Suffolk Argus 32 Summer 2004 by Suffolk Naturalists' Society

Suffolk Branch Contacts Chairman Rob Parker, 66 Cornfield Road, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk IP33 3BN (01284 705476) Membership Secretary Beryl Johnson, 28 Medway Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP3 0QH (01473 715701) Newsletter Editor Jim Foster, Lugano, The Street, Stonham Aspal, Stowmarket, Suffolk IP14 6AH (01449 711484) Publicity Officer (Vacant) Programme Secretary Alan Johnson, 28 Medway Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP3 0QH (01473 715701) County Recorder (Butterflies) Rob Parker (address as above)

Butterfly Conservation Conservation Officer (Butterflies) Rob Parker (address left) Conservation Officer (Moths) Tony Prichard, 3 Powling Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP3 9JR (01473 270047) County Recorder (Moths) Tony Prichard (address above) Secretary Tony Prichard, (address above) Treasurer Graham Bull, Willow Cottage, 1-The Street, Raydon, Suffolk IP? 5LP (01473 310371) Committee Members Stella Wolfe, Mike Dean President Howard Mendel, do The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW? 5BD (0171 938 8782)

Volunteers Needed If you feel you could help out now and then with the growing work of the Branch, please contact Beryl Johnson on

01473 715701.

w~ffiDJ The Newsletter of the Suffolk Branch of Butterfly Conservation

Reg. No. 2206468 Reg.Charity No. 254937 HeadOffice: Manor Yard. East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset BH20 5QP Tel: (01929) 400209

Editor:Jim Foster Logo: (Silver-.studdedBlue) Doug Hammersley Design: Stephen Ion, Cat & Mouse design Printer:321 Printing, 25 Brookhouse BusinessPark, Hadleigh Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP2 0EF

Butterfly

Conservation

Summer 2004 Volume32

The Suffolk Argus

Summer2004

Contents Editorial

Editorial

Blue Morpho Report

3 3 4 4 13

Which Habitat Prefered?

Spring

Return to Jujols for the Spanish Festoon

Summer

April Fools Day

Scrub Clearance at Purdis Heath

18 18 19 20 22

Autumn

August Bank Holiday

Bargain Books Local sightings 2003 2003 Butterfly Report

The Butterfly Man When it's Spring Again Butterflies Down Under 24 Species in One Day Newsletter Details and General Information Suffolk Branch Contacts

23 Back Cover

For that difficult to find present, why not give a decorative butterfly or moth to mount on the front wall of someone's home ?

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

Cast in aluminium and enamelled i~ very realistic colours at five times life-size,they will last for many years. Highly individual nameplates too, to your own design, with no-obligation colour preview. Suffolk Branch will receive one quarter of the purchase price.

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.

To advertisein the SuffolkArgus

Phone or fax Mervyn Crawford on Mildenhall (01638) 712600for Colour brochure I Price list.

please contact Jim Foster on

01449 711484.

A purpose built Hotel with all the facilities that today's travellers require yet in a rustic traditional environment that is welcoming and comfortable.

Butterfly Hotel, Al 4 Bury East Exit Moreton Hall, Bury St Edmunds Tel: 01284 760884

Butterfly Hotel, A14 Bury East Exit Moreton Hall, Bury St Edmunds Tel: 01284 760884 23

The Suffolk Argus

Summer2004 unexpected opportunity. On 11th July I managed to pressurise Sainsbury's sufficiently for them to deliver an overdue order early, and so had reached my Fynn Valley transect by 10.40 am. This produced a record number of eighteen species: three whites, Small and Essex Skipper, Painted Lady, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Peacock, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Ringlet, Small Heath, Speckled Wood, Small Copper, Common Blue, Brown Argus and Comma. I was back home by 1.35pm and having our snack in the garden I told Marie I would go out again if a Holly Blue appeared. Moments later the nineteenth species flew over our plum tree. Bixley was the first site, where I knew the best place for Grayling and then Large Skipper, which was nectaring on Bramble. Two White-letter Hairstreaks were in the Elms near the Water Tower and on the way I located a single Purple Hairstreak flying high around an Oak. The two miles to Purdis Heath were covered in the knowledge that I had already improved on my previous total and I soon found five female and two male Silver-studded Blues, looking as worn out as I was feeling by now. This total of 24 is probably the best I will achieve but, if you exclude the rarer species and Clouded Yellow,it could still be increased to twenty seven by adding the three species I didn't record, namely White Admiral, Wall and Brimstone.

Twenty Four Species In One Day by RichardStewart Ever since Steve Goddard's twenty species in two hours at Purdis (Argus 19, 16-17) I have pondered exactly how many Suffolk species can be seen in just one day. ff you make it one site, then probably the current record is the twentythree recorded by Alan and Beryl Johnson last summer at Kenton Hills. To get a high total you need to select a day of good weather around the second week of July. That would exclude just two early flying species, the Dingy Skipper and Orange Tip, but add second brood of several species, White-letter and Purple Hairstreakand specialists like the Grayling and White Admiral. It would also enable the last of the Silverstudded Blues to be included. The recording list in Suffolk covers thirtytwo species, but that includes Clouded Yellowand Swallowtail.If you deduct these two, the two early ones already mentioned, and probably Green Hairstreak, the maximum number is probably twenty-seven.You might of course be fortunate ro see one of the rarities like Large Tortoiseshell, Camberwell Beauty or Queen of Spain Fritillary. I was going to add that it would be unlikely but then remembered how Marie and I had, in just one hour at Minsmere, August 19th 1996, seen two Queen of Spain Fritillaries, a Clouded Yellow and then a Camberwell Beauty. For the past two years I have made a conscious effort to improve on my previous total of twenty-two and in July 2003 had recorded eighteen species at Bixley by 10.25 am. Unfortunately the rest of the day at other sites produced just two more. Then came an

Editorial

Bargain Books

byJim Foster

Members may be interested to know that the Branch currently holds a stock of publications, listed below, which are available at greatly reduced prices.

At the time of writing this editorial, 30 March, I have only seen a few of the spring butterflies, partly due to the fact that I have not been out in the field too much, but also that the recent spell of cold weather I suspect has kept the butterflies 'indoors' as it has some of us humans. However by the time you receive this Argus I trust the Lepidoptera season will be in full swing. This issue of the Suffolk Argus has an international flavour with articles on butterflies in France, Costa Rica, Australia and a hint of Spain, all warmer climates than the U.K and therefore having a greater diversity of butterflies. Readers may recall that in last summer's edition in James Mann's article 'The Great Apollo Hunt Last Verse' I incorrectly amended Izard, as James had written, to Lizard. This was subsequently explained in my editorial in the autumn edition and it was then thought to be a mountain goat. Well James has written to me and I quote his explanation: "I have solved the Izard, or lsard, as it is sometimes spelled, problem. By reading the frequent nature items that appear in our local paper I have discovered that when this animal lives in the Pyrenees it is called an Izard when it lives in the Alps it is called a Chamois. I was confused for I thought the Chamois was smaller than the beasts I was seeing, the different name is caused by the fact that until last century much of the population of France did not speak French. As with the Izard many local names have remained. I trust you will not all rush off to buy an Izard leather." Well now we know, your editor tries to get things right, I shall exercise great care when amending articles in the future! Anyway thank you James for sorting this matter out.

Should you wish to obtain any of these, please contact: Alan or Bery/Johnson,on 01473 715701.

