Suffolk Argus 14, July 1998 by Suffolk Naturalists' Society

Suffolk Branch Contacts

Chairman

JamesMann, The Old School, The Street, Darsham, Saxmundham, Suffolk, !PI? 3QA (01728 668532) Membership Secretary Paul Gilson, 18 Cheltenham Avenue, Ipswich, Suffolk !PI 4LN (01473 253276) Newsletter Editors (temporary) Paul Gilson, 18 Cheltenham Avenue, Ipswich, Suffolk !PI 4LN (01473 253276)

RichardStewart, 'Valezina', I 12 Westerfield Road, Ipswich, Suffolk !PI 2XW (01473 216518) Programme Secretary Alan Johnson, 28 Medway Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP3 0QH (01473 715701)

Volunteers Needed

County Recorder (Butterflies) RichardStewart, 'Valezina', 112 Westerfield Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 2XW (01473 216518)

If you feel you could run a small sales operation or just help out now and then with the growing work of the Branch, please contact James Mann on

JamesMann, The Old School, The Street,

01728 668532.

July 1998

Conservation Officer (Butterflies)

Darsham, Saxmundham, Suffolk, !PI? 3QA (0 I 728 668532) Conservation Officer (Moths) Tony Prichard,3 Powling Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP3 9JR (01473 270047) County Recorders (Moths)

Jon Nicholls, 18 Berners Road, Felixstowe, Suffolk IP! I 7LF (0 I 394 27 I 500) Tony Prichard(address as below) Secretary

Tony Prichard,3 Powling Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP3 9JR (01473 270047)

Treasurer

Graham Bull, Willow Cottage, I The Street, Raydon, Suffolk IP? 5LP (01473 310371)

Published by the Suffolk Branch of Butterfly Conservation (The British Butterfly Conservation Society Ltd.) Reg. No. 2206468 Reg. Charity No. 254937 Head Office, P.O. Box 222. Dcdham, EssexC07 6EY. Tel. (01206) 322342 Edited by Paul Gilson& RichardStewart Logo (Silver-studded Blue) Doug l lammml,y Designed and produced by Sttphm Ion, Cat & Mouso Design (01473 729423 after 7pm) © 1998 all rights reserved

Publicity Officer Steven Goss,Yaxley Manor House, Yaxley, Eye, Suffolk IP23 8DG (01379 783386) President

The Newsletter of the Suffolk Branch of Butterfly Conservation

Howard Mendel, c/o The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW? 58D (0171 938 8782)

BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION

Volume14

The Suffolk Argus

July 1998

Newsletter Details

Contents Notes from the Editor ............................................................ 3 Moth Notes ............................................................................ 3 1998 A.G.M. & Accounts ..................................................... .4 The Emperor's dietary supplements ........................................ 5 Large and late ......................................................................... 6 1997 Field Trips ............................................................... 7-10 More observations about the Speckled Wood ....................... 11 Bracken for butterflies .......................................................... 12 Butterfly bonus ............................................................... 13-14 What's that white? .......................................................... 15-17 Children: An untapped resource ........................................... 18 Newsletter Details & General Information ........................... 19 Suffolk Branch Contacts ......................................... Back Cover

To Advertisein Tfff

Copy Dates Contributions for our newsletter should reach the Editor (address on back page) no later than:

January

Christmas Eve

May October

April Fools Day August Bank Holiday

Any piece of writing that is considered to be of interest will be published together with line drawings/prints/photographs. The Suffolk Argus is your magazine, so please let us hear from you.

SUFFOLK ARGUS

Please contact:

Paul Gilson (014 73 253276)

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The Suffolk Argus

July1998

Children: an untapped resource by Steven Goss

~:--.•-~

As a nation, we in Britain might have just woken up in time to the huge environmental damage we have wrought on our countryside during the past fifty years or so. Although recent events in Newbury and at Selar Farm in Wales might suggest otherwise, environmental issues now receive much more attention and figure high on the list of public concerns in general. This is no doubt partly due to organisations like ours, but whilst it is encouraging that children are learning about

