Hertfordshire Natural History Society

Welcome to the website of the Hertfordshire Natural History Society

Stag Beetle larva, Cheshunt, October 2025 © Phillip Thornton

We promote the study and recording of wildlife in Hertfordshire and encourage a wider interest in natural history including the conservation of wildlife, habitats and geological features.

We get real value from your observations by coordinating and compiling everyone's records to build up a comprehensive picture of the state of wildlife in the county.

Rust fungus Gymnosporangium sabinae on pear leaf, Bishop's Stortford, October 2025 © Richard Melarange

This helps us understand how it is changing over time in response to the pressures of modern life and climate change.

Photos of Hertfordshire wildlife can be found in the photo galleries here and in the Flora group and Bird Club websites. We welcome submissions of good-quality images of birds and of all other wildlife seen and photographed in Hertfordshire.

All the latest natural history news can be found on our news page. The latest and past newsletters can be downloaded here.

HNHS bookshop

Beetles of Hertfordshire – £49

Butterflies of Hertfordshire & Middlesex – £25

Birds of Hertfordshire – £34

Hertfordshire Geology and Landscape – £39

Prices do not include P&P
You can now order online and pay with your debit/credit card via PayPal – full details here

We have been studying and documenting the natural history of our county for 150 years. We endeavour to cover all branches of natural history relevant to Hertfordshire.

We encourage wildlife recording. You can submit your records on line for birds, for mammals, amphibians, reptiles and dragonflies and for plants, view the latest sightings and sightings archive (from 2010). Learn more about our objectives.

We have a network of 26 county wildlife recorders who are experts in their field and collate the records for specific groups, such as birds, mammals, insects and flowers. Their reports are published in our annual journals, The Hertfordshire Naturalist and The Hertfordshire Bird Report. We also publish books on specific subjects,

We have specialist groups that focus on birds, moths and flora and close links with other local groups such as Butterfly Conservation.

Membership is open to anyone, whether or not you live in the county.

The Society's Trevor James Award for an outstanding Hertfordshire naturalist and 1875 Award for an individual who has made an outstanding contributions to natural history in Hertfordshire are presented at the Autumn Meeting each year.

The Society depends on voluntary donations and annual subscriptions from members all of which are devoted entirely to carrying out our work, as all officers are honorary.

Data and protection and privacy: Submission of a wildlife record or photograph creates data which may be classed as personal information. Our Privacy Policy explains how the HNHS and Herts Bird Club comply with their data protection obligations towards their members and the wider public.

Safeguarding: We offer family membership and welcome children under 16 to our activities provided they are supervised by a parent or responsible adult at all times. We encourage members to read our policy on safeguarding children, young people under 18 and vulnerable adults, which is reviewed annually.

Specialist groups:

Current projects:

Hertfordshire Dragonfly and Damselfly Atlas

Hertfordshire Mammal, Amphibian and Reptile Atlas

Herts Invertebrate Project

Heartwood Monitoring Project

Social media:

To keep informed about HNHS, follow us on Facebook and Twitter and look at the stunning photographs on our Flickr page.

Acknowledgements:

The success of the HNHS and Herts Bird Club websites depends on the skills and dedication of many people, for which we are very grateful; we should particularly like to acknowledge the excellent work of the photographers.

Injured animals and birds:

Neither HNHS nor Herts Bird Club is equipped to help, please follow these links for advice on what to do:

The RSPCA the national charity that gives help and advice on sick and injured birds and animals.

If you've found a bat, please contact Herts and Middlesex Bat Group.

The RSPB has advice on injured and orphaned birds.

Tiggywinkles and the Swan Sanctuary have advice and also take in wild birds in need of care.

Natural history experts honoured at 150th anniversary meeting

A leading geologist and a bird identification expert were honoured at the HNHS Autumn Meeting on Saturday 18 October as the Society continued celebrations marking its 150th anniversary.

Haydon Bailey, a national authority on chalk strata and fossils, received the Trevor James Award for an outstanding Hertfordshire natural historian. Haydon is Chair of Hertfordshire Geological Society which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Read more about Natural history experts honoured at 150th anniversary meeting

HNHS 150th Annual General Meeting and Autumn conference

Join us at the Autumn Meeting and AGM on Saturday 18 October to celebrate our 150th anniversary!

The conference is taking place from 2pm to 5.30pm at the offices of Affinity Water, Tamblin Way, Hatfield AL10 9EZ.

The programme includes a chance to learn more about the Society’s Victorian founders and their rather different approaches to studying natural history. And there will be a special guest, Hertfordshire’s High Sheriff Nicholas Buxton, who will present the HNHS annual awards and talk about his approach to wildlife conservation on the Easneye Estate, near Ware.

Read more about HNHS 150th Annual General Meeting and Autumn conference

New watersports plan expected for Broadwater Lake SSSI

After a long period of uncertainty, a revised planning application for the Hillingdon Water Sports and Activity Centre (HWSAC) at Broadwater Lake is awaited later in August.

Our colleagues at Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust understand the proposals have changed significantly since it launched a major campaign to protect the Lake's important Site of Special Scientific Interest from harm. Although located just outside Hertfordshire, the lake is part of the nationally important Colne Valley wetland system.

Read more about New watersports plan expected for Broadwater Lake SSSI