Sp~cies Booklets White-letter Hairstreak Red Admiral Swallowtail Purple Emperor Woodland Butterflies Butterflies of the Southern Chalk Downlands Holly Blue All the above are 50p each, or £2 for an assorted pack of 5 (Postage and packing extra).

Also available Glorious Butterflies and their flora. (Eight paintings of the British Butterflies with their Nectar and Caterpillar Foodplants) by Valerie BainesF.L.S. Saving Butterflies - a practical guide to the conservation of butterflies. Edited by David

Dunbar. Both at £2 each. (Postage and packing extra).

MembersEvening& Annual GeneralMeeting 4 September 2004 at Alder CarrFarm, Needham Market 6.00 pm for 6.30pm Following last year's successful formula, the formal business will be followed by Members' slides. If you feel you could help out with the growing Branch work please contact any member of the Committee (See back cover).

Gatekeeper by BerylJohnson 22

The Suffolk Argus

Summer2004

Local

2003

Sightings

2003

Butt~rfly Report

by RichardStewart

by Rob Parker

Each year I try to locate at least one new Purple Hairstreak colony but thisyearit was more local than expected. For some years Marie and I, walking back from Westerfield Railway Station on sunny evenings in July, have carefully studied the many mature oaks bordering the pavement and continuing to within a few hundred yards of the Valley Road roundabout. Eventually we were in the right place at the right rime, Wednesday 9th July, recording up to twelve on any one tree, a toral of at least thirtyeight on six trees, two of which had Ash nearby. My remark to Marie that the last one was within four hundred yards of our house was prophetic, as three days later a single specimen on our plum became the 25th garden species in the seven and a half years we have lived there. Turning briefly to Painted Lady, our own garden maximum was thirty-three, almost all on Buddleia, 31st July. The decline of this nectar source has been matched by reduced numbers. They tried, for one day, alternativessuch as Verbena bonariensis, Marjoram and Candytuft but numbers fell rapidly and we have just one (August 9th) feeding on the remaining Buddleia spikes. It is obvious that this massive migration hasn't occurred everywhere. On a trip to Swindon, August 2nd, I counted 66 just on my walk from house to railway station, between 8.25 and 9.00 am, a further eight on white Buddleia· at Colchester Railway Station, none on the masses of Buddleia bushes near Liverpool Street station or on those we stopped alongside dose to Reading Railway Station. At Swindon my best coralon a Buddleia was just three.

Described by Butterfly Conservation as ''A vintage year for butterflies", 2003 has indeed been an outstanding season for most species in Suffolk.

The reasons are fourfold: l. • A mild winter allowed the survival of a high proportion of overwintering eggs, larvae, pupae and hibernating adults from the (below average) 2002 season.

2. The abrupt transition to a hot, dry summer meant that many speciesstarted with simultaneousemergences,causing peaknumbers to exceedthe norm by some 10 to 15%.

can capture a shot of a species then this serves as a useful means of identification. Photographs do not fly away! We moved from Cairns to spend about two weeks in the Atherton Tablelands, which although near Cairns is at a higher altitude and consequently not as humid. Staying on the edge of the rainforest was excellent for birds and mammals and of course butterflies. Garden birds here included the Southern Cassowary, Victoria's Riflebird and numerous honeyeaters. Some of the new butterfly species here were Australian Gull Ceporaperimale,Green-spotted Triangle Graphium agammmon, Orchard Butterfly Papilioaegeusand the Common Grass-blue Zizina labradus.The one butterfly we had hoped to. see was the Cairns Birdwing Ornithopterapriamus and we were not disappointed. This butterfly is huge by U.K. standards and has a wingspan of about 140mm. Several of these magnificent insects were nectaring on Lantana an alien weed but nevertheless very attractive to butterflies. One common species throughout Australia is the Common Crow Eup/oeacoreand this was seen on numerous occasions. The pupa, which we did not see, is a shining silver or gold and thus reflective and was recorded by the eminent naturalist Sir Joseph Banks who accompanied Captain Cook on the epic voyage of

3. The continuation of the hot, dry conditions was ideal for the multi-brooded species to reproduce well, and some had an extra brood. 4. Superimposed on this, was an excellent year for migrants, with an exceptional influx of Painted Ladies arriving in May and their progeny emerging in July. The net result was enough for the man catch the attention Biodiversity Action strong seasons, and fared well too.

an abundance of butterflies; in the street to notice, and to of the local media. Suffolk's Plan (BAP) species all had most of our resident species

LesserWanderer

the Endeavour 1768/71. At Townsville we were fortunate in finding a mating pair of Lesser Wanderer Danaus chrysippus,they were so intent on their activity I was able to take several photographs. This species is a close relation of the Monarch Danausplexippusand will use the same species of larval foodplant the Asclepiasgenus. At Rockhampton we found the Pea Blue Lampides boeticusbetter known in Europe as the Long-tailed Blue! One of Rockhampton's visitor centres is supposedly situated on the Tropic of Capricorn and here one can move between the Tropics and Warm Temperate wnes by just a stride. According to my GPS it is about two minutes of a degree out and should be a few kilometres further south. One gets the feeling that they have 'moved' it north to the city outskirts for tourist convenience! A memorable event was observing a large number of species 'taking salts' from a damp area by a waterfall in Paluma National Park. I was able to photograph and watch them for some time until two people came by and disturbed them. However the male member slipped in the river and got soaked and had great difficulty in getting out as the rocks were slippery. Serve him right for disturbing 'our' butterflies! It was within this group that we found the Four-bar Swordtail Protgraphiumleosthenes.It resembles the Scarce Swallowtail that is seen in Europe. There were many other species seen but not always identified as in the hotter climate they are far more active and not as cooperative as butterflies in Europe. In the U.K. we are fortunate in having excellent field guides on many aspects of natural history and it is easy to take these for granted, however abroad this is not always the case other than for birds. For example I have yet to see a moth field guide in Australia. Nevertheless one moth I photographed I was able to get identified by a senior person in the Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service because I had agreed with a ranger, who will be visiting Suffolk in August this year, to send her some information on U.K field guides. I sent a photograph with the information, which was sent up the chain of command and duly identified.

byJim Foster 4

The SuffolkArgus straight up to Collada de Sort Marti on the border at 1426 metres altitude. What a contrast, behind us to the north was cold snowy France and in front of us to the south was warm sunny Spain, amongst the grass at the top were masses of snowdrops. Sitting just over the border into Spain we had to strip off a few layers to stay cool as we ate our lunch. The odd Speckled Wood flitting over confirming the heat. Just for the record the Speckled Wood is the only butterfly species I have seen here every month of the year. Stern discipline was needed to get us back on our feet and to plod back through the snow and down to Coll Cerda where on turning left and putting our backs to the mornings climb we came to another ruined mas called Griff de Dale and some half an hour later we came to Griff de Aval!,which is only partly in ruin and is inhabited by a young couple with two young children. We realised what peaceful isolation it was when it took us best part of an hour to reach the track where they had to park their van, but what a wonderful way to live. Walking down the path the forest increased in density and as the numbers of Brimstones and Cleopatras went down, the numbers of Large Tortoiseshells went up. Arriving at a tarmac road we were in full sheltered sunshine and soon saw a great number of Peacocks and a few Red Admirals all in pristine condition. The sign G.R.10 500 metres was the epitome of the country mile it was over two kilometres before we found it and turned right to walk through forest and round a valley end and back to Montalba. With all the butterflies coming out of hibernation I knew that spring had arrived. The one disappointment was no Small Tortoiseshells in fact the handful I have seen in 2003 have all been at or above the 2000 metre level and they were all singles but I keep looking and hoping.