recycling and the destruction of tropical rainforests, are they really growing up with an understanding of the countryside and should Butterfly Conservation aim itself more at children? Naturally, it is adults that provide B.C. with much of its income through subscriptions and legacies etc. but I think there is considerable untapped potential to enlist more junior members. The R.S.P.B. currently has around 139,000 junior members. That's a lot of subscription money, but more importantly it's a lot of young people growing up with an interest in birds. I firmly believe that if we can capture the interest of children, they will retain that interest, to a greater or lesser degree , for the rest of their lives. So many of today's children seem to be growing up on a diet of television and computer games, whereas in the past they might have spent leisure time playing in the garden and country lanes where butterflies "' would have become a familiar sight. If they caught one, w,y chances are that their mother or 1 ;:f;1/ father could tell them what it was. Today, I think most children would struggle to name even one species. So what can we do about it ? On a local basis, information packs for schools combined with a short talk with slides sounds like a good idea. Nationally, perhaps competitions and features in children's magazines combined with the chance to join B.C. could work. Unfortunately, I think there is little doubt that recruiting new members of all ages is made somewhat harder because they have to join nationally and not locally.

Notes frotn the Editor Notes from the Editor By the time you read this the Suffolk Show will be over and hopefully many nectar-rich plants, accompanied by the special BC plant labels and information sheet, will have been bought from our stand and already have been planted in sunny spots. Our Branch input to Butterfly Garden year has so far included talks by James Mann and Richard Stewart and we received welcome publicty from an illustrated article on this subject in the EADT (March I 9th). This produced several follow-up enquiries. Detailed planting plans have been sent to the Thornham Estate in the hope that a sunny area being refurbished will become a line of butterfly beds. The butterfly garden, created in conjunction with Ipswich Parks Dpt. and Marks and Spencer, has now been planted and can be viewed at the Grove Lane end of Alexandra Park. Please let me have any records of visiting butterflies. Look out also for its official opening and the unveiling of a full colour information board. Finally at present, it is hoped that Chris Opperman of Radio Suffolk will be doing another Country programme mid-summer, based on butterfly gardens and hopefully visiting those of two Branch members.

Moth notes by TonyPrichard Arthur Watchman after many years as County Moth Recorder has retired. Jon Nicholls and myself have taken over as joint recorders. We are currently in the process of computerising the moth records that we have using the Recorder software package - we have entered over 16,000 records to date. We hope to move onto entering Arthur's records in the near future. Any moth records that you wish to submit shoul be sent to either one of us. Contact details are listed on the rear cover of the Argus. If you have any ideas of where the Branch could hold moth evenings then please let us know so that we can consider it for inclusion in the future.

Articles for the Suffolk Argus If any members have articles for future editions of the Suffolk Argus could they please send them to Paul Gilson at 18, Cheltenham Avenue, Ipswich IP1 4LN. Myself and Richard Stewart will be overseeing the production of the newsletter until a new Editor is found.

The Suffolk Argus

July 1998

Butterfly Conservation (Suffolk)Income Expenditure Account(01/04/97 to 31/03/98)

1998AGM by RichardStewart The 1998 AGM at the Butterfy Hotel, Bury St. Edmunds, started with a full account of recent activities by Chairman James Mann. Each Branch officer then gave a separate report and these included the presentation and acceptance of the annual financial statement. Several Committee members, and Jim Foster then took the audience through a wide variety of slides featuring both British and foreign butterflies and moths. A slide of a Large Blue, taken before its extinction by a much younger Steven Goss, (not meant to be ambiguous) was particularly memorable as was Jim Foster's close-up of many bright butterflies jostling for position on a pile of dung. The meeting concluded with refreshments and a chance not just to talk but also take copies of several new posters and leaflets available. Once again we are extremely grateful to our hosts, the Butterfly Hotel, for providing the room, but there was one thing lacking-a large audience, just fourteen in fact, half being committee members. Please let us know if we are doing something wrong or is it the word AGM which invariably acts as a 'turn off' to many who might possible come? Please let us know if you have any comments or suggestions to improve future attendance.

Category

Total

INCOME GeneralDonations ................................... 135.19 Membership Subs.................................... 647.00 SalesRevenue, ZeroVAT......................... 23.69 TOTALINCOME ...................................... 805.88 EXPENSES Conservation ............................................. 24.22 Donations ................................................... 25.00 EventsProgramme .................................... 58.19 Exhibition Costs....................................... 119.50 Members Night.......................................... 47.50 Newsletters .............................................. 256.12 OfficeExpenses, ZeroVAT....................... 32.59 Purchases, ZeroVAT................................ 57.30 Purchases, SidRate.................................. 27.17 Repairs& Renewals .................................. 34.26 RoomHire.................................................. 18.00 Expense - Unassigned ............................... 7.00 TOTALEXPENSES ................................. 706.85 INCOME LESSEXPENSES ...................... 99.03

In summary, when watching Whites in flight or from a distance, beware of size judgement in not so close 'large' or 'small' species of White. Do try to focus on the area of 'black' on the forewing apex. Take note of the shade of white as well as the manner of flight. Also check out the nectaring preferences as well as the butterfly location. Best of luck and please write to the editor to let everyone know how these notes may have helped or otherwise! Any identification methods which you may already use would also be most welcome. *Birdwatcher's among you may wish to remind yourselves of this fascinating subject by referring to 'Birding World, volume 2, number 4, pi 32.' This forms part of the excellent series presented in this publication - ' The New Approach to Identification' by Killian Mullamey and the late Peter Grant. It was also available in a separate booklet published in 1989.

