'Discovering wild things' – anniversary lecture explored 150 years of HNHS history
Hertfordshire Natural History Society began 150 years ago, with Charles Darwin among its honorary members. But could its future take wildlife recording into an era more reminiscent of TV's science-fictional 'Star Trek'?
The question was posed by HNHS Secretary David Utting when he gave a lecture at St Albans Museum on 14 May to mark the Society's special anniversary.
School holidays: it's time for kids to go 'Wild about Hertfordshire'
St Albans Museum + Galleries and the HNHS have got together to arrange a great programme of Easter holiday activities to coincide with our 150th anniversary Wild about Hertfordshire exhibition.
Wild About Hertfordshire – opening of the HNHS 150th anniversary exhibition!
'Wild About Hertfordshire' – our family-friendly exhibition marking the 150th anniversary of Hertfordshire Natural History Society – opened to the public on Friday 21 March.
Running until Sunday 6 July at St Albans Museum it celebrates our county's wonderful wildlife which the Society's volunteers have been recording since 1875.
Around 120 guests enjoyed the opening night preview, including the Mayor and Mayoress of St Albans, Jamie and Liz Day.
Capacity audience for the 2025 Herts Bird Conference
A capacity audience enjoyed the 2025 Herts Bird Conference on Saturday 8 March, which included fascinating talks on Green Sandpipers and the 'gold standard' Breeding Birds Survey in Britain.
Those attending also voted for the Hertfordshire Bird Photograph of the Year – Paul Ward's striking image of a Common Snipe and its reflection taken at Lemsford Springs near Welwyn Garden City.
Videos of the main presentations are available on the HNHS YouTube site.
Rotting trees make Panshanger Park internationally important for beetles
Ancient trees preserved more than 200 years ago for their landscape value have made Hertfordshire’s Panshanger Park an internationally important site for beetles that depend on dead and decaying wood.
Giving the Gerald Salisbury Memorial Lecture on 22 January, entomologist Adrian Dutton described his recent survey work at the 1,000-acre site near Hertford which confirmed the presence of rare ‘saproxylic’ beetles and discovered others not previously recorded there.
Measured against indices for rarity and ecological continuity, Panshanger Park scores among the top 20 sites in Britain for the beetles and holds international significance.
The lecture at Welwyn Civic Centre was jointly organised by the HNHS and Welwyn Natural History Society. A video recording is available on the HNHS YouTube site.