Summer2004

Butterflies Down Under byJim Foster Last year Rosalind and I went to Australia for a holiday during October and November. We have a daughter in Sydney so we have a good excuse to study Australian wildlife! We wished to go to Queensland so decided to visit that State first before the rainy season started. About five weeks were spent travelling from the Cairns area in north Queensland to Brisbane. We then flew down to Sydney to stay with our daughter. Cairns is in the tropics and this was our first experience in what we expected to be a hot and humid environment. Well it was certainly hot, however Queensland was experiencing a drought and had had two seasons of significantly reduced rainfall, which was evident when visiting the rainforest. The leaf litter there was crisp and dry and some trees were showing signs of stress but one advantage for us was the leeches were nowhere to be seen or felt! Our first excursion was to the Botanical Gardens in Cairns where there is a remnant of the wetland rainforest. On the way there we found our first butterfly the beautiful UlyssesPapilioulysses.It is an iridescent blue colour and quite large with about 120mm wingspan. Although common in the area I never had an opportunity to get close to one, as with many of Queensland's butterflies, it rarely stops at near ground level. In the gardens on a boardwalk we found a sunny sheltered glade, which the local butterflies had also discovered. Here with some gymnastic contortions, as I did not wish to get my feet wet, I was able to photograph the Common Eggfly Hypolimnas bolina, Blue-banded Eggfly Hypolimnas alimena and the Orange Bushbrown Mycalesisterminus, all new species to us. One advantage of photography is that when in an unfamiliar environment if one

Weather Average temperatures were up on historic averages in every month of the season, sunshine was materially up from January to April, and rainfallwas significantlylow in August & September. The table below shows month-by-month temperature and sunshine for East Anglia, presented as anomalies compared to averagesover the period 1961 to 1990. During the season, rainfall almost ceased on 11th August and after fifteen dry days qualified for eleven continuous days of absolute drought, through to 5th September, when there was a switch to local deluges. Days of rain (>lrnm) measured close to Bury St Edmunds are shown in Table 1. The Suffolk summer passed without interruptions from gales, contributing to what was overall an unusually favourableclimate for lepidoptera.

was first seen at Purdis Heath on 6 June, the earliest-ever sighting for this species, and a sign that its flight period was about ten days ahead of normal. The subsequent counts at the Minsmere sites produced peaks that were 16% up on last year, and the results from the other sites make it clear that the Silver-studded Blue has done well everywhere in the Sandlings. The White-letter Hairstreak is not so easily counted, and it too took to the wing early, with several sightings towards the end of June. Altogether six new colonies were found this year, and this is encouraging in the aftermath of Dutch Elm Disease. Separate detailed accounts for each of the BAP species follow as an annex to this report. Migrants A few Painted Ladies reached Suffolk early in May via the southern counties, but the last day of May and the first two of June brought a large-scale invasion across the North Sea. A sighting of 400 at Culpho, near Woodbridge was followed by reports of hundreds all down the east coast from Lowestoft to Landguard. These were observed laying eggs on our thistles whilst dispersing generally westwards, and by July we were swamped with freshlyemerged Painted Ladies right across the county, often 50 to a thistle patch or 30 to a buddleia bush. Good numbers of Red Admirals and Humming-bird Hawk-moths had travelled in the same migration, and their numbers picked up in similar fashion, giving delight to plenty of observers seeing them for the first time. 2003 was not an outstanding year for Clouded Yellows, though they did become evident in July, and in some places a locally bred generation was still flying into October and even November. Two Camberwell Beauties were reported, one near Woodbridge in July, and the second at Otley, early in August. On 10th August, a single Swallowtail, presumably a visitor from Norfolk, graced Leigh Davis' Bungay garden. This year, we have had no Queen of Spain Fritillaries.

Monitoring the BAP Species The known Dingy Skipper sites were carefully monitored during May, and the effort was rewarded with the discovery of several adults flying at the Chalk Lane site, which had been feared lost. The Center Pares colony was stronger than ever before recorded, whilst Wardwell and RAF Barnham appeared to have normal seasons. Despite searches, no Dingy Skippers were found anywhere in other apparently suitable areas. The Silverstudded Blue

Vagrants Occasional Large Tortoiseshells have been known to turn up without explanation, and 15 April saw

PaintedLady byBeryl]ohmon 5

The Suffolk Argus

Summer2004

one at Piper'sVale, where it remained for two days, allowing itself to be photographed. Whether these are escapes or passengers off the ferry is hard to know, but such delightful visitors are always of interest. Hot weather can sometimes induce unusual dispersal behaviour, and this may be the explanation for a totally unexpected sighting of a single male Chalkhill Blue at Stonham Aspal, 30 miles from the nearest colony on the Devil's Dyke on 31 July. Intriguingly, another singleton turned up in Essex on the same day, right at the hottest point of the summer. As the Devil's Dyke lies in the Cambridgeshire Vice-county, this makes a new species for contemporary Suffolk; it last strayed into our recording area in 1923!

and Commas were both reported in higher than normal counts in some places. The Brimstone delighted Ipswich residents by repaying their buckthorn planting efforts with a series of appearances in Holywells Park, where it left eggs to extend the breeding area by a few tetrads. Julian Dowding, as co-ordinator of the Buckthorn for Brimstones operation, has shown that our conservation endeavours really can make a difference. Small and Essex Skippers had another good year, but the Large Skipper was only average, as were Orange Tip and Purple Hairstreak.

Early/LateRecords The good weather created earlier than ever records for four species: White-letter Hairstreak (20/ 6), White Admiral (16/6), Wall (22/4) and Grayling (21/6), whilst the fine autumn gave us two latestever records: Brimstone (16/11) and Meadow Brown (22/9). Plenty of the hibernating species Wl!reactive through November, and one Peacock was still flying at North Warren on 17th December. It remains to be seen how another mild winter will affect those species that ought to be inactive at this time of year.

Residents Our commoner residents followed a trend of early appearance, high peak numbers and then a sharp drop-off for some species. Many recorders noticed a lull in early August, when the Ringlets, Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns all wilted, at the same time as the Vanessid numbers dropped off. The protracted drought may have had an influence here, though it was not sufficiently serious to dry out any larval host plants prematurely. It was good to have Small Tortoiseshells back in quantity, after a series of poor years, and Peacocks

Extra Broods The multiple brooded species mostly seem to have done rather well, with plenty of sightings of Small Copper, Common Blue and Brown Argus making the most of a warm September. However, an abundant autumn brood is not alwaysbeneficial if the eggs are not laid in time for the larvae to be well prepared for winter. Until next May, we shall not know. Hot conditions during the pupal stage can create aberrations, and on 31 Aug, Richard Stewart spotted a second brood Small Tortoiseshell of the form semi-ichnusoides. As late as 24 Aug, half-grown Small Tortoiseshell larvae were still being found, perhaps on their way to a partial third brood. In its coastal localities, the Wall was still flying in early October, though it remained scarce in West Suffolk. In Norfolk and Essex, the White Admiral also produced a partial second brood, which is exceptional, though not unprecedented. No second broods were reported from our own White Admiral woods, however.