: Orange Tip • by DouglasHammersley

Butterfly Conservation (Suffolk) Balance Account Asat 31/03/98 ASSETS Total BankandCashAccounts Deposit......................................................... 0.00 Girobank(current)................................... 844.69 PettyCash................................................... 1.52 TotalBankandCashAccounts.......846.21 OtherAssets AccountsReceivable ................................... 0.00 PlantandEquipment ............................... 264.99 Stockfor Resale...................................... 125.50 TotalOtherAssets........................... 390.49 TOTALASSESTS................................ 1,236.70 LIABILITIES Total OtherLiabilities AccountsPayable...................................... 60.60 TotalOtherLiabilities ......................... 60.60 TOTAL....................................................... 60.60 NETWORTH........................................ 1,176.10

The SuffolkArgus

accurate assessment of size is beyond the capability of the human eye. We may think we are judging size all the time but all that is really happening is that we know the size of a butterfly the instant it is identified. In effect, the process is no more than: "It'sa Large White, so it's Large White sized". In such circumstances, it is best to ignore apparent size and instead to rely on objective differences such as colour markings. To confirm the identification of a Large White concentrate on the black marking at the apex of the forewing which should be visible at a reasonable range particularly with binoculars. This black or grey/black feature is broad and bold and extends almost half-way along the outer forewing margin. By comparison, in the Small White this key feature will be indistinct or absent. In the Green-veined White and female Orange-tip the black mark in this region (bolder in Orange-tip than Green-veined White) are no where near so broad or bold and it certainly does not continue along the outer margin. Of course, another potential problem at distance with the naked eye could be the Brimstone when any 'black'might not be so obvious! The shade of white should also be useful. Large White and Small White have a creamy tinge. The Green-veined White appears pale greyish whilst the female Orange-tip is quite translucent appearing pearly white, tinged with green. The flight of the butterflies can provide other clues as to their identity. Both the Large White and Small White are strong fliers since both migrate across the English Channel and they tend to have a much more direct flight than the weaker, fluttering style of the Green-veined White. The Orange-tip flits quite slowly except when egg-laying when it flies more directly between foodplants. Having said this, all the Whites

July 1998

could engage in similar flight at one time or another but on balance the Large White is likely to display a stronger, more loosely fluttering flight than the Small White which although having a fluttering appearance is not so loose (possibly due to wing size?). The Green-veined White whilst again having a similar fluttering flight to the Small White, it is generally weaker in manner. The flight of the female Orange-tip is very similar to both Small White and Greenveined White so the pearly white and greener impression will need to be looked for. Flight differences are rather subtle but the best way is to try out these perceptions in the field. I said at the beginning that there is no easy solution! The flight period of the female Orange-tip will also help in that it is not generally seen after the end of June. Nectaring preferences can provide further clues. Small Whites prefer white or pale flowers, while Large and Green-veined Whites are usually attracted to purple and yellow flowers such as thistle, bluebells, ragwort and dandelion. Orange-tips favour their larval food-plants such as cuckooflower or garlic mustard but will visit others. The location of a butterfly is also a useful pointer. Although all Whites have fairly widespread habitat preferences, the Green-veined White and Orange-tip are most often found in shadier, damper areas along hedges, ditches, woodland edge and water-sides where their food-plants grow. However, to be certain of identification you must obtain a good view of the butterfly. Close up, all Whites should give up their identification quite easily. One useful identification feature of the Greenveined White which does not seem to come out in all field guides are the grey triangular ends to the veins on the upper forewings. This can be most helpful when the 'greenveined' hindwing is not visible.

