The Suffolk Argus
garden having sunshine most of t~e day, no use of insecticides, beds of nettles m full sunshine, tall sunlit grassland, shelter around the garden edges, breaking up the gardens into smail-scale features especially the inclusion of a herbaceous border and vegetable area plus, more surprisingly, a minimal amount of hard surface. These features were followed up by telephone conversations with the owners of the 'best' gardens (the 'top total' for species being 22 in a Walberswick garden). With very few exceptions, the vast majority of the features identified by Stephens and Warren were either present, or at least close-to the most successful Suffolk gardens. A separate analysis of size and location underlined the superiority of large country gardens planted for butterflies and other insects though, as I have proved in my own Ipswich garden, it is possible to attract 20 species near to town and this number has been reached in other suburban gardens. One final bonus from the survey was that hopefully, all those who responded will be taking part in the first year of the Millennium survey which will, eventually, be published in a national atlas. Record sheets can be obtained from me c/o the Ipswich Museum, High Street, Ipswich, IPI 3QH: The same address is the contact for details about the 1995 edition of 'Suffolk Natural History' which includes the full details collected from the survey.
,Whata fascinatingarticle.Thefocus on nectarplants hasgiven me an ideathat membersmay wishto tell us moreabout the nectarsourcesin theirgardenwhich both they and butterfliesenjoyaboveall others.Please write in and tell us aboutyourplants; floweringperiod,speciesattractedetc., and we will.be delightedto shareyour enjoyment throughthesepages-Ed.
18
November
Christmas
Member's Evening
Invitation
Gift We have a few copies of the excellent 'Observer's Book of Butterflies' by professional wildlife photographer, author and lecturer, Paul Morrison, available at a reduced price of £2.50 to collect or £3.27 including postage & packing. This is a delightful little book, well written, beautifully illustrated and not just a beginners guide being packed with lots of useful information. Funher, it is a true pocket guide which can be taken into the field to help with identification of all species likely to be encountered in Britain. Not all popular field guides I might add carry the son of details of Camberwell Beauty (Nymphalis antiopa) as this little book does! In addition to the main part of the book - the species accounts, there are some fifry pages of very readable and interesting articles in particular, lifecycle and structure, habitats, photography, recording and butterfly gardening. Whilst there is a good selection of field guides on the bookshelves, none can be such excellent value for money. Whether you already own other guides or not, why not treat yourself, friend or relative to an 'Observer's' book this Christmas. You cannot really go wrong at this price! Please contact our Chairman, JamesMann if you would like one.
1995
Map ~,a\\eiy_o~\\'J'o'\
St. Jobn'sSebo
••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Orange Tip (A. Cardamines), Greened-veined White (P. napi) & Brimstone (G. rhamni) (see }ialesworth Area Field Trip, page 10)
3