Brimstone Egglaying on Purging Buckthorn byDouglas Hammersley 6

When it's Spring Again byJames Mann One is given to believe that living in the South of France is all hot sunshine, swigging cheap wine and no seasons to speak of but this is not so. After the wet summer of 2002 all the pessimists said it would be a bad yearfor wine, for the grapeswere huge and full of juice but it wasdaimed that they had low sugar content. That was another fallacy some of the wines, particularly the whites, are some of the best for years. Winter arrived and I remembered that when we had snow in Le Boulou last winter all the locals said not to worry it only snows here every 10 or 12 years but lo and behold in early January we had even more than last winter. Up in the mountains where we have our ski resorts they were, as always, hoping for lots of the white stuff. The priest in Font-Romeu, being the sort who likes to help his flock, was heard to say a prayer one Sunday for two metres of snow. His prayer was answered and then one night during the following week three metres, that's ten feet of snow, fell by morning. The next day the local paper had a picture of the said priest shovelling snow off the roads. The problem was that there was lots of snow on the pistes but for three days the roads were blocked so no one could get in to use them. All in all they had a good season with snow still on the pistes when the bookings had finished. Our randonne group was getting fed up with plodding through snow where it did not ought to have been at that time of the year. On the l 0th March 2003 we ignored the band of snow along the top of the mountains and decided to climb up to the Spanish border at Roe de France or Roe de Frausa if it is approached from Spain. The start of the walk was from Montalba d'Amelia a tiny hamlet at the top of the Gorge de

Mondony, much used by people who enjoy going down rapids attached to a rope and claim it is a sport called Canyoning. The hamlet is situated at a height of 543 metres and boasts the inevitable chapel dating from around the 12th century. Across the valley some two kilometres away in a straight line we could see the chapel Santa Engracia that we had visited a few weeks earlier. We imagined the priest standing on the roof of one or the other trying to indicate by sign language that the service is here this week. It might only be two kilometres away as the crow flies but on foot down into the gorge and back up the other side would take the best part of two hours. The intrepid randonners set off climbing up through the forest following the G.R. 10 variant making for Mouli Serrodou where we planned to stop for coffee. We were following the river Mondony so began to have visions of wonderful water mills. My mind wandered away from mills as I lagged behind watching many Large Tortoiseshells enjoying the sunshine and chasing each other around. The mill was not quite what we expected, it was an abandoned sawmill that had been powered by electricity. It was not clear when it had ceased operations but much of the derelict machinery dated from the 20's and 30's. The adjoining Mas (Farmhouse) was magnificent in its decay. Many of the floors were in a state of collapse and we could see an electric cooker and a bath hanging on for dear life on floors sloping at 30 degrees or more. We sat on the external stone stairs leading to the first floor drinking coffee and watching several Brimstones searching for early nectar and no doubt a mate. Continuing through the forest we arrived at Coll Cerda at l 058 metres and turning left into open ground we were making straight for the top. Nearing the snow line the numbers of both male and female Brimstone increased and they were gradually joined by a number of Cleopatras. On reaching the snow another left turn would have taken us along the G.R. 10 proper to the top of Roe de France but after a discussion it was decided it was not safe to take the 45 degree slope in slippery melting snow so decided to go

The SuffolkArgus

Saturday 24th January 2004 Scrub Clearance at Purdis Heath by RichardStewart Another large and invasive area of Silver Birch scrub was cleared on a mild and sunny winter's day.James Baker of the GreenwaysProject, who organised the day, now hopes to make this an annual event. The forty plus people who attended were as usual well supplied with sharp tools, hot drinks, biscuits and good company. The scrub invasion at this southern end of the site has, over many years, adversely affected numbers of the Silver-studded Blue and colonies of the Black Ant, Lasius niger, which has to be present for the butterfly to successfully complete its life cycle. What made the day so successful was the large number of different groups represented: Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Bunerfly Conservation, Greenways Project volunteers, Otley College, Ipswich Wildlife Group, Ipswich and District Natural History Society, Park Rangers, Sandlings Group, Ipswich Golf Club and local residents. The shorter cunings of Silver Birch saplings are used in horse jumps and the longer pieces are bound together in sea defences. It is vitally important to maintain the biodiversity of this designated SSSI. Any deterioration could lead to declassificationand the increased threat of housing development, which could then extend to the unspoilt BrightwellValley and eventually link up with the large developments on the edge of Kesgrave.

Summer2004 Species Maps

The Butterfly Man

Distribution Maps for individual species have also been prepared for our 31 regulars, and these are available for reference as required. There are no maps for Swallowtail, Camberwell Beauty, Large Tortoiseshellor Chalkhill Blue, though these bring the 2003 species count to an unusual high of 35.

by DouglasHammersley Having lived in East Harling for nineteen years and often been seen chasing insects in our local forest, I have acquired the name "The Butterfly Man'' - at least by those friends and fellow villagers who are interested in local wildlife. Sometimes they ask me to put a name to a butterfly, moth or caterpillar that they have seen. Often their descriptions are rather vague and take some unravelling; at other times I can answer their question without much difficulty. • I suppose the most interesting incidents occur when I am called to the phone to come and identify some alarming creature such as "an awful large insect with twelve legs which is resting on my greenhouse window frame!" This was soon recognised as a mating pair of Privet Hawkmoths! A particularly memorable call came from a friend on a certain June afternoon who said that he had sponed a couple of strange moths mating on the wall of his bungalow.They turned out to be Peppered moths Bistonbetularia.But what an ill-matched pair they were! - a buxom country lass seduced by a sneakylittle 'townie'. I append a drawing made from a photograph that I took at the time.

Scarcity

HollyBlues byDoug/,asHammersley Holly Blue The Holly Blue is subject to dramatic swings of abundance as it periodically falls prey to a parasitic wasp, and relativelyfew were seen this year, either in the spring generation, or in July. This year, records came from 75 tetrads, as against 112 in 2002 and 220 in 1996. However, one late sighting on 15 Sep could indicate a third brood for this species too. Geographic Coverage The total for records received in 2003 is 8675, about the same as in 2001, i.e. excellent, with contributions from 161 individual recorders. However, the geographic cover is rather thin in the west of the county, and in a north-central area around Stradbroke. The result can be seen in the accompanying map, (created by Butterfly Conservation's "Levana" software) and reflects a similar pattern to individual years of the Millennium survey.This achievement is a credit to all bunerfly recorders, many, but by no means all, being members of SNS or Butterfly Conservation. At the conclusion of the 2004 season, the Millennium survey national distribution maps will be updated, so please keep the records coming in!

A crude assessment of relative scarcity can be deduced from a count of the number of tetrads from which each species has been recorded. Sening aside the few sightings of Camberwell Beauty, Swallowtail, Chalkhill Blue and Large Tortoiseshell, our most rare bunerfly is the Dingy Skipper, which was found in only five tetrads (despite a dedicated search). The White Admiral was recorded from only 17 tetrads, though it is known to inhabit more. The Silver-studded Blue occupies a regular 18, and the White-letter Hairstreak 24. At the other end of the scale, 262 for the migrant Painted Lady challenged the Red Admiral's 274, but this was just pipped by the Small Tortoiseshell at 276. Perhaps this year, everyone was so pleased to see the Small Tortoiseshell back that they were sure to record it; impressive anyway, that it became 2003's commonest/most widely distributed bunerfly. A league table has been prepared, and follows as Table 2.

