Hertfordshire & Middlesex Branch
Saving butterflies, moths and our environment
Sightings from Stanwell Moor. Another very warm day for November, and some sunshine too after lunch. After finding a couple of Red Admirals (I don't think either were any I've seen in recent days), I then disturbed a fresh male Common Blue from the grass. However, it sailed off directly into the low sun and I lost track of it. No Small Coppers appeared today, but in the same general area where they've been flying I found two Small Heaths, one of which was the one I saw here on 28th October. I've never seen the species anywhere in November before. [Posted by Dave Miller]
Clay Hill area of Enfield. In light of a report on social media of 4 Brown Hairstreak eggs being found in the Picketts Lock area of Enfield, I revisited the Clay Hill area again, hoping that I might find some Brown Hairstreak eggs on the extensive blackthorn - unfortunately I failed but I did find a White-letter Hairstreak egg on an elm that I have looked at on several occasions over the years with the last success in 2021! This was at least some form of compensation! [Posted by Liz Goodyear]
Merry Hill (Woodland Trust) Brown Hairstreak egg rescue. We were asked by the Woodland Trust to search for Brown Hairstreak eggs that were vulnerable to a programme of imminent hedge and tree work around the site. These eggs were subsequently rescued and put into safe storage for return to the site when the work has been done. The areas that needed to be checked were scattered across the site and varied in quality. In total a minimum of 55 eggs were rescued and casual sampling of blackthorn that was not at risk yealded 42 eggs (32 yesterday on one hedgeline alone!) - completed over 3 days by myself, Pete Fewell and Rick Vickers [Posted by Liz Goodyear]
Sightings from Stanwell Moor. Just two Red Admirals today, sitting not far apart in the brief spell of sunshine here around 1030 this morning. The feeble November sun couldn't provide enough energy to get through the cloud and wake anything else into action for the rest of the day despite the air being warm. [Posted by Dave Miller]
Sightings from Stanwell Moor. After the overnight rain there was cool sunshine through the day, but I managed to find a few butterflies on my local patch. The Red Admiral came as no great surprise, but I was pleased to find a Small Copper still flying in the usual spot and also a male Small White. However, the best of the lot was a fresh male Clouded Yellow that I only managed to photograph from a distance before it headed off downwind in the stiff breeze and I lost sight of it among the sea of yellow flowers that persists here at present (mostly bristly oxtongue and some hawkbit). [Posted by Dave Miller]
Clouded Yellow butterfly. At College Lake, Bulborne, Tring. SP93101491. Feeding on Hawkweed sp. [Posted by Judith Knight & Bob Hook]
Hartham Park Hartford. Three Red Admirals seen together in the sunshine feeding on Ivy. [Posted by Nathan Ellis]
Red Admiral in Hertford. Nectaring on ivy in the Warren, Hartham Common. [Posted by Andrew Wood]
Red Admiral at Trent Park. 1 Red Admiral settled near top of Snakes Lane, Trent Park at 1228 GMT. [Posted by Robert Mark Callf]