LATE JULY and EARLY AUGUST 2026 - GARDEN DELIGHTS

The hot weather of late has prevented me from going out into the wide local world, except to Southern Country Park to try for Emerald Damselfly, which was successful with regards to getting the target species, but which didn’t do me any favours I terms of health matters. Consequently, my garden and the wildlife pond within it, has to all intents and purposes, been my saviour, in terms of the Natural World.

Of course, the garden certainly couldn’t possibly compete, species wise, with the catchment area around Bishop’s Stortford, and I could do nothing about what other parties were finding and reporting, but at least I was seeing and observing some wildlife - mainly butterflies, moths, dragonflies, etc. - which were some kind of consolation.

I haven’t been able to capitalise on the recent staggering numbers of Painted Lady butterflies, although I’ve had a trickle of PL’s through the garden, culminating in one which - rather than storm through as most of them seen to have done - stayed in the garden for over two hours, occasionally leaving for a few minutes, then returning to gorge on the nectar provided by my Verbenas. And it was very co-operative in terms of being photographed.

Over the same period, I’ve recorded at least eight Jersey Tiger Moths, and one Garden Tiger Moth (at night) which was only my second record - the first being in my garden in Romford, Essex in the early 1960’s.

In addition, I’ve seen two Gypsy Moths (my second and third records), one of which rested on the outside wall of my kitchen and was photographed.

Carpenter Bees have been using my Bee Hotel for the first time since it installed it two years ago, and observing and photographing them has been totally fascinating.

In terms of visiting dragonfly species, well it hasn’t been an especially good year with regard to the number of species, but I’ve had two new species for the garden - a Common Blue Damselfly back on 18 May (which was at the wildlife pond along with a male Large Red Damselfly) and a Western Willow Emerald Damselfly, which was seen on 8 August, in the presence of a male Common Darter; this was especially pleasing since it was also my first Willow Emerald for the year - but to get one actually settled in my garden was totally unexpected; the species is still relatively rare, but is extending its range, especially in the South and East of England. Luckily, apart from the odd altercation between the two, the Darter left the Emerald well alone.

Common Darters have been seen quite regularly since the end of July, including a female which was observed ovipositing, and a pair in tandem. On 10 August there were two males, although a brief attack by one soon pushed the other off. But on 11 August I was successful in obtaining photographs of a pair in tandem on the branch of a Silver Birch near my pond, following which the pair - still in tandem - returned to the pond for more egg laying.

Birds have largely been absent in the summer months - apart from the usual culprits i.e. Sparrows; Starlings; Magpies; Woodpigeons; the occasional Carrion Crow, and of course, Red Kites, always overhead. But I did record three juvenile Greenfinches on 26 July that flew in briefly - only the second record since I came to Bishop’s Stortford in 2002; and a superb adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was seen briefly on the roof of my next door neighbour's house, overlooking my garden, one morning recently.

GYPSY MOTH

JERSEY TIGER MOTH

CARPENTER BEE 

COMMON FROG

COMMON DARTER

COMMON DARTER

COMMON DARTERS IN TANDEM

WILLOW EMERALD DAMSELFLY

PAINTED LADY ON MY VERBENAS

LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL ON THE ROOF

GERMAN WASP ?

WATER FLY - Lispe tentaculata

 

1 AUGUST 2026 - SOUTHERN COUNTRY PARK (SCP)

Due to the recent hot weather - which  almost always plays havoc with my Diabetes - I hadn’t been out of the house, with the garden my only refuge as far as seeing nature and photographing it is concerned. But Mike Harris (one of my birding friends) had reported seeing Emerald Damselflies at SCP, and I truly wanted to go over to see them as I hadn’t seen any local ones since those in 2019 at Stansted Airport Lagoons (SAL). But had to wait until the heat began to wane - and today was the day, with the temperature dropping to a more reasonable level, though still remaining hot again later in day according to the forecast.

I was careful not to go too early,  because the last time was at SCP the butterflies and dragonflies didn’t seem to appear until around 1045 hrs, so I had a longish wait before I could begin any photography.