Transects. Detailed data was submined for the transects at North Warren (Rob Macklin), Fynn Valley (Richard Stewart), RSPB Minsmere (Robin Harvey), Bradfield Woods (Steve Hunt), Center Pares (Robin Bevington) and Bury St Edmunds (Rob Parker). In addition, single-species transects for Silver-studded Blue were conducted at Aldringham Walks (Rob Macklin) and Mardesham Heath (Phil Smith). Special thanks are due to all those transect walkers for their regular counts over all 26 weeks of the season. Annex: Detailed reports for BAP species.

PepperedMoths by Doug/,asHammersley 18

The Suffolk Argus

Summer2004

Dingy Skipper Survey, 2003

Group led to a further sighting of two Dingy Skippers in the same place on 23rd May.

This year's searches for the Dingy Skipper were fraught by poor weather, yet some good results were achieved by determined visits to known colonies and sites where colonies have existed in the past. All visits were conducted with the landowner's consent, or along public rights of way. A total of ten sites were visited during the 2003 flight period, and Dingy Skippers were found at five of these, including the important Chalk Lane site, where it had been feared that the colony had perished. The butterfly appears to be holding its own in a very limited area of the Suffolk Brecks, though there has been progressive degradation of habitat at some sites, and the projected Thetford southern link road does present a threat to the main colony at RAF Barnham. The Dingy Skipper was on the wing from mid April elsewhere in UK, and on the Devil's Dyke (Cambs/Suffolk border) by the end of April, bur there were no early records from Suffolk, and the survey was conducted between 5th May and 5th June - the time expected to include the main flight period. Nothing was found on 5th May at the Wardwell site, and the first sightings occurred on 15th May. Individual site reports follow:

King's Forest Oohn O'Groats Cottages) Occasional past reports from this area made a search worthwhile, and this was conducted in good weather on· 15th May. Some Bird's-foot Trefoil was growing along a wide ride, but no Dingy Skippers were found. The Mother Shipton moth (a similar looking insect) was present, however.

Elveden (Center Pares} A bright interval on the morning of 19th May provided an encouraging result from this site, where only one individual had been spotted during the 2002 season. A total of five Dingy Skippers were observed, one on the "David Bellamy meadow", and the rest on the adjacent rough ground. Two were in courting flight. Although the grass is rank in places, parts of the

would prove what they were. I have ofi:en had the odd butterfly take off as I clicked the shutter but it could not happen with this many. Wrong my photo showed a clear Silver-spotted Skipper and a mass of blur. The Blues had been a formation team and had all taken off as the leader said "Now". Nevertheless I am fairly certain they were Large Blues as they are resident on the reserve and it was the middle of their flight period. Happy with my photo, little did I know, I soon came to the end of the steep part of the ravin where it continued to rise in curved terraces which had been constructed to provide grazing areas for sheep. The search for the Spanish Festoon began by walking back and forth along the three longest terraces at the base of the slope. There were many different species to admire and the eventual reward was to see a likely butterfly flying down from above and settling on the terrace below, some 30 feet away. It was certainly a Spanish Festoon bur was too far away for a photograph. The practice of sitting still and letting the butterflies come to you worked well and over the next half-hour some six or eight flew over, although some settled, they were all inflicted with the I don't want my photo taken syndrome. The next move was to follow the next

King's Forest (Wordwell) Five volunteers checked the Wardwell colony on 15th May, and found a minimum of six flying along the favoured ride in bright intervals. The strip of land that has been rotavated to benefit the Basil Thyme Case-bearer seems to be in good condition for the future, and the Dingy Skippers were using the other side of the ride, where the Bird's-foot Trefoil was growing through moss, close to the shelter of conifers.

King'sForest (Chalk Lane} We were delighted to see three Dingy Skippers flying on 15th May, on the northern verge of Chalk Lane, in what had been a known colony in the past, but is no longer sheltered as the area to the north has been dear-felled (and re-planted). There is a good deal of Bird's-foot Trefoil in this area, so it is to be hoped that the colony will regain its strength. A separate visit by the Suffolk Moth

Grayling

Silver-studdedBlue

byBerylJohnson

by DouglasHammersley

Spanish Festoon and to get my photograph when it landed. All went well, afi:er a few minutes a healthy specimen drifted past me and moved along the middle terrace, I put myself into stalking mood and carefully followed it until it perched and started to nectar, out came the camera, out came the worn, down flew what I assumed was a male and off they went up and down in spirals up and down the terraces with me in pursuit. From a distance it no doubt looked as if I had eaten the wrong mushrooms. Afi:er about fifteen minutes I realised the butterflies were having fun and I was getting very hot, having my exercisein the full sun, and we were never going to have a close encounter but I had seen what I had come to see. Sitting down in the shade and drinking from the essential bottle of water it was with great satisfaction that I thought of the sighting of the Spanish Festoon so early in my hunt, light of heart I turned back down the path to return to Anne. She sat in the open doorway of "Suki" and listed the treasures she had found on the dump. I asked, if she had seen any interesting wildlife. She talked of various different rypesof butterfly and added, and some lizards. Not surprising says I there are thousands of them all around here. Not two specimens, bright green, well over a foot long and happy to sit on the path and look at me with a 'what is she doing expression' there are not, she says. So we had both seen something making the trip worthwhile. We ate our packed lunch, not that bad afi:er all, and decided to drive back home via Escaro to look at the abandoned open cast iron ore mines. This is one of the very few open cast mines, although we have countless numbers that have horiwntal shafts running into the mountains, some dating from Roman times. These mines went into decline afi:er the 1914/18 War when France regained Alsace-Lorraine and their far superior iron ore mines. Someday someone may come and ratify the existence of 'my' Large Blues.

The Suffolk Argus

Return to Jujols for the Spanish Festoon byJames Mann When Anne and I visited the Reserve Naturelle de Jujols on 18 May 2000 to seek some information on the Apollo, the Warden gave us a copy of a page from one of their documents. It gave us information about the Apollo at Jujols but also on the same page was a lot of information about Zerynthia rumina which I checked out and found it to be the Spanish Festoon. It gave us a guide as to where they might be found on the Reserve and added that although usually found bdow 1000 metres one of the colonies on the reserve in the Ravin de Fraycineil was said to be an altitude record for Franc.e.I 'don'tknow how high up the ravin they are found but the top end is well over 1500 metres. Thursday 29 May 2003 was a Jour Perie, this one Ascension, the French will have none of this Bank Holiday Monday lark the Jour Perie is on the exact date if it falls at a week-end that's too bad. The temperature was likely to be in the high 20's so assuming that most people would make for the sea we turned our thoughts inland and made for Jujols. We parked where directed behind th.e church and made our way up into the heart of the village.We called in at the Auberge to have a large cafe au lait and sat looking at the Massif de Canigou the other side of the Tet valley. We looked longingly at the menu for the day but despite the temptation we left for our planned destination trying to convince ourselves that our packed lunch would be just as good. We set off up the track that had caused us

