Early & Late Dates

ranging ~ut from the house and its more formal garden. Other properties nearby had similar habitats rich in wildlife, with RSPB North Warren close by. The proposal for a. caravan p_a.rk on adjacent land met with strong disapproval in the local newspaper and BC's written objection no doubt helped in the eventual rejection of the scheme. As the wise Confucius remarked, 'Better co light one small candle than to complain about the dark'

Early and Late dates:

by Richard Stewart

In addition to those changed by records in 200, the following are now different, as a. consequence of detailed records from the previous County Survey only recently being ma.de available to me:

Essex Skipper (early): Stuart Ling - Belstea.d Woods TM 134412 - 29.5.1983. Essex Skipper (late): Alan Hubbard - Bromswell TM 2950- 12.9.1984. Large Skipper (late): Alan Hubbard - Bromswell TM 2950- 31.8.1984. Din~ Skipper (late): D. Croxson - La.ckford TL 804739, TL 806744 - 4.7.1983. Silver-studded Blue (late): C.R. Naunton - Dunwich Forest TM 4571 - 21.8.1983. Small Heath (early): M. Burnside-Aldringha.m TM 4560 and 4660- 5.5.1983. Ringlet (late): S. Green at West Stow TL 8272 and LG.Palmer at Mayday Farm TL 805838 - both 27.8.1984.

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.

Also, after the 2000 report was completed,

I received the following: 9'h. December - Peacock a.t Creeting St. • Mary, TM 093557 - Nigel Smarr. l 2'h. December - Comma. a.t Aldringham, TM 462616- David Gawin and Simon Travis.

This beats the previous la.test by over a. month.

l ". J a.nuary 2000 - Small Tortoiseshell a.t Walberswick, TM 500743 -Alan and Edwina. Beaumont (earliest ever) and Peacock at Ness Point, Lowestoft, TM 556937 - same two recorders plus P. Hansford - equal earliest ever.

This brings the l". January total to 7 a.t 6 different sites: 4 Red Admiral, 2 Pea.cock and 1 Small Tortoiseshell.

Note: 2000 Report, Argus 22, p.21 - the record of the Painted Lady at Spa Gardens Felixstowe on 5'h. November should have been two, not one, recorded by Jean and Ken Garrod.·

2000

Field Trips

Grayling by Beryl Johnson

Kenton Hills and Sizewell

Sunday J<d September, 2000 by Alan Johnson

The last event on last year's programme saw nine of our members meet in the car park at Kenton Hills. Tt was a rather cloudy and overcast morning, not helped by incermircent outbreaks oflight drizzle and a fresh N.W. wind. Hardly the ideal conditions for seeing butterflies. However, just to prove the pessimists wrong, two Red Admirals were found on bramble, before we left the car park. The initial part of our walk cook us along waymarked permissive paths around Sizewell Belts, an area rich in wildlife, comprising grazing marshes, intersected by drainage dykes and tree belts, which has been designated an SSST. It forms part of Nuclear Electric's land holding adjacent co che Power Stations and is managed in conjunction with Suffolk Wildlife Trust. No further butterflies were noted until we crossed rhe meadow south of Rackham Pits Wood, when a combination of the shelcer of a broad thick hedge and a brief interlude of warm sunshine produced Speckled Wood, Grayling and Small Copper, the bright colours of che latter being one of the few noted this year. We now joined the public footpath which crosses Broom Covert and then on co the Leiscon - Sizewell road, rhe weacl1er still coo cool for butterflies, not even any 'whites'! However, by the time we reached

Sizewell beach, a few outbreaks of sunshine had begun co appear and we were heartened co see Speckled, Painted Lady, Small Copper and Common Blue.