The Etnperor's Dietary Suppletnents by DouglasHammersley The article by Jean Garrod, and the editorial footnote, appearing in the December issue of the 'Argus' prompts me to write a few lines about my experiences whilst watching Purple Emperors in Germany. In two well-wooded valleys in the hills behind Brodenbach on the River Mose!, I have often seen Emperors flitting among the deciduous trees and, on several occasions, I have been able to observe them at very close quarters. It is well known that these butterflies get most of their food from aphid honeydew which they sip from the leaves of the woodland canopy, but they may be seen imbibing nutrients from a wide variety of other sources. I have noted male Emperors sipping from wayside puddles; rotten fruit; dung: sap from tree wounds; Konigsbacher beer; engine oil; and even from poking about in the ash of a barbecue pit! The stony footpaths in the forest are sometimes washed by rain or by small, hillside streams producing a mineral-rich cocktail on the surface of the ground, which probably provides essential sodium for a number of male butterflies. From time to time, I have seen Purple Emperors, Lesser Purple Emperors, White Admirals, Commas and Silver-washed Fritillaries mud-puddling

on the damp pathways. Alas, some of these paths are now macadamised to provide more comfortable access for motorists and, in recent years, I have noticed a remarkable drop in the number of butterflies where these paths have been surfaced. The presence of dog-dirt has provided a useful aid to my obtaining close-up photographs of Emperors. By poking with a stick to 'rejuvenate'dried dog-dirt, and then waiting patiently, the faecal stench soon attracts the butterflies down from the trees. Their preoccupation with feeding allows one to approach quite closely. At a little place, with the imposing name of Brandengrabenmuhle, in the heart of this Emperor country, there used to be a wayside Rasthaus serving beer and snacks for the walker. Sitting there in the sunshine in early July 1982, I was joined at the table by a superb, male Emperor. It sipped happily at a ring of beer from the glass of a previous drinker. It was no more than four inches from my hand and it stayed there long enough for me to finish my pint ofKonigsbacher. Nearby stood an old tractor beneath which was a puddle of engine oil and, lo and behold, there was another Emperor sipping oil! My picture, drawn from a favourite slide, shows a male Purple Emperor withdrawing his proboscis after poking about in the __J.!!i 11 ,

~~::: p1t m the forest. Whatever next, indeed!

1--, l..c,._

• ....,_

Purple Emperor by DouglasHammersley

The Suffolk Argus

Large and Late by Wilfrid George

Clouded Yellow

by BerylJohnson

July 1998

For ten years, all my butterflies were white. Hardly ever, in a West London suburb, was a 'coloured' butterfly to be seen. I remember one Red Admiral, one 'blue' (it must have been 'Holly') and one yellow butterfly squashed on a fence (probably 'Clouded'). That was all. Then World War Two moved us to Halesworth, and there I met the coloured lot. I also found how to cell which 'white' was which. It's not so easy as you chink. Even now, sending records into Ipswich, the whites are the hardest to spot, largely because they will not keep still. Which of the three is chat? Small, Large or Greenveined? Juse as you feel certain - it settles and turns out to be a female Orange Tip or a female Brimstone. I was in Austria a few years back, and whites were everywhere except chat every one of chem was a Pale Clouded Yellow. I see them everywhere, these 'whites' - from romantic African films to frantic Balkan war-reports. They also get at my garden greens. In the summer of 1997 I watched sadly as some of my favourite insects devoured my own food supply. I cold myself chat they would soon pupate, and that my ragged cabbages would recover. But 1997 had a sting in the tail. Those Large Whites emerged to another brood - eager to feast on my brassicas again. This time I took drastic action, and picked them off by hand. The black and yellow spotted caterpillars of the Large White are easy to see - but there were always more. I worked at it right through November - and even on 8th and 9th December (after several sharp frosts) I picked off each day three full-grown actively-feeding larvae. I do not remember these larvae at such a late dace before - is this a record?

What's that White? By SteveGoddard

Hands up all those who never have problems in identifying 'Whites' in flight or at a distance. Do I see no hands? Well, that's hardly surprising because most of us seem to have trouble at one time or another in getting to grips with 'Whites' on the wing or when they are not so closeup. After all they are white aren't they? And, in researching this article I have to say that there is no easy solution but there are some factors which seem to offer up some help. At fairly close range the Large White is usually distinguished by its larger size particularly, the larger females. However, what about distant Whites (and small Large Whites)? Here, judgement of size oflone individuals is not always as easy as it might seem. In these situations it is generally only best achieved when comparison can be made with other Whites at the same time but even then binocular users should beware of the potentially misleading effects of 'size illusion' when the farther of two objects looks larger than it really is in comparison with the nearer object!. Judging size* is probably the greatest difficulty we have when encountering a single distant White because

