Clouded Yellow butterfly sightings amid continuing drought
Appearances in Britain of the beautiful migrant Clouded Yellow butterfly are unpredictable, although arrivals from the Mediterranean usually coincide with hot weather. Amid continuing drought, 2026 looks like being a particularly good year for them in Hertfordshire.
Photographer Ashley Cox found five flying in the eastern meadows of Heartwood on 30 July and was able to obtain impressive images of a female and male in flight.
Hertfordshire Dragonfly Atlas Update
We are now in the first few days of June in the penultimate years of the new six year Hertfordshire Dragonfly Atlas Survey which is planned to run until the end of 2027.
Since the current survey period began in 2022, over 320 observers have contributed just over 14,000 records of 32 species, which is an amazing achievement. For context, the six years of the previous survey, from 2000 to 2005 produced 14,671 records of 22 species that were submitted by 119 recorders.
The Hertfordshire Naturalist 2026 – contributions sought
Stuart Warrington, editor of the Hertfordshire Naturalist, is looking for for contributions to the 2026 edition.
These can be articles or observations or photos about the wildlife, habitats or geology of the county. We are happy to look at a range of content and styles, so please do consider making a contribution to our long-running journal.
Website Upgrade
The HNHS and Bird Club management committees are working together to redevelop and upgrade the HNHS and Bird Club websites. The project is currently in the early planning stages and, as part of this, we would like users of the websites to provide feedback on the websites to help us understand what needs improving via two short surveys linked below. All feedback received will be collated and reviewed during the planning process.
Please provide feedback on the HNHS website here.
Please provide feedback on the Bird Club website here.
How to help Swifts – the 2026 Herts Bird Conference
The 2026 Hertfordshire Bird Conference attracted a full house of HNHS/Bird Club members and friends on Saturday 7 March to hear fascinating talks on Swift conservation, birds in urban greenspaces and the 'journey' of a bird record submitted through the Bird Club website.
Videos of all the main presentations can be found on the HNHS YouTube channel
Swifts are our fastest bird in level flight and famously only land when nesting. They otherwise feed, drink, sleep and mate on the wing.