Hertfordshire & Middlesex Branch
Saving butterflies, moths and our environment
3 mile route around Ruislip Gardens and Ickenham Marsh. 5 Common Blue, 1 Small Heath, 4 Small Copper, 8 Speckled Wood, 1 Peacock, plenty of whites and after 1.5hrs a brief but unmistakable sighting of a female Brown Hairstreak deep in the thicket. Yesterday during a 3 hour blackthorn clearing session on the Ickenham Marsh Reserve no Brown Hk (1 possibility) but 2 Common Blue which were a welcome distraction. The motivation for the 2 above visits was 5 days earlier on 31st Aug I had my sighting surprise of the decade which was a female Brown Hairstreak making a visit to my suburban garden coming to rest on Osmanthus (lower left 'topiary' frond in picture) whose leaves are waxy and similar in size to blackthorn. The garden is 2 miles from the area above and 0.6Km from any blackthorn. [Posted by Nick Furtek]
Sightings at Enfield. At private sites near Trent Park - 1 Small Heath, 1 Green-veined White, 1 Small White, 1 Red Admiral & 1 Blood-vein. At Bay Farm, along 'Jubilee Path/London Loop' - 1 Small Copper & male Common Blue. At Rectory Farm, Enfield - female Common Blue & 1 Clouded Yellow. At Flash Lane, EN2 - 1 Speckled Wood. 2 Small White nectaring on Michaelmas daisies at Chase Road, N14 at Southgate this afternoon. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Clouded Yellow at Nomansland Common. 2 Clouded Yellows spotted in Nomansland Common. Found East side on knapweed alongside Ferrers Lane and another on the track that runs parallel with High Street road. [Posted by Alex Penn]
Sightings at Enfield & Trent Park. At private sites near Trent Park - 1 Small Heath & 1 Speckled Wood. At Trent Park - 2 Small Heath together at 'Old Golf Course', 1 Small White & 4+ Green-veined White by lower lake, 1 Red Admiral near Ride Wd & 1 Speckled Wood edge of Williams Wd. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
St Albans garden. Gorgeous Knot Grass moth caterpillar in my garden this afternoon. This weeks transect in my hibernation shed recorded 4 Peacocks - one up from last week. I suspect one of those which left hibernation last week for a late top up feed [Posted by Malcolm Hull]
Sightings at Enfield & Trent Park. At private sites near Trent Park - 2 Small Heath, 2 Speckled Wood & 1 Red Admiral. At Trent Park - 1 Speckled Wood edge of Water Grdn. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Sightings at Enfield & Southgate. At private sites near Trent Park - 1 Small Heath & 1 Speckled Wood. 1 Small Dusty Wave at bus-stop shelter at Enfield Road, EN2. 1 Angle Shades at ASDA Southgate. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Sightings at Enfield & Trent Park. At private sites near Trent Park - 2 male Common Blue & 2 Small White. At Trent Park - 1 Speckled Wood near Shaws Wd. Also 1 Garden Carpet at bus-stop shelter at Bramley Rd, N14 at Oakwood this afternoon [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Common Blue. I persuaded a Common Blue to perch on my finger today in cool breezy conditions at Hill End Chalk Pit reserve, near Hitchin [Posted by Phil Barron]
Sightings at Enfield & Trent Park. At private sites near Trent Park - 1 Small Heath, 2 Speckled Wood, 1 Green-veined White & 1 Red Admiral. At Trent Park - 1 Meadow Brown. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Adonis Blues Therfield. A bit late, but I went to Therfield heath on 26 August. I parked at sports ground and walked up towards the Rifle Range. On the left were several male Adonis Blues some recently hatched. I saw about 10 of them plus females and some bedraggled Chalk Hill Blues. Also Brown Argus, Common Blues, Small Heath and Meadow Brown. A bit late but I thought it worth recording. Should be some still there. [Posted by steve kiln]
Cassiobury Park and Whippendell Woods. Although windy this afternoon Rick and myself went to have a check on Cassiobury Park in part to see if any of our plants had survived the drought of the summer. Although not many species seen today it was a delight to see 10 Small Copper. One of which was taking nectar from one of the field scabious plants that did survive our original planting a few seasons back. Fortunately other than a few thistles the ragwort flowers were keeping a nectar source going. Some of our birds-foot trefoil plants had survived and we did see our first Common Blue of the day there too. We had a count of 3 Common Blue the other two were lower down the park towards the river where birds-foot trefoil has gone banana's this year in the park! Whippendell Woods wasn't too successful once we reached there only 2 Whites seen 1 Green-veined White confirmed the other wasn't large and two moths on ragwort. [Posted by Peter Fewell]
Sightings at Oakwood Park & Town Park, Enfield. At Oakwood Park [0920 to 1000 BST] - 5 Speckled Wood, 4 Meadow Brown, 2 Small Heath & male Common Blue. At Town Park, Enfield [1240 to 1305 BST] - 4 Speckled Wood. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Autumn arrives in St Albans. An Autumnal feel to the butterflies on my allotment this morning. Small Whites out in profusion with rather less Large Whites. A Speckled Wood was enjoying the rotting fruit and the first new brood Comma feeding on Sedum. Two Common Blues and 2 Small Coppers fed avidly on the Fleabane and Innula. [Posted by Malcolm Hull]
Sightings at Enfield & Trent Park. At private sites near Trent Park - 1 Small Heath, female Common Blue, 1 Speckled Wood, 1 Red Admiral & 1 Green-veined White. At Trent Park - 1 Small White & 1 Brown Argus at Nrth Lawn by lower lake. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Sightings at Enfield & Trent Park. At a private site near Trent Park - 2 male Common Blue & 1 Small White. At Trent Park - 1 Meadow Brown & 3 Speckled Wood. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Hibernating Peacocks in St Albans. What better activity for a rainy day than to check on the Peacocks hibernating in my shed. There has been a total of five in residence since mid July. Today the total has reduced to three. No evidence of any being attacked by predators and I think most likely that they have temporarily emerged from hibernation for a top up feed before winter. I have observed this happening in previous years when we get a late hot spell, it was over 30 degrees here over the bank holiday. In fact I saw a Peacock flying locally only yesterday, the first time I've seen one on the wing for 6 weeks. Sadly still no Small Tortoiseshells in hibernation here this year [Posted by Malcolm Hull]
Sightings at Enfield & Trent Park. At private sites near Trent Park - 3 female Meadow Brown, 1 Small Heath, 2 Green-veined White [pair mating], 1 Small White. At Trent Park - 1 Small Heath at North Lawn by lower lake, 1 Green-veined White nectaring on buddleia, edge of Water Grdn & 1 Speckled Wood edge of Water Grdn. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Sightings at Trent Park. At Trent Park this morning - 4 Green-veined White [2 at North Lawn by lower lake & 2 edge of Icehouse Wd], 3 female Meadow Brown at North Lawn by lower lake & 3 Speckled Wood [1 edge of Icehouse Wd, 1 edge of Williams Wd & 1 near Shaws Wd]. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]
Sightings at Enfield. At private sites near Trent Park - 2 Meadow Brown & 1 Green-veined White. At Bay Farm, along 'London Loop/Jubilee Path' - 1 Small Copper. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]