Large White

by DouglasHammersley

The

SuffolkArgus

December 28th: Small Tortoiseshell at Baylham TM 1051 -Mrs Frost December 30th: Peacock, Tuddenham Road, Ipswich TM 171457 - Peter Steggall (Small White in Northern Ireland, Peacock Llandudno) December 31st: Peacock near Lavenham TL 9134 98 - Peter Hobbs (Red Admiral Sussex and North London, Peacock Surrey) The first 13 days of January produced an incredible 15 records:

July 1998

Admiral Sussex, Surrey; Peacock Kent, Norfolk; Brimstone Cornwall(2), Bucks; Small Tortoiseshell Sussex, Berkshire) January 10th: Peacock at Monk's Eleigh TL 964477 - John and Sheila Dolman Peacock at Monk's Eleigh TL 965474 Keith Morris

1997

Field Trips

Hobbs

Suffolk Water Park, Bramford

Peacock at Yaxley TM 121739 - Tony Feavearyear - probably the same one

Saturday, August 9th

Small Tortoiseshell at Baylham - TM I 051

by Steve Goddard

Peacock at Ingham TL 8470 - Mr and Mrs

-Mrs Frost

January 6th: Peacock at Alton Water TM 139372 - Fred and Bea Elliston and another Peacock at Mutford Big Wood TM 485894 - John Warnes (Red Admiral Hampshire) January 7th: Red Admiral in Rush mere Road, Ipswich TM 191456 - Neil Sherman (Red Admiral Surrey) January 9th: Small Tortoiseshell in Christchurch Street, Ipswich TM 168451 Wilfred George Peacock at Yaxley TM 121739 - Tony Feavearyear (Painted Lady Sussex; Red

Small Tortoiseshell (2) at Horham TM 215719- David Mitchell Red Admiral at Newton Park TL 8661 G. Clarke Red Admiral at Tuddenham Road, Ipswich TM 1746 - Kenneth McPherson (Red Admiral Surrey(2), Berkshire, North London, Avon, Devon; Brimstone Bucks; Peacock(3) Avon, I Devon; Small Tortoiseshell Oxfordshire, Devon, Kent; Comma Essex) I have no further national records but Mrs Frost completed her hat-trick at Baylham on the 11th and the Ingham Peacock was seen again on the 13th. The Red Admiral sightings reinforce the evidence for overwintering though a very early influx from the Continent cannot completely be ruled out. No Brimstone was reported though four were reported nationally. Also there was no sighting of an early Comma, with just one nationally.

Red Admiral by DouglasHammersley

It was a very hot Summer's day with the thermometer soaring to near 30c. Would members want to turn up in such conditions I wondered but I should have known better than that. I was delighted to be part of a group of ten who were looking forward to this afternoon walk at Suffolk Water Park. The 'Water Park', a restored gravel pit, consists of a diverse habitat of rough grassland, scrub and woodland edge which surrounds the lake. This provides a good variety of insect life with 20 species of butterfly having been recorded as well as 10 species of dragonfly. It also has an impressive list of birds. On the day we saw 9 species of butterfly and 3 species of dragonfly. As a regul~r recorder here, I was pleased that one of our sightings the Comma, was believe it or not, a new addition to the list. Unfortunately, Brown Argus sightings were rather disappointing (single figures) since I counted up to I 00 in the corresponding month of 1996 (was it the heat?). The star dragonfly here in high Summer is the Black-tailed Skimmer which, although few and far between today, (the heat no doubt playing a part again) nevertheless did provide us with some good views.

Cinnabar moth and Small Tortoiseshell larvae also attracted our attention as did a lone wriggling Small Tortoiseshell pupa. A localised species the Ear moth, was a pleasant surprise. This is one to look out for since it is one of our occasional sunny day visitors to thistle, ragwort and various rushes mainly in damp places. Two Common Terns were also a pleasing sight. However, for the present I am sure the day will be just as well remembered for the welcome cold refreshments available on the site at the end of our near two hour walk. Butterfly species recorded: Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Meadow Brown Common Blue, Gatekeeper, Brown Argus, Small Skipper, Comma and Green-veined White. Moth species recorded: Ear moth. Dragonfly species recorded: Black-tailed Skimmer, Common Blue Damselfly, Common Darter. Footnote: Three Brown Argus were still in flight during the first week of October (one very fresh) as was a pair of Black-tailed Skimmer. The latter sighting being of particular interest.