Summer2004 problems on 27 July the year before. It was no problem this year for first we were only going a little way along it and secondly we were in our little Susuki 4 x 4. We parked at the side of the track at a sign that said "Sentier de la Garrigue" along which there should be seen Spanish Festoons. I chose this site rathe~than the Ravin de Fraycineilas it saved me something over an hour's uphill climb on foot. Anne decided to stay with "Suki" as she was having trouble with her rheumatism and would instead have a look at a pile of scrap to see if she could find anything useful. I walked along the path in beautiful sunshine making my way towards Ravin de la Bourguere where it was claimed the Spanish Festoon could be found. There were a lot of various different butterflies on the wing and as I came to the damp area surrounding the tiny stream that eventually grew into the Bourguere I came upon several butterflies mudpuddling. There were two predominant species Silver-spotted Skippers and a speciesof blue, which were quite big. I was never a great expert at identifying blues beyond the Common and Silver-studded Blues in Suffolk but these looked to me to be Large Blues. Great there were eight or nine of them and a photograph

rough ground held strong patches of Bird's-foot Trefoil, close to the shelter and bare ground provided by a drainage channel. Access has been improved by the creation of a mown path in a loop through this area, and the shorter turf and bare soil here seemed to attract the butterflies.

no Dingy Skippers were seen. A later inspection by BC's Regional Officer for the East of England concluded that the habitat had deteriorated to the point that considerable resources would be required to turn it around.

Euston Quarry RAFBarnham

This wonderful CWS (on private land) has everything that ought to make a good Dingy Skipper site, including Bird's-foot Trefoil and a Common Blue colony. It was inspected twice, in marginal weather on 19th May, and again in good weather on 26th May, but no Dingy Skippers were found.

This important site was visited by a party of six on 20th May, regrettably in unfavourable weather conditions. There have been some alterations to the habitat as a result of the dismantling of the fences surrounding the plantation areas, and, more importantly, due to the rapid growth of the trees, which are shading out some of the areas in which the foodplant grows. The visit was worthwhile, even though nothing was seen simply because the weather was not adequate for the butterfly to fly. Fortunately, two Dingy Skippers seen just outside the boundary fence on 24th May confirmed that the colony survives. A further visit on 5th Jun, rather late in the flight period, found three wellworn adults still flying between rainstorms. The projected route for the Thetford southern link road lies across the northern edge of the present colony, and threatens its future.

North Farm/WestFarm Just south of RAF Barnham, a disused railway line presents a possibly suitable site, and this was inspected on 24th May. It runs from North Farm (Euston Estate) past the East of England Tank Museum (aka the tyre dump) to West Farm (Elveden Estate/Stamper Farms), and features Bird's-foot Trefoil in rather rank grass, with some promising disturbed ground in the area used for tank driving. No Dingy Skippers were seen, and the terrain is judged marginal, but worth an occasional re-inspection in future years.

Barnhamcross Common Barnham Heath SSSI

This site lies adjacent to RAF Barnham, and occasional strays are seen on the south edge of Barnhamcross Common, which lies in administrative Norfolk, but in Suffolk's biological recording area. In marginal weather on 24th May, two were found within 20 metres of the boundary fence, j~t 100 metres from the main colony on RAF Barnham. This sighting confirms that the main colony survives, rather than proving that they are now breeding on Barnhamcross Common itsel£ Indeed, a search further north and west did not discover any more Dingy Skippers, though there was some Bird's-foot Trefoil.

This site is close to RAF Barnham, but had never before been checked sufficiently early in the season. A quick look in marginal weather on 19th May gave no reason for optimism, as very little Bird's-foot Trefoil was evident; it looked more suitable for Grizzled than Dingy Skipper.

Silver-studded Blue Counts 2003 The season got off to an early start, with a record early sighting at Purdis Heath on 6th Jun, suggesting that the flight period would be about ten days in advance of a "normal" year. Where possible, the counts were brought forward to avoid missing the peak population. At Minsmere, a combined BC/RSPB team of nine counted 1378 SSBs in one day (4th July) at the six strongest colonies, 200 up on last year, and the other counts were equally healthy. The Sandlings Group

MarmansgraveWood

Silver-spottedSkipper by DouglasHammersley 16

There have been very few Dingy Skipper sightings from this area in recent years. An inspection on 24th May found only a very small amount of Bird's-foot Trefoil in rather overgrown habitat, and

The Suffolk Argus assembled the count data for the sites under their combined management, and the overall picture is quite encouraging, with progressive improvement to the habitat maintenance programme being initiated. The main effort goes into checking encroachment by Gorse and Bracken, and in creating areas of low-growing "pioneer" growth of Bell Heather. A very successful joint work parry was organised at Purdis Heath, where encroachment by Silver Birch also needs co be reversed. The Wenhaston Blackheath colony deserves special mention, since it appeared in 2002 to be on the brink of extinction. Happily, a handful of Silver-studded Blues survived, and egg laying was observed this year. Hopefully the habitat restoration work undertaken at the margins of the flight area will benefit both the black ants and the bunerflies in future years. The Marrlesham Heath colonies were counted as usual on the second Sunday in July, but 13th July 2003 was too late for the peak flight period in this very early season, and the low count (316, about 50% of normal) does not reflect a population crash. Indeed, the single-species transect there suggests chat 2003 was a good year, bucking the trend of progressive decline resulting from the heather _growingtoo "leggy". Marrlesham aside, the other sites recorded totals 10 to 20% up on the 2002 figures. There were also records from three previously unrecorded sites. The hot weather may have encouraged dispersal away from established breeding centres, and it remains to be seen whether fresh colonies have become established. Working under contract to the Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Neil Ravenscroft undertook a detailed survey of selected Sandlings sites, and this should provide useful feedback for long-term site management planning.

Summer2004 White-letter Hairstreak Survey Our population of White-lener Hairstreak seems to be surviving despite the ravages of Dutch Elm Disease. Although we have lost many of our mature elms, there remains an abundance of elm in the hedgerows of Suffolk, and searches are progressivelydetecting small colonies living on the "sucker" elm. It nonetheless remains scarce, and under-recorded, and has been accepted as a Suffolk BAP species. Survey work this year confirmed a couple of tentative sightings from 2002, and most encouragingly, Sharon Hearle proved char determined searching could unearth previously undetected colonies; she found no less than five on trees and windbreaks around Newmarket. Two further sightings occurred this year at fresh sites not far from known colonies. Checks at other established sites confirmed continuing presence; nowhere was a possible extinction identified with this difficult to monitor species. The Millennium survey noted a significant decline since the 1986 survey, but recorded Whitelener Hairstreak in a total of 42 tetrads during the five-year survey. In 2002 and 2003, they were found in 16 tetrads (11 common to both years, so 21 together).

