115 SUMMER 2024
FROM THE EDITOR
Hello, I’m delighted to be the new editor for the White Admiral. Hawk has done a great job for the last two years and the council would like to offer their heartfelt appreciation and thanks for his work over that time. Hawk hasn’t left the council though, he will still be looking after the Society’s social media presence through the SNS Facebook group (see p. 4).
To introduce myself, I volunteered to manage the SNS website last year, becoming a council member and trustee.
I am the communications officer for the Suffolk Biodiversity Information Service (SBIS), where, among other things, I manage their website and create their newsletter. Before joining SBIS I was a graphic designer, specialising in publications, so it seemed sensible to volunteer as the new editor.
However, although I have a lot of experience in publication design, editing the content is still somewhat new to me. I’m therefore very grateful to everyone that has contributed to this issue, and I hope you find it an interesting read. I’m looking forward to seeing all your contributions for the autumn issue! Send your articles, stories, poems, notes, observations, reviews and news to me using the email address below.
Thank you
Emma Aldous, Suffolk Naturalists’ Society c/o The Hold, 131 Fore Street, Ipswich, Suffolk IP4 1LR
WhiteAdmiralNewsletter@gmail.com
SNS AUTUMN MEMBERS’ MEETING
WESTLETON 21 SEPTEMBER 2024 2 – 6PM
Save the date!
Meet at Westleton Village Hall at 2pm, the afternoon will include:
Guided walks:
• Westleton Common
• Westleton Pit
• Westleton Heath
Short talks:
• Latest research on Stag Beetles
• The geology of Westleton
And more!
And a microscopy display in the village hall.
More details will be shared as they are finalised.
SNS has a growing Facebook group where members share their photos and observations, and ask for, or offer, help with identifying mystery sightings.
To join the group:
• Search Facebook for Suffolk Naturalists Society - Members Group
• Use the QR code above
• Use this url – https://www.facebook.com/groups/5161346860620607
SUFFOLK WILDLIFE TRUST: COURSES & EVENTS
• Wild Walks: Bird ID with Paul Holness • twice a month • Lackford Lakes
• Evening Wildlife Walks • 26 Jul • RSPB Boyton Marshes
• Butterfly ID Workshop • 26 Jul • Carlton Marshes
• Wild Walks: the Heath at dusk • 31 Jul • Knettishall Heath
• A River Trip with SWT • 2 Aug • Orwell Lady River Cruise
• Evening Wildlife Walks • 2 Aug • Bawdsey
• Evening Wildlife Walks • 9 Aug • Seafield Bay
• Late Summer Bird ID • 11 Aug • Lackford Lakes
• Beyond the Fences Trailer Safari • 12 & 28 Aug • Carlton Marshes
• Shimpling Park Farm tour • 13 Aug • Shimpling Park Farm
• Wild Walks: ponies on the Heath • 14 Aug • Knettishall Heath
• Fen Raft Spider Talk • 14 Aug • Carlton Marshes
• Evening Wildlife Walks • 16 Aug • Stutton Ness
• Evening Wildlife Walks • 23 Aug • Trimley Marshes
• Wild Walks: the Heath at dusk • 24 Aug • Knettishall Heath
• Nature walk • 24 Aug • Martlesham Wilds Reserve
• Boat trip to Worlingham Marshes • 25 Aug • Carlton Marshes
Full details, booking and more events: www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org/events
The updated SBIS website contains a wealth of information in the Knowledge Hub. There is a comprehensive library area with back issues of Suffolk Natural History, Suffolk Birds, White Admiral (more issues coming soon), The Harrier, and Suffolk Argus. Plus Species of the Month, detailed maps and information on landscape features, the Suffolk Bird Atlas and more! www. suffolkbis.org.uk
FIELD STUDIES COUNCIL: COURSES
• Birdwatching: Wader Migration • 19 Jul • Flatford Mill
• Discovering Garden Birds: Identification & Ecology • 23 Jul • Virtual
• Seal Field Skills to Inform Conservation • 26 Jul • Virtual
• Further Your Suffolk Wildflower Skills • 29 Jul • Flatford Mill
• Discovering Trees • 7 Aug • Virtual
• Ecology, Surveying and Conservation of Dormice • 17 Aug • Flatford Mill
• Discovering UK Otters: Biology, Ecology & Conservation • 21 Aug • Virtual
• Fungi Field Skills • 27 Aug • Virtual
• Discovering Ferns • 29 Aug• Virtual
• Botanical Anatomy • 2 Sep • Virtual
• Bird Field Skills • 3 Sep • Virtual
• Discovering Marine Ecology • 4 Sep • Virtual
• Discovering UK Seals • 13 Sep • Virtual
• Bee Conservation • 19 Sep • Virtual
• Discovering Lichens • 24 Sep • Virtual
• Discovering Tracks and Signs • 26 Sep • Virtual
• Discovering Seabirds • 3 Oct • Virtual
