The Suffolk Argus
1995 Field Trips
Comma (Polygoniac~album) • • • • • • • ! .•: • • • ••••
November
Freston Area, near Ipswich, Sunday April30th by Richard Stewart 33 members ofboth Butterfly Conservation and Suffolk Naturalists' Society attended this joint meeting on an afternoon which proved the fickle nature of early spring weather. It had been sunny late morning and early afternoon but as we left the car park it clouded over and stayed that way. Thankfully, there is a spot in Freston wood which seems to have.a ,distinc~microclimate and here we saw two Peacocks (Inachis io) and one Comma (Polygonia calbum). Although the lanes next to the wood are,bordered by Garlic Mustard, the Orange Tip (Anthocharis cardarnines) did not materialise. To compensate however, there ·were many areas carpeted with Bluebells and a few plants of Meadow Saxifrage were in flower in Freston churchyard. Birds recognised by call or sight included Blackcap, Chiff-chaff, Garden Warbler, Cuckoo, Swallow and Green Woodpecker. Tea in Cutler's wood was enriched by the melodies of Cuckoo and Nightingale. A few Wood Anemones were flowering here and later, there were good views of four variously coloured fallow deer, one limping badly. A Whitethroat was also heard and on our return the Bluebells and carpets of wild Garlic in Freston wood were noticeably more aromatic as evening approached.
Swallowtail Me01ories
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by Peter Baker
Swallowtail (Papilio machaon)
1995
Would you believe Swallowtails (Papilio machaon) in my airing cupboard? Well it's true. My late father and I used to breed and raise them at our home in Reydon ' m~y years ago. I was then entrusted to release them on Filby Broad in Norfolk. We used to choose rhis particular location because we had seen them there over many years and what is more, I could easily get to the water's edge in my little open-topped car! Sometimes I would take father's friends to watch the release who included the likes of Claude Morley, Baron de Worms and H. Chipperfield. On looking back it must have seemed strange to my schoolfriends that together with these 'odd' gentlemen, I used to paint trees at night with black treacle and use a 1amp to attract moths but it was so enjoyable - and the summers seemed to last from Easter to Christmas time! Breeding the Swallowtails used to be no problem. I remember making cotton wool and gauze 'mice' soaked in sugar water for feeding the adults. We used to have 50 or so caterpillars in the airing cupboard although mother was not amused! Once eventually hatched, father would often paint sugar onto his hand to attract these beautiful creatures out so that he could place them into containers. Sometimes they flew out. What a sight it was to see them flying around the room. What great days they were. Thankyou for this contribution Peter. What fond memories you must have and in the company of such eminent Suffolk Naturalists-
Ed.
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