I arrived at 11.00 hrs and made my way directly to the ‘Old Pond’ where Mike had seen the Emerald Damselflies, with just a casual look on the way for any sign of other dragonfly species, without seeing any, which I thought was a bit strange. At the pond there was a little bit of dragonfly activity, mainly down to the territorial behaviour of male Common Darters - which appeared to be aggressive to other males of the same species, as well as male Ruddy Darters - but there was no sign of any Emeralds.

I waited a good while - probably about 30 minutes - then decided to return later in the day and made my way up to the ‘Maze’ area - which is a designated area for wildflowers, and where Mike reported many Painted Ladies and a few Clouded Yellows the week before. But there was hardly a butterfly in sight, with just three Painted Ladies (two were still in good condition); four Small Heaths; one Brown Argus, and a superb Hummingbird Hawk Moth, which resolutely refused to settle and allow even one photograph! So, I made my way back to the ‘Old Pond’.

There was still no sign of any Emeralds, and I was getting a bit despondent and about to call it a day here, when I caught sight of a damselfly that wasn’t a Blue-Tailed, and which alighted on a branch of bramble about ten feet away from me; but of course, I’d forgotten to bring my binoculars, so I couldn’t get a closer view, other than through the telephoto on my camera. But the views I could get were inconclusive, before the insect was dislodged by a Common Darter, and I lost it. Then I think I picked up what I assumed to be a pair in tandem further away, but again the Common Darters pushed them off. Fortunately, the single Emerald returned to the same bramble branch, so I fired off a single shot before, the Common Darter dislodged it, and I couldn’t pick it up again. How frustrating!

I then turned to the Chalky Bank hoping to see more butterflies, but there was no repeat of the tremendous numbers I’d witnessed a couple of weeks back, with only two more Painted Ladies, and a few Brown Argus, although Common Blues were still in good numbers - mostly seemingly quite large males, but even they were not settling long enough to photograph them. Back at the lake, only Common and Ruddy Darters were seen, and although I searched hard for a Willow Emerald, I was disappointed in that regard. Round by the ‘feeding station’ all I saw were a few Mallards; a couple of Moorhens, and a juvenile rat which was very camera shy! At the northern exit to the park, as I rested on a seat to take some refreshment, a Brown Hawker flew close by, but that was the only ‘large’ species of Odonata I saw.

Back home, I processed my photographs, concentrating on the photo of the Emerald Damselfly. Through enlarging the image - and thankfully the telephoto gave a lovely sharp image - I was reasonably sure it was indeed a Common Emerald, but sent it to Mike for confirmation, which he kindly did.

 

EMERALD DAMSELFLY (a young male)

BLUE-TAILED DAMSELFLIES - MATING RITUAL

BLUE-TAILED DAMSELFLY ( a female in mating mode).

RUDDY DARTER (M)

COMMON DARTER 

PAINTED LADY

PAINTED LADY (paler underwing)

MOORHEN

24 JULY 2026 - BS CEMETERY

On 24 July 2026, Andy Saunders (a friend from the Bishop’s Stortford Natural History Society (now Stort Valley Nature Group) told me that he’d seen a possible Dark-Green Fritillary at the Bishop’s Stortford Cemetery on 23 July; so, I went over to check it out, eventually finding a fritillary-type butterfly very near to the location he’d seen his; so, I assumed it was the same butterfly.

I have to confess, I really wasn’t sure, but from my limited experience of Dark-Green Fritillaries - given that I’ve only seen a handful in Therfield Heath, Herts; Trosley Country Park, Kent, and Heddon Valley, Devon (the last being in Devon in 2019) - I thought it was in fact a female Silver-Washed Fritillary. I took several photographs before the butterfly was disturbed by a member of the public, but using these, together with two guides (one of them photographic) I came down on the side of Silver-Washed, but not before I’d consulted other friends, who confirmed my initial identification.

But it was still a good record, and a first for me for the site - indeed, it was the fifth new butterfly species I’d recorded at the site this year - the others being Painted Lady; Marbled White; Brown Argus and Small Heath; arguably an indication the unusually hot and dry conditions since the end of May 2026, not only in the UK but the whole of Europe, with some species of butterfly (and dragonfly too) occurring  much further north of their normal ranges, for example although Painted Lady and Clouded Yellow usually occur every year in the UK, their numbers this year have been truly exceptional. 