Comma • by Angie Steele

The Suffolk Argus

~ekend

July 1998

in the ~st'

Saturday 31st May and Sunday 1st June 1997 by Alan Johnson I am feeling rather guilty of the fact that by the time this report appears in the "Argus", it will be a year since this event took place! Hopefully, it will bring back pleasant memories to those who attended and still be of interest to our other members. A total of thirteen adults and two children stayed at the Thornbury House Hotel, in Great Malvern, which was to be our base for two nights "Band B", all arriving safely by early evening of the 30th May. A further four members and two children joined us for some of the visits during the weekend.

Marsh Fritillary, Somerford Common

by BerylJohnson

Day 1 A fine sunny morning with clear skies and a light N.E. wind saw our party set off after breakfast for our first destination, Monkwood Nature Reserve, approx. 5 miles N.W. of Worcester. The reserve is owned and cared for jointly by the Worcestershire Conservation Trust and Butterfly Conservation. It can best be described as a mixed broad-leaved plantation on an ancient woodland site and has been wooded probably since the last ice age. It is well known for its butterflies and twenty seven different species are regularly recorded with occasional sightings of three others. Also five hundred and thirty eight species of moth have been recorded in the past fifteen years. We were met at the car parking area by Mike Williams, Conservation Officer for the Worcestershire Branch, who was to be our leader for the rest of the day. This area was also the spot where we saw the first of our "target species", the Wood White, which was immediately surrounded by the photographers amongst us! We then spent a very enjoyable couple of hours having a conducted tour of this beauriful wood with its extensive network of rides and paths, noting further numbers of the Wood White. Also seen were Speckled Wood, Green-veined White, Small Copper, Common Blue, Peacock, Large Skipper, Brimstone and Holly Blue. Also present were the Beautiful Demoiselle damselfly, the Broad-bodied Chaser dragonfly (both male and female), caterpillars of the Brimstone butterfly and the Yellow Tail moth, and also, in large numbers the Speckled Yellow moth. After a picnic lunch, our party set off in a convoy of cars playing "follow-theleader", to our next destination, an area of the Wyre Forest some five miles to the west of Kidderminster.

Butterfly Bonus by RichardStewart County Butterfly Recorder

Whatever happens for the rest of 1998, the period of about three weeks spanning the end of December 1997 and the first two weeks of 1998 will be remembered as exceptional for butterfly sightings. Traditionally there have occasionally been December and January records from previous years but not the eighteen observed during this time. It is difficult to explain the reason for this warm mild weather which interrupted hibernation, other than to see it as yet another manifestation of changes in climate that have also affected other wildlife. After the first reports I contacted the EADT with the result that a feature titled 'An Early Take-Off For Mother Nature' appeared on January 13th. This, as I had hoped, produced more records. Nick Bowles, the national co-ordinator for Butterfly Conservation, gave me details of all the national records received for this period and these are added in brackets after the Suffolk sightings:

Peacock

by DouglasHammersley

The SuffolkArgus

July 1998

Bracken for Butterflies

This ancient Royal Forest is one of the largest areas of mature woodland in England, the main trees being Oak, Birch and Alder. It is quoted as being a "textbook

exampleof woodlandmanagement".

by JamesMann It has been widely accepted that the decline of many of our Fritillaries has been as result of changes of woodland management such as abandonment of coppicing. If these butterflies cannot find alternative habitats they will die out. Butterfly Conservation have produced a leaflet 'bracken for butterflies' the opening statement of which is:- The presence of bracken in habitats ranging from open hillside to woodland can be important for many forms of wildlife, bur is especially vital for four highly threatened Fritillary butterflies, the High Brown Fritillary, the Pearl-bordered Fritillary, the Small Pearlbordered Fritillary and the Dark Green Fritillary. For these species, suitable habitats occur in open, sheltered situations often where there are mosaics of grass, bracken and scrub. The bracken fronds act like a woodland canopy for the Violet foodplants and bracken litter provides a warm microclimate for development of the immature stages. Although we know longer have these Fritillaries in Suffolk and cannot hope for them to return by themselves there is no reason for us not to attempt to identify potentially suitable bracken habitats for Fritillaries. If we find areas of bracken habitat that also support violets it is important to pinpoint the location to enable further investigation and possible

Dark Green Fritillary by DouglasHammersley management as these may become suitable sites for reintroduction in the future. The easiest method is to search for key areas in Spring before the bracken fronds have unfurled. Bracken stands which are sheltered and south facing ate those most likely to be suitable for Fritillaries. In Spring, Pearl-bordered Fritillary and High Brown Fritillary bracken habitats are characterised by violets growing through a shallow (under 15cm) bracken litter. Suitable mosaics are typically 1/3 grass to 2/ 3 bracken. In contrast, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary bracken habitats may have abundant purple moor-grass or tufted hair grass, with Dark Green Fritillary bracken mosaics frequently consisting of I /3 bracken and 2/3 grass. The Sandlings certainly supported High Brown Fritillaries in some areas until the 1960' s and may well have supported Pearl-bordered Fritillaries. Many of the largest Fritillary colonies occur in managed bracken communities so if we can identify suitable habitats there is no reason for us not to have Fritillaries in Suffolk in the future.

