Oak Beauty near outside light at Silver Street Station, Edmonton this morning [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
First thrills. Thrilled to see my first butterflies of the year whilst on a yomp from Enfield Town to Edmonton Green: Brimstone (m) + 2 x Comma: Town Park, Enfield Peacock: Enfield Playing Fields 2 x Comma: Lee Road Open Space Peacock: Salmons Brook Park, Edmonton Green [Posted by Nicholas Barnett]
Fairlands Valley Park Stevenage. My first butterflies of the year with 7 Brimstone (all male) hugging the woodland edge and 2 Peacock in and around the Shackledell Grassland in the southern section of the park. [Posted by Peter Clarke]
Sightings from Stanwell Moor. After a bit of fog had cleared mid-morning locally, the day became one long sunny period with temperatures up to 17 degrees. I ended up with an impressive butterfly count, finding 8 Peacocks, 7 Brimstones, 5 Commas and a single Red Admiral (it's less than ten weeks since I saw the last one). [Posted by Dave Miller]
Peacock in Cuffley. First butterfly of the year flying around Cuffley Car Park this afternoon [Posted by Sam fuller]
Double figures!. Full sun and 14? in our Harpenden garden brought out the first Brimstone (and first butterfly) of the year: an event we traditionally celebrate with a bottle of fizz. This pioneer was followed by no fewer than thirteen more Brimstone fly-throughs. These sightings were both welcome and unexpected, coming after a dreadful autumn for garden butterflies and the dullest of winter birding (no blackcaps, redpolls, siskins, redwings, fieldfares or bramblings in our garden). Plenty of bees and several ladybirds about today, too. [Posted by Alan Jackson]
Butterflies in Hertford and Ware. Two walks today, one in each town. The total was Brimstone 12, Peacock 9, Comma 7, most satisfyingly a Small Tortoiseshell in Ware Cemetery and surprisingly a definite Small White on Wadesmill Road, Ware [Posted by Andrew Wood]
Peacocks. 3 Peacocks in Broxbourne Woods west ride [Posted by steve kiln]
Brimstone in garden. Had a male Brimstone in my Harpenden garden today, first butterfly of the year! [Posted by Robin Pearson]
Brimstone & Peacock at Enfield. Male Brimstone seen in flight & settled, E edge of Shaws Wd/Trent Park at 1100 GMT. Male Brimstone & Peacock at Lakeside, EN2 at 1117 - 1118 GMT. My first butterflies of the year. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Habitat management for Duke of Burgundy. Volunteers from Herts joined Upper Thames Branch and the Chiltern Rangers to manage scrub for Dukes. We created small clearings about 5 meters in diameter within the scrub, providing the right niche for this most exacting of species. The work took place at Wadborough Field, a good breeding site for Dukes just a few hundred meters from the Herts border. We hope that the Dukes will continue to spread and one day breed in Herts again. Many thanks to Nick Bowles and Upper Thames branch for organising the volunteer work party of 25 people [Posted by Malcolm Hull]
Brimming with joy. Today I saw nine Brimstones on the towpath beside the short stretch (15-minute walk) of the Grand Union Canal between Bulbourne and Marshcroft Lane (SP 937133). For the next 2 hours, I only saw one. The canal is very sheltered and it was quite windy after leaving the towpath. [Posted by Rikki Harrington]
Sightings from Stanwell Moor. Increasingly sunny today and temperatures up to 14 degrees - not unexpectedly the butterflies on my local patch near Heathrow responded. I found four Peacocks, two Brimstones and a Comma over the course of a longish walk. [Posted by Dave Miller]
Brimstone at Ashridge. Male Brimstone at Ashridge Golf Course SP 986 130 at 11:56 hours, flying around evergreen shrubs and possibly resettling within them [Posted by Colin Everett]
Red Admiral at Trent Park. 1 Red Admiral reported at Trent Park by Eugene Dillon-Hooper [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Another Brown Hairstreak egg.... When the sun appeared this afternoon, I squelched my way around my local patch near Heathrow hoping that one or two butterflies might have been tempted out of hibernation. I wasn't fortunate on that front, but I ended up having a close look at a wild plum tree that was just coming into flower just in case it harboured any Brown Hairstreak eggs. I managed to find just the one, but it is notable that this tree is some way away on the other side of the M25-T5 link road from the eggs found on the blackthorn hedge back in January. I appears that the butterfly is even more widespread in this area than previously thought. [Posted by Dave Miller]
Peacock in St Albans. 12 degrees and sunny this afternoon with a hint of Spring in the air. Enough to encourage a Peacock out of hibernation in Mount Pleasant. However it seemed to be regretting its choice as it was perched on the pavement in a shady position. Luckily I didn’t tread on it and relocated it to a more favourable position. I do hope it does OK! [Posted by Malcolm Hull]