The same morning I must have seen well over 12 Painted Ladies; over 15 Common Blues; 5 Brown Argus (new for me for the site) and 3 Small Heaths (also new for the site). In addition a Red Kite was seen circling over the cemetery in full moult.

SILVER-WASHED FRITILLARY (probable female)

SILVER-WASHED FRITILLARY

SILVER-WASHED FRITILLARY

PAINTED LADY

PAINTED LADY

COMMON BLUE (M)

RED KITE - IN FULL MOULT

20 JULY 2026 - THORLEY WEDGE and SOUTHERN COUNTRY PARK (SCP)

I started out from my house at 0850 hrs heading for Southern Country Park, Bishop’s Stortford via Thorley Wedge. It was sunny and warm, with a light NE breeze, so I was hopeful that I could connect with dragonfly and butterfly species.

There is a Buddleia in Thorley Wedge that in recent years usually attracted decent numbers of butterflies (and occasionally Hummingbird Hawk Moths) at this time of year; but this year, having been substantially lopped by the council, it held not a single butterfly! 

Along the way the grasslands in Thorley Wedge were incredibly dry and almost colourless; but I did see an interesting butterfly settled on a patch of thistles maybe a hundred feet or so away through my binoculars, and when I approached, saw a pristine Painted Lady butterfly, and nearby a huge hoverfly - Volucella zonaria - both of which got the photographic treatment. So, on to Southern Country Park(SCP) using the ‘back way’ via the local Sainsburys supermarket, where in previously at this time of year, I’d found Willow Emerald Damselflies and at least two Jersey Tiger Moths. However, on this occasion no sign of any damselflies, but I did find another Jersey Tiger in virtually the same location as previously.

As soon as I was into SCP, I made my way directly to the west side of the lake, hoping to find at least one Green Eyed Hawker (previously known as Norfolk Hawker) that had been recorded here in recent weeks, but not a single dragonfly stirred, and butterflies were restricted to a few Small Whites, and the odd Common Blue. Really strange. I did a circuit of the lake, but once again nothing of note was seen. So, I made my way to the Chalky Bank which looked good for butterflies, as it was smothered with Chicory, Scabious, Wild Carrot, and other wildflowers. I did a complete circuit around The Wedge, Middle Wood, and back round along the Chalky Bank from around 10.15 hrs without seeing many butterflies at all, and then suddenly, I started to see a few more Common Blues, Brown Argus, and Painted Ladies from around 10.45 hrs which then became a flood of butterflies. Common Blues were in profusion; followed by more Painted Ladies than I can recall seeing in one location (except for an amazing time in July/August when I had about 32 singletons on my Buddleia in the early 2000’s); and then many more Brown Argus than I can ever recall seeing here (or anywhere else for that matter). I was certainly in my element photographically.

I continued snapping away until I reached the spot where I began my circuit, when I noticed a bright yellow butterfly (or was it a moth?) storming past me. It took me a few seconds to realise that it was a Clouded Yellow Butterfly, which I’d never recorded in the park; and indeed, never recorded many at all locally since I moved to Stortford in 2002. Of course, I hoped that the butterfly might settle so that I could record it photographically, but it continued its strong flight up and down the track before it settled. But of course, as soon as I got anywhere near (even with the telephoto poised) it got up again; but eventually, I managed a few shots when it settled on the bare earth, amongst weeds, where it was perfectly camouflaged. It wasn’t until I processed the photos back home, when I discovered that the insect wasn’t in prime condition - its wings were sadly quite badly worn.

Feeling somewhat elated, I thought that I’d make my way back to the lake in case the warmer conditions had persuaded some dragonfly species to emerge into the bright sunlight. However, on the way I noticed another photographer taking pictures on the Chalky Bank, so I thought he’d surely like to know about the Clouded Yellow, so approached, by asking what he was trying to photograph. He replied to the effect that Common Blues were almost everywhere on the bank but were incredibly difficult to photograph as they were constantly moving from one flower to another and hardly settling for long; something I could readily appreciate, giving similar experiences that morning.

