Herts & Middx Moth Group


Some History

We began in April 2000 as the Herts Moth Group, with the primary purpose of supporting the County Moth Recorder (CMR) in gathering records of moths in Hertfordshire. It gradually expanded to include the vice-county of Middlesex to the south (effectively much of north London so we are now known as the Herts & Middx Moth Group.

What the Moth Group Does

Recording moths is our main thrust. We do this by promoting interest in moths, in moth recording and in associated conservation activities. There are no expectations placed on our members - except that if they see a moth - any moth - in our area they should please make a note of it and submit the details so it can be added to the database. Everyone is welcome to join in, even from outside our area. You simply need to affiliate yourself by expressing interest (ideally in an e-mail to the County Moth Recorder). There are no membership fees so it is hard to put numbers on ourselves, but our mailing list contains roughly 350 names at February 2024.

Who runs the group?

The group is run by the CMR for Hertfordshire (who is elected annually by the Herts Natural History Society) and the CMR for the London Area (elected annually by the London Natural History Society) - who just happens to be the same person - Colin W. Plant. This is done with considerable help from time to time from various members. We are not associated in any way with any other body, though we cooperate at a practical level with the National Moth Recording Scheme that is currently organised by Butterfly Conservation.

The role of CMR has, in both counties, existed for over 100 years. The task is entirely voluntary - the CMR receives no payments and decline to claim any running expenses. One-off mega-expenses are funded by the parent societies: e.g., The Herts Natural History Society provided up front financial support for the 2008 publication The Moths of Hertfordshire and also funded the development of this web site. The London Natural History Society bore all the costs of publishing the first ever checklist of Middlesex moths in their journal London Naturalist in 2019. So, if you come to us with suggestions for major projects please also try to include suggestions for sources of funding!

Ethical/legal stuff

The moth group is open to all-comers with an interest in moths, regardless of colour, class, creed, sex, age, sexual orientation, physical ability or any other factor. However, any gatherings that we may organise might, at our discretion, be age-restricted where public safety is a concern (e.g., under 16’s would usually need escorting on field trips). Membership of the moth group is approved by the CMR who has the right to refuse membership to anyone who does not fit with the group’s ideals. The membership list is protected by General Data Protection Rules and is not shared. Nevertheless, persons who might be at risk of persecution or who may have some other reason for remaining anonymous (e.g., "celebrities"), should make this fact known to the CMR in confidence when they join up. The group supports legislation that combats modern-day slavery. We adhere to copyright legislation as defined under English Law. As an occasional publisher, we strongly support anti-plagiarism rules. The Herts and Middlesex Moth Database is stored on a stand-alone personal computer and there is a single back-up copy at a separate address; it cannot be remotely accessed. We do not sell data. Data are provided free where appropriate to bona fide enquirers.
© hertsmiddxmoths.uk 2024 NOLA®; Database using MapMate® Digital Maps © Bartholomew 2010. Design © Jim Wheeler 2024
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