www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Hi,
Is anybody here familair with Therfield Heath and willing to give me a few pointers before my first butterfly specific visit (I have been once before, in the middle of winter, looking for a Great Grey Shrike and thanks to some duff gen got completely lost!)
Particularly I'd be interested in information on where to park/which direction to head in from the car park for the DG Frits.
Tips on general "Butterflying" would also be welcomed (I'd like to get a Herts CH Blue under my belt)
TIA
Simon

Hi Simon, I've sent you a PM, although it seems to be sitting in my outbox at the moment for some reason. Hopefully it will get to you and you find it useful

HI, if its just some Herts CH Blues you're after another place you could try is Aldbury Nowers Nature Reserve near Tring. Tring train station's car park is only a short walk away. DG Frits can also be found there along with Small Blues, Dingy and Grizzled Skips and most of the other standard meadow and woodland species plus there's some well known Duke sites not that far away too (although you'll have to cross the border into Beds to see them!)

Hello Simon,

Another excellent site is Hexton Chalk Pit, about 50 metres south of Hexton Village on the left of the road to Lilley. Hundreds of Chalkhill Blues often seen here at the height of the season. In addition, Dingy Skippers, Green Hairstreaks and Dark Green Fritillaries are on the wing earlier in the summer.

A new colony of Chalkhill Blues is thought to have been established at Ashwell Quarry, about half a mile west of Ashwell village on the Hinxworth Road, in the last year or two so this site may well be worth investigating too.

Good luck.

ATB

Peter

bugboy wrote:HI, if its just some Herts CH Blues you're after another place you could try is Aldbury Nowers Nature Reserve near Tring. Tring train station's car park is only a short walk away. DG Frits can also be found there along with Small Blues, Dingy and Grizzled Skips and most of the other standard meadow and woodland species plus there's some well known Duke sites not that far away too (although you'll have to cross the border into Beds to see them!)

Cheers. Yeah, I am planning a trip or two to Aldbury Nowers (I'm friends with one of the reserves officers for HMWT - We did our bird ringing training together ) for the Skippers/Hairstreaks. I'd forgotten about the frits there. Therfield is only 20 minutes drive so I thought some pre-dawn trips might be possible.
The same friend has clued me in on the duke sites too, in fact, she'll be invaluable during this quest of mine

Cheers

Simon

peterc wrote:Hello Simon,

Another excellent site is Hexton Chalk Pit, about 50 metres south of Hexton Village on the left of the road to Lilley. Hundreds of Chalkhill Blues often seen here at the height of the season. In addition, Dingy Skippers, Green Hairstreaks and Dark Green Fritillaries are on the wing earlier in the summer.

A new colony of Chalkhill Blues is thought to have been established at Ashwell Quarry, about half a mile west of Ashwell village on the Hinxworth Road, in the last year or two so this site may well be worth investigating too.

Good luck.

ATB

Peter

Thanks Peter, Hexton slipped under my radar when I was pencilling in my itinerary for some reason, so thanks for the reminder. Ashwell could be incorporated into a round trip to Therfield for me actually, I'll bear that in mind.

Cheers
Simon

You may already know of the H&M web site, but just in case you don't, this might be useful: http://www.hertsmiddx-butterflies.org.u ... .php#chalk

Chalkhill Blues and the other common species can easily be found in the area between the car parks at approx. TL3422940357

Mark