After a while, he introduced himself as Richard and informed me that he was a member of Stortford Nature (a Facebook group where he posted most of his nature photographs); but when he mentioned that his surname was Stead, I countered ……………. “Oh, I know that name…………………I hate you……………… your photos are superb;” then offered an explanation directly.

I’d often seen his photos on local natural history sites on the Web and had always been an admirer of his photography. And when I gave my surname, he said he’d seen my photography too and thought they were of a high standard. So, we knew each other’s work quite well, which for me meant a lot.

Anyway, he was interested in the Clouded Yellow, and after giving him suitable directions, we parted on good terms, with the hope that we’d soon meet up again. But later in the day he posted me a link to todays set of photographs when I learned that he’d seen several Clouded Yellows over the entire area of the Park - which seemed to include the very same ‘tatty’ individual I’d seen earlier! Seems I should have stayed with him for longer!

Because the insects were now beginning to “erupt” I returned to the lake, where I found a couple of Black-tailed Skimmers; a male Emperor Dragonfly; a few Migrant Hawkers; a single Blue-tailed Damselfly, and a lone Common Blue Damselfly; a couple of Ruddy Darters, a single Common Darter, and a Brown Hawker; but sadly, no sign of any other species ……… and certainly no Green Eyed Hawkers!! Oh, and a Terrapin showing its head above the surface of the lake – indeed, this individual has been seen many times over the past few years, evidently having been introduced by a member of the public, who should have known better. But it was certainly surviving and had grown substantially since its early days in the lake.

Later, Richard and I exchanged contact details, and he kindly offered me to accompany him on some local trips in future; and I look forward to that.

PAINTED LADY - THORLEY WEDGE

VOLUCELLA ZONARIA

JERSEY TIGER MOTH

NORTHERN REEDBED - SCP

CHALKY BANK SCP - ARRAY OF WILDLFOWERS

COMMON BLUE BUTTERFLY (M)

COMMON BLUE BUTTERFLY (M)

BROWN ARGUS BUTTERFLY (M)

SMALL HEATH BUTTERFLY

PAINTED LADY SCP

CLOUDED YELLOW BUTTERFLY

CLOUDED YELLOW BUTTERFLY

CLOUDED YELLOW - WORSE FOR WEAR

BLACK-TAILED SKIMMER

RUDDY DARTER

RUDDY DARTER (M)

VOLUCELLA ZONARIA - SCP

GOLDFINCH

TWIST-TAIL HOVERFLY (F) ON CHICORY

TERRAPIN Sp

 

 

2 JULY 2026 – HATFIELD FOREST, ESSEX

John, Mike and I left mine at 0845 hrs with the intention of trying for Purple Emperor, Silver-washed Fritillary butterflies; and White-legged Damselfly as our main target species. We had an exceptional day on 3 July last year, but we had no idea that we were going to absolutely eclipse that this time round.

Starting out from the car park near the Shell House, we took the main ride through Collins Coppice, taking in the plethora of butterfly species along the way, which included surprisingly good numbers of Silver-washed Fritillaries; Red Admirals; Peacocks; Large, Small and Essex Skippers; many Ringlets; Meadow Browns; exceptional numbers of Marbled Whites; a couple of Purple Hairstreaks…….and a Purple Emperor (which I actually missed!!). A Garden Warbler and a Blackcap sang vociferously but didn’t show themselves; several family parties of Common Whitethroats were seen, as well as a Great Spotted Woodpecker. We also had a Shaded Broad-bar Moth, which I'd never seen before. Then we made our way to Boxwood Drive which is the main ride as part of Lodge Coppice to the west of the forest.

Boxwood Drive is an exceptionally long drive, and our target was a tall oak - one of the known 'master' trees of the Purple Emperor butterfly - which was more than halfway along. I should say at this point that it was a very sunny and warm morning, with a strong SW breeze, which played havoc in terms of attempting to photograph the butterflies, which at times were rather profuse, with the brambles on each side of the ride, literally heaving with Ringlets; Marbled Whites; Skipper species; Silver-washed Fritillaries and even good numbers of Painted Ladies (although the vast majority were extremely worn and pale individuals). We also saw several Emperor Dragonflies (both sexes) and at least one Brown Hawker.