A hot and sticky Sunday morning three-hour walk around the cork-oak clad hillside to the next village of Villelongue and back via the road rewarded us with a total of 41 species. This included one short stretch of wide roadside verge only about 35 metres long where we found a thriving colony of Adonis Blues, but the flora was not especially chalk-based and the habitat type quite different to any in England where this species is found. This same roadside further along also produced Black-veined Whites, Wood Whites, Heath, Glanville and scores of Sponed Fritillaries with just two examples each of Knapweed and Weavers Fritillary. Though associated mainly with grassy heathland, Brecks and coastal dunes at home, arable land in the nearby Roussillon plain supports populations of Graylings. These are heavily outnumbered by their larger, spectacular cousins the Great Banded Grayling, which along with Tree Graylings crop up almost anywhere. Curiously, they

all share the same habit of settling on clothing and being extremely tame. Despite its large size, one of the Great Banded variety, being well camouflaged, was giving my wife problems locating it in her black and white viewfinder. I was asked to point my finger at the insect and actually prodded it, whereupon it proceeded to crawl on to my hand. At both Port Vendres and Collioures, Silverwashed Fritillaries and Cardinals were commonly found feeding on Lamana shrubs and Buddleia at the urbanised harbour's edge, many miles from the nearest woodland. The laner are distinguished by their larger size, a delicate greenish bronze suffusion, bolder black markings, and a most beautiful salmon pink underside to the forewing, which is very pronounced as they fly overhead. Boch are also abundant up the steep-sided valley from Villefranche de Conflent where the 'Little Yellow Train' takes visitors to cooler Apollo country. A White Admiral too, (not to be confused with the Southern White Admiral) was seen on successivedays in the centre of the large village of St. Genis-Des-Fontaines. As the afore-mentioned James Mann explained to me, these bunerflies obviously have never read the textbooks! No doubt we all have our pet theories on insect conservation issues and I'm sure that I am guilty of over-simplifying and overlooking the obvious in this complex matter. However, when licensed re-introductions have to be considered, perhaps insects from donor sites on the continent could adapt more readily and have bener survival prospect.

White-letter Hairstreak by DouglasHammersley

Silver-washedFritillary by Mervyn Crawford 10

Summer2004

The Suffolk Argus

Which Habitat

Preferred? by Mervyn Crawford A particular butterfly's preference for a unique and specialised habitat is both well known and well documented in many books. It is this requirement that may make it impossible for several species to expand their range northwards in response to global warming as suitable habitats have become separated by many miles of cultivated open countryside. Where species, such as the Large Heath, are already on the southern edge of their range the future is looking rather uncertain. In contrast, a recent article in our national magazine referred to Glanville and Heath Fritillary butterflies as being common field-edge species in Brittany, just over the Channel. One has to ponder therefore, especially when butterfly watching in mainland Europe, as to why some of our own best-loved and most endangered species appear to have become so fussy, not only as to habitat requirements, but also to favourable conditions for egg-laying within these areas. Detailed research has revealed that our High Brown Fritillary, whether on Dartmoor or in Cumberland, now requires the correct microclimate to lay on violets growing under bracken for its larvae to survive, but has this always been the case?I am just old enough to remember seeing this species in Suffolk, but have Knettishall Heath, Redgrave Fen and the small woods at Hintlesham and Blythburgh really changed that much in fifty years? For whatever reason, it has sadly more recently also disappeared from the New Forest. I have come across single specimens in quite open

vineyards in southern France, and no, they were not Dark Green Fritillaries! The disappearance of the Wall butterfly from many of its old haunts is both a heartache and a mystery. I can remember it as a common roadside, woodland and garden insect along with other Satyrids everywhere, though in any one locality it was always very responsive to different microclimates. In other words, it could have aptly been described as a generalist and not a habitatsensitive species. One striking feature now of its distribution map in Suffolk is the pronounced line, which could be drawn through my hometown of Mildenhall. To the northwest in the damp fen areas it remains numerous in most seasons, but in the Brecks to the east and arable regions elsewhere in West Suffolk, it might as well be extinct. A younger brother of mine considered a holiday home on the lower slopes of the French Eastern Pyrenees, at the Domaine Des Alberes, to be a good investment. A low-cost airline flies daily from Stansted to Perpignan, sometimes for less than it would cost to park a car at the airport for a week, so this whole area has become very accessible to me. With my wife and her camcorder many happy hours have been spent closely observing the rich diversity of butterflies of this region. On our first visit last year, we felt we already knew the places and what to expect, having read and re-read all of our former Chairman's excellent articles. We can also say quite truthfully that we have Silverwashed Fritillaries, Cardinals, Cleopatras, White Admirals and Large Tortoiseshells on the Valerian and Bramble in the garden, though it is so steep and wooded that it is best to use binoculars from an upper balcony. Other exotic types hardly hesitate as they power through and on up the ravine. Incidentally, in Suffolk the Large Tortoiseshell had gone long before we lost our mature Elm trees, but the lack of these trees in this part of France appears to have no effect on the status of this handsome butterfly. From the balcony I observed one for many minutes egglaying at the top of a tall cherry tree, and to my shame I admit that the temptation to somehow bring that leaf home with me was very strong.

··j·•C.····

.• .;

:::

•• '"'." ·• f •• • ~--·.•... •.:- '·... :

Suffolk 2003 AURecords;439 tetrads covered, with an average of 9.3 species/tetrad. Blobs are correctly situated, but the county boundary is.not uite the same as the VC25/26 recording area. e,: +

1-9tpeciet 10~19 specie~

20+

species

Table 1 2003 Season's Weather Max Temp DegC

Anomoly %

Sunshine hrs

Anomaly %

May

17.6

1.7

197

June

21.9

2.7

July

23.1

Month

Rain days Rain days av

at BSE

220

204

August

24.3

3.2

233

September

20.9

2.4

224

Sources: www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate and local meteorologist Alan Messem.

The SuffolkArgus

Summer2004

Table 2: A Measure of Scarcity - Tetrads per species (2003) Tetrads Species 1 1 1 2 5 17 18 24 29 37 40 51 75 79 81 84 86 90 93 107 136 137 144 150 183 194 210 210 222 233 234 240 262 274 276

Chalkhill Blue Large Tortoiseshell Swallowtail Camberwell Beauty Dingy Skipper White Admiral Silver-studded Blue White-letter Hairstreak Green Hairstreak Clouded Yellow Purple Hairstreak Grayling Holly Blue Wall Brown Argus Essex Skipper Large Skipper Small Heath Brimstone Small Skipper Small Copper Ringlet Orange-tip Common Blue Gatekeeper Green-veined White Comma Peacock Meadow Brown Speckled Wood Small White Large White Painted Lady Red Admiral Small Tortoiseshell

Remadcs

First ever Suffolk record Possible release Norfolk stray

Blue Morpho Mem.ories by RichardStewart

BAP species; scarcest resident BAP species BAP species Migrant

Poor year

New records in East Suffolk

Exceptional migration year Recovered to 'commonest' after 3 poor years

35 species seen in Suffolk

The Blue Morpho is probably my favourite butterfly, since it is so closely associated with our visits to the rainforests of Central America. Until we visited the natural history museum in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, we were unaware of just how many different species there are. Fortunately there was just enough natural light for me to talce photos of several of the display cases. Despite the many photos in books, the Blue Morpho seldom lands with its wings open and the dazzling blue iridescence is mainly seen when it is flying. It is a large butterfly, with a deep, seemingly laborious flight reminiscent of an Apollo, though it flies much higher and is of course much larger. Our first view was distant, at Xunantunich on the border of Belize and Guatemala. This was just after two young women had informed our leader they were there because the nearby Mayan site at Caracol was closed. Two looters had been shot and killed the previous day! This first glimpse had the extra glamour of being from the top of a Mayan temple, surrounded by jungle, and since then we have seen this butterfly in many equally impressive locations; including Costa Rica, Mexico and other parts of Guatemala. Two sightings were particularly memorable .. The first was at the remote Costa Rican site of Guayabo, one of the country's few archaeological areas and again surrounded by jungle. Our driver worked at the hotel where we were staying and after the heat of the jungle the three of us found a welcome stream, just a few steps down from the main path. As I was balancing precariously on some boulders, for a photo upstream, a large Blue Morpho suddenly appeared from behind me and flew slowly past the three of us. At first glance the