Mike Williams had very kindly arranged for us to be shown a range of habitats, during the afternoon, by one of the local recorders for the area, who duly met us on our arrival. We were then privileged to drive further into the forest to park our cars and it was here that we had our first sighting of another 'target species' the Pearl-bordered Fritillary. Before moving off into the forest we were instructed to 'stay together and keep with the leader', as obviously those unfamiliar with the area could, and do, easily become lost. We took a narrow path leading between tall dark conifers noticing many wood ants crossing the track and their huge nests constructed beneath the trees. This path led into a more open area of bracken, grass and scrub where we were able to observe the Pearl-bordered Fritillary more closely as it was present in good numbers. Leaving this sheltered spot we climbed up through a tree belt where we emerged somewhat hot and breathless onto a wide grassy strip. This corridor which disappeared into the distance, in both directions, is part of the route of the water pipeline to Birmingham. During our walk the following species were seen:- Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Brimstone, Dingy Skipper, Grizzled Skipper (recorded in a new area), Common Blue, Small Copper, Large White, Peacock, Large Skipper, Speckled Wood. Finally to round off a warm and sunny afternoon we saw several Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries in a grassy hollow close to "Dowis Brook". Thanks to Mike Williams for devoting a whole day to our group, also to our guide for introducing us to a small but fascinating area of the Wyre Forest.

Day2 Taking our leave of the hotel and Great Malvern, the party set off southwards for the journey to the Butterfly Conservation Reserve at Prestbury Hill, near Cheltenham, and a joint meeting with the Gloucestershire Branch, who were to be our hosts. The two areas oflimestone grassland making up this reserve are high up on the Cotswold scarp slope to the N.E. of Cheltenham, with superb views across the Severn Vale and beyond. The southern half of the reserve, known as the "Bill Smyllie Reserve" and where we were to spend the morning, extends southwards as a narrow valley and until recently traditionally managed by the grazing of cattle. The steep escarpment edge has also protected most of the reserve from ploughing and intensive agriculture. This has resulted in habitats ranging from she!tered valleys through to open grassland, woodland edge, abandoned quarries and low scrub, attracting over thirty species of butterfly, the most abundant being the Marbled White. On leaving our cars just off the minor road which runs along the top of the ridge, we were met with a strong N.E. wind which did not augur well for butterfly spotting! However, once having dropped down into the valley all was well and we soon

. . . . . . . . . . . . "'-~ Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Wyre Forest by BerylJohnson

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encountered one of our "target species" the Small Blue, in reasonable numbers, also having pointed out to us, a single egg laid on Kidney Vetch. Hoped for sightings of the Duke of Burgundy did not materialise, these having emerged early this particular year. Other species seen during our visit were:- Dingy Skipper, Brown Argus, Common Blue, Small Heath, Green Hairstreak, Small Copper, Speckled Wood and a solitary Marsh Fritillary, seen by only a few people at the conclusion of our walk. Our thanks go to the members of the Gloucestershire Branch for making this an extremely enjoyable morning. After a rather hurried picnic lunch made necessary by the need to get to our final destination on time, the majority of our party once again set off in convoy and duly arrived at Somerford Common, approx. ten miles south of Cirencester. We were met by the warden, John Grierson, who is also the Chairman of the Wiltshire Branch and who was to be our guide for the afternoon. A few of our early arrivals greeted us with the news that they had already seen several Marsh Fritillaries in a grassy area adjacent to the car park. Somerford Common, situated in the Braydon Forest, is owned by the Forestry Commission and managed as a working woodland by Forest Enterprise. In the early 1960's the whole wood was cleared and replanted with fast growing conifers, thus restricting much of the flora and butterfly species to the system of rides. Now Forest Enterprise take active measures such as widening the rides to provide a recommended environment for those species at risk. Advice on managing it for butterflies is provided by a group corn prising representatives from the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, Butterfly Conservation (Wiltshire Branch) and the local officer of the British Trust for