But before we even reached the ‘master’ oak, Mike suddenly cried out……… ‘Purple Emperor!!’ as one literally stormed past at ground level, even passing by John’s feet, and away before any of us could get a proper view. A little later another (or maybe even the same individual) was seen over the brambles and seemed to settle, although we couldn’t connect with it, which was a tad frustrating. At the ‘master’ oak with the breeze seemingly even stronger, it was no surprise that Purple Emperors were not flying, although one or two Purple Hairstreaks were seen lower down.

Beneath the oak, Mike found a White-legged Damselfly (in virtually the same location as last year) and in fact in the next few minutes we saw several adults and tenerals, which indicated that the species was having a good year, but more especially that it was possibly even increasing in numbers (we only saw just one individual here in previous years).

Later, away from Boxwood Drive, we searched in vain along the Elms for White-letter Hairstreaks. But once again Marbled Whites, and Skippers proliferated, including several Painted Ladies, and one pristine individual (which John and Mike missed). We also saw at least two Small Copper butterflies, a lone Brown Argus (which Mike found); and later, a singleton Small Heath, which John and Mike missed.

At this point it was just after midday, and with the sun beating down and the temperature rising, I was really feeling the heat which was manifesting itself in a complete lack of energy and possible signs of a diabetic ‘hypo’ which even my water rations and some areas of shade couldn’t shake off completely; so I was glad that the decision was made to return to the Shell House for some refreshment, though it was certainly true to say that I was struggling, and was at times, lagging behind the others by some considerable way. But with a welcome cappuccino, a bottle of Spring Water, and a rest in the shade at the Shell House, I soon recuperated, after which it was down to the Decoy Pond for some dragonflies.

We had no idea what we were going to find at the Decoy Pond, but if we had something approaching the different species of dragonfly we had here last year, we were in for a good day. But we didn’t anticipate actually exceeding it…………………. and not just because of the dragonflies!

It was obvious from the beginning that Ruddy Darters were having a good year, and we even saw several pairs in tandem, which we hadn’t always observed previously. But the number of species was simply astounding, as the Decoy pond (well actually it was more akin to a small lake than a pond) was buzzing with activity. There were good numbers of Red-eyed Damselflies skimming over the surface, with Common and Azure Damselflies; Four-Spot Chasers; Broad-bodied Chasers; several Emperors and Brown Hawkers; one or two Common Darters (which Mike and John missed)………… and at one point I thought I had a fleeting glimpse of a Willow Emerald Damselfly……… but I couldn’t be certain, so I didn’t count it! But one species we saw here last year was the Small Red-eyed Damselfly, but regrettably we didn’t connect this time round.

But we had an even more unusual find here, because Mike picked up a Grass Snake swimming on the far side of the pond, and luckily, we all saw it well. Amazing; a real bonus!

And then John picked up a glimpse of a large dragonfly storming through, which he claimed was definitely not a Brown Hawker or an Emperor, and could have had ‘green eyes’, which meant it could only be a Norfolk Hawker (which we know had been seen the day before by others at Southern Country Park not far away over the county border in Hertfordshire) so it wasn’t out of the question. But it was quite a while - with us breezing up and down the edges of the pond (which was difficult to see at times due to the ‘heavy’ vegetation around its shores) - before John saw it again, but this time flying against the reeds on the opposite side. And then it settled, and we were able to view it through our binoculars. Absolutely no doubt, a definite Norfolk Hawker. We were ecstatic with excitement. What a find!

I tried to photograph it, but even with a 100-400mm telephoto it was almost impossible to pick up. But when I enlarged the image, it was clear enough to identify it as a Norfolk Hawker. Brilliant!

Other birds seen included Little Egret; Common Tern; Egyptian Goose (bit of a joke bird really); Common Buzzard; Sparrowhawk, and Red Kite. 

SILVER-WASHED FRITILLARY (F)

SILVER-WASHED FRITILLARY (M)

LARGE SKIPPER (M)

SMALL SKIPPER (PROBABLE F)

SHADED BROAD-BAR MOTH

GATEKEEPER

MARBLED WHITE

PAINTED LADY

WHITE-LEGGED DAMSELFLY

BROWN HAWKER (F) OVIPOSITING

NORFOLK HAWKER - from way across the decoy pond

RUDDY DARTER (F)