flight seems languid but the deep wing beats are deceptive. The jungle surrounding the stream acted as a magnificent contrast to the sudden iridescent flashes of bright blue that make the Morpho such an attractive bunerfly and the three of us were able to watch it slowly heading away, following the stream until the blackness of vegetation ahead engulfed it. That was to me one of the great and most magical of jungle memories but more was to come. Last year Marie and I decided to stay all day at Palenque, one of the major Mayan sites, surrounded by jungle. Most of the others in our party went back to the hotel for lunch. We had already seen a distant Morpho but, when we were separated by about a hundred yards, I suddenly became aware of a large Blue Morpho, which flew right in front of me. I had never seen one so close before but more was to come as it started to fly dance would perhaps be a berter description around me, around my face, hands, legs and boots, with all the time that incredible contrast of dark black and sudden flashes of bright blue. It was obviously attracted either by curiosity or the amount I was perspiring on a very hot day but to my disappointment it didn't land on me. Finally it went and I was left reflecting on what had certainly been my most memorable and closest encounter with this lovely bunerfly. Before I left the area I took several photos to remind me of exactly where it had happened.

EXTRAEVENT: Butterfly Transects for Beginners 5 August 2004 at Bury St Edmunds Following the success of the first transect training day on 25th March, another has been organized for Thursday 5th August. Starting in the Public Library (conference room), it will move on to visit the nearby Spring Lane transect for fieldwork in the afternoon. Anyone wishing to artend should book a place by contacting Sharon Hearle (Regional Officer, Eastern Region) Tel: 01638 663990. Email: shearle@butterfly-conservation.org

The SuffolkArgus

Summer2004

Table 2: A Measure of Scarcity - Tetrads per species (2003) Tetrads Species 1 1 1 2 5 17 18 24 29 37 40 51 75 79 81 84 86 90 93 107 136 137 144 150 183 194 210 210 222 233 234 240 262 274 276

Remadcs

First ever Suffolk record Possible release Norfolk stray

Blue Morpho Mem.ories by RichardStewart

BAP species; scarcest resident BAP species BAP species Migrant

Poor year

New records in East Suffolk

Exceptional migration year Recovered to 'commonest' after 3 poor years

35 species seen in Suffolk

Summer2004

The Suffolk Argus

Which Habitat

··j·•C.····

.• .;

:::

•• '"'." ·• f •• • ~--·.•... •.:- '·... :

Suffolk 2003 AURecords;439 tetrads covered, with an average of 9.3 species/tetrad. Blobs are correctly situated, but the county boundary is.not uite the same as the VC25/26 recording area. e,: +

1-9tpeciet 10~19 specie~

20+

species

Table 1 2003 Season's Weather Max Temp DegC

Anomoly %

Sunshine hrs

Anomaly %

May

17.6

1.7

197

June

21.9

2.7

July

23.1

Month

Rain days Rain days av

at BSE

220

204

August

24.3

3.2

233

September

20.9

2.4

224

Sources: www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate and local meteorologist Alan Messem.

White-letter Hairstreak by DouglasHammersley

Silver-washedFritillary by Mervyn Crawford 10

The Suffolk Argus

Euston Quarry RAFBarnham

Barnhamcross Common Barnham Heath SSSI

MarmansgraveWood

Silver-spottedSkipper by DouglasHammersley 16

There have been very few Dingy Skipper sightings from this area in recent years. An inspection on 24th May found only a very small amount of Bird's-foot Trefoil in rather overgrown habitat, and

The Suffolk Argus

Summer2004

Dingy Skipper Survey, 2003

Group led to a further sighting of two Dingy Skippers in the same place on 23rd May.

Grayling

Silver-studdedBlue

byBerylJohnson

by DouglasHammersley

The SuffolkArgus

Summer2004 Species Maps

The Butterfly Man

Scarcity

PepperedMoths by Doug/,asHammersley 18

The Suffolk Argus

Summer2004

Brimstone Egglaying on Purging Buckthorn byDouglas Hammersley 6

Summer2004

Vagrants Occasional Large Tortoiseshells have been known to turn up without explanation, and 15 April saw

PaintedLady byBeryl]ohmon 5

The Suffolk Argus

Summer2004

Local

2003

Sightings

2003

Butt~rfly Report

by RichardStewart

by Rob Parker

Described by Butterfly Conservation as ''A vintage year for butterflies", 2003 has indeed been an outstanding season for most species in Suffolk.

The reasons are fourfold: l. • A mild winter allowed the survival of a high proportion of overwintering eggs, larvae, pupae and hibernating adults from the (below average) 2002 season.

2. The abrupt transition to a hot, dry summer meant that many speciesstarted with simultaneousemergences,causing peaknumbers to exceedthe norm by some 10 to 15%.

an abundance of butterflies; in the street to notice, and to of the local media. Suffolk's Plan (BAP) species all had most of our resident species

LesserWanderer

byJim Foster 4

The Suffolk Argus

Editorial

Bargain Books

byJim Foster

Members may be interested to know that the Branch currently holds a stock of publications, listed below, which are available at greatly reduced prices.

Should you wish to obtain any of these, please contact: Alan or Bery/Johnson,on 01473 715701.

Dunbar. Both at £2 each. (Postage and packing extra).

Gatekeeper by BerylJohnson 22

The Suffolk Argus

Summer2004

Contents Editorial

Editorial

Blue Morpho Report

3 3 4 4 13

Which Habitat Prefered?

Spring

Return to Jujols for the Spanish Festoon

Summer

April Fools Day

Scrub Clearance at Purdis Heath

18 18 19 20 22

Autumn

August Bank Holiday

Bargain Books Local sightings 2003 2003 Butterfly Report

The Butterfly Man When it's Spring Again Butterflies Down Under 24 Species in One Day Newsletter Details and General Information Suffolk Branch Contacts

23 Back Cover

For that difficult to find present, why not give a decorative butterfly or moth to mount on the front wall of someone's home ?

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

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.

To advertisein the SuffolkArgus

Phone or fax Mervyn Crawford on Mildenhall (01638) 712600for Colour brochure I Price list.

please contact Jim Foster on

01449 711484.

A purpose built Hotel with all the facilities that today's travellers require yet in a rustic traditional environment that is welcoming and comfortable.

Butterfly Hotel, Al 4 Bury East Exit Moreton Hall, Bury St Edmunds Tel: 01284 760884

Butterfly Hotel, A14 Bury East Exit Moreton Hall, Bury St Edmunds Tel: 01284 760884 23

Volunteers Needed If you feel you could help out now and then with the growing work of the Branch, please contact Beryl Johnson on

01473 715701.

w~ffiDJ The Newsletter of the Suffolk Branch of Butterfly Conservation

Reg. No. 2206468 Reg.Charity No. 254937 HeadOffice: Manor Yard. East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset BH20 5QP Tel: (01929) 400209

Editor:Jim Foster Logo: (Silver-.studdedBlue) Doug Hammersley Design: Stephen Ion, Cat & Mouse design Printer:321 Printing, 25 Brookhouse BusinessPark, Hadleigh Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP2 0EF

Butterfly

Conservation

Summer 2004 Volume32