July 1998

f Small Blue, Bill SmyllieReserve by BerylJohnson Conservation Volunteers. The group work on the basis of a butterfly management plan written by Dr. Martin Warren. During our tour the following were noted:- Grizzled Skipper, Small Copper, Marsh Fritillary, Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Common Blue, Large Skipper, Small Heath, Green-veined White, Peacock, Orange Tip, and Speckled Wood. We were also shown, by John, a single egg of the Brown Hairstreak, laid on Blackthorn near the junction of a one and two year old growth. Many thanks to John for giving up his Sunday afternoon on our behalf and for giving us a detailed explanation of the management plan for the Common. This now brought our rather hectic weekend to a close, the general opinion being that it had all been a success. Our party then dispersed, some to stay on in the area and others to return home via the delights of the M4 and M25! I would like to acknowledge using various items of information from the following publications:- Guide to Monkwood Nature Reserve, Butterfly Conservation Nature Reserves and the Bill Smyllie Reserve, Annual Report on Somerford Common 1996.

More observations about the Speckled Wood by Steven Goss I was interested to read the observations reported by James Mann in the last edition of the Argus about the female Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria that apparently shunned the advances of a male by appearing to have died! It is well known that the Speckled Wood is a very territorial species. It will mark its territory, usually a patch of sunlit ground, and defend it from other males. It knows it is more likely to attract a female to a sunlit area, and when a female arrives it will approach her in the fashion that James described. As the sun moves, so does the area of ground lit by the sun, and thus a male will find himself constantly having to re-mark the territory he wishes to hold. A bout twenty five years ago I carried out a series of experiments in a wood in Hampshire whereby I introduced marked males and females into existing territories to see what happened. I also introduced pretend butterflies made from paper and attached to fishing line which I tried to make 'dance'in a similar fashion to the males whilst I was perched precariously up a tree above. Great fun!

Unfortunately I cannot find my detailed notes, although I do remember the pretend ones were investigated on occasions but quickly ignored. However, there is no doubt that the male observed by James was attempting to mate. The female will typically land in a sunny spot and the male will land nearby and approach her. The female will then either fly away, in which case the male is out of luck, or will sit or lie motionless. The male will then perform an elaborate display in front of her, which includes the apparent prodding of her with his antennae as decribed by James. By now he will be releasing pheromones which tell the female what a fine partner he would make, and be receiving similar information about the state of the female. One of the purposes of my experiments all those years ago when I was about 16 years old, was to try and ascertain whether the male produced a pheromonetype chemical to repel other males during the courtship and mating process. Exactly why the pair that James observed did not mate is impossible to say ... perhaps they knew they were being watched!! (.

• SpeckledWood . by Angie Steele

The

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July 1998

• SpeckledWood . by Angie Steele

The SuffolkArgus

July 1998

Bracken for Butterflies

This ancient Royal Forest is one of the largest areas of mature woodland in England, the main trees being Oak, Birch and Alder. It is quoted as being a "textbook

exampleof woodlandmanagement".

. . . . . . . . . . . . "'-~ Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Wyre Forest by BerylJohnson

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The Suffolk Argus

~ekend

July 1998

in the ~st'

Marsh Fritillary, Somerford Common

by BerylJohnson

Butterfly Bonus by RichardStewart County Butterfly Recorder

Peacock

by DouglasHammersley

The

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July 1998

1997

Field Trips

Hobbs

Suffolk Water Park, Bramford

Peacock at Yaxley TM 121739 - Tony Feavearyear - probably the same one

Saturday, August 9th

Small Tortoiseshell at Baylham - TM I 051

by Steve Goddard

Peacock at Ingham TL 8470 - Mr and Mrs

-Mrs Frost

Red Admiral by DouglasHammersley

Comma • by Angie Steele

The Suffolk Argus

Large and Late by Wilfrid George

Clouded Yellow

by BerylJohnson

July 1998

What's that White? By SteveGoddard

Large White

by DouglasHammersley

The SuffolkArgus

July 1998

~~::: p1t m the forest. Whatever next, indeed!

1--, l..c,._

• ....,_

Purple Emperor by DouglasHammersley

The Suffolk Argus

July 1998

Butterfly Conservation (Suffolk)Income Expenditure Account(01/04/97 to 31/03/98)

Suffolk Argus 14, July 1998

Articles inside

What's that white?

Bracken for butterflies

Large and late

Butterfly bonus

More observations about the Speckled Wood

Children: An untapped resource