November
The Suffolk Argus
Back issues of the Suffolk Argus
Update on the Alexandra Park Butterfly Garden by RichardStewart
For our newer members we have available back issues of the Suffolk Argus from volumn 1 to 14. If any members would like to make up the complete set they are available at a cost of 25p each plus postage. The following second class postage rates apply:U p to 2 copies ........... 20p Up to 4 copies ........... 31 p Up to 6 copies ........... 38p Up to 7 copies .......... 45 p Up to 9 copies ........... 55p Up to 11 copies ......... 64p Please make your cheques payable to Butterfly Conservation Suffolk Branch and send yor orders to:Paul Gilson 18 Cheltenham Avenue Ipswich Suffolk IPl 4LN Please do not send any cash through the post!
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Since the editorial was written there have been a number of developments. Publicity has now extended to a good-sized photo of the opening ceremony in the Ipswich Angle with an accompanying caption. Part of a Radio Suffolk Country Matters programme was at the Garden and we then moved on to the Campsea Ashe garden of Peter Carter for the rest of the programme. As a consequence of my complaint to BBC Look East about an item featuring a young girl with a butterfly net and jar I was given the opportunity to redress the balance and part of this televised item was in the Garden. For next season a gap to the right of the display board will be filled with plants and in the rough grass at the back there will be mints and seeds of bird's-foot trefoil. I am still trying to get the best sedum, spectabile planted instead of the current one. Species noted so far are: Large, Small and Greenveined White, Small Copper, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma and Gatekeeper. A Green Hairstreak was seen just thirty yards away. Less welcome visitors included whoever took the clump of plants away, which left the gap indicated above. The final visitor left his calling card which was discovered on the shoe of the BBC interviewer as he left the garden after our recording session!
1998
Notes from. the Editor Thankfully, it's all good news. First, the eagle-eyed amongst our readers will have noted, on the back cover of the last issue, a change of address for our President Howard Mendel. He is now at the Natural History Museum in London, in charge of no less than 12« million specimens. This is a considerable personal achievement but thankfully Howard remains locally active as he is still living in Suffolk. We wish him every success in this new and demanding position.
However, there is still much to do-many tetrads are still under-recorded and a few species are still below the range recorded in the mid-eighties survey. This final year needs to be one of well-planned and sustained effort to maximise our recording result and make the forthcoming new County atlas as comprehensive as possible. All recorders will get information well before the new season starts.
Millennium Survey
This was officially opened on 11th. August at Alexandra Park in Ipswich and covered briefly in the 'Evening Star', with a photo of Chairman James Mann and Fiona, the Park Ranger most closely involved in the project. Can I add my thanks to the other BC representatives present, that is Stella Wolfe and Jean and Ken Garrod. So far the site has been visited by at least eight species but additional records will be welcomed.
Unlike a number of larger, well-established Branches who are struggling to complete their coverage by the end of 1999, the good news is that we have joined Cheshire, Surrey and Warwickshire in achieving 100% coverage. This is largely the result of hard and determined work by many hundreds of recorders who range from single sightings and one-site observers to a small band who have repeatedly sacrificed the joys of visiting good ~icesto explore the less-enticing 'empty tetrads' in under recorded parts of the County. Often the most difficult task was actually finding out which small chunk of border tetrad was acrually in Suffolk and, secondly, how it could be reached. In one instance records came from 'across the river in Essex', the two observers having to use the easiest access and then identify species on the Suffolk side!
Butterfly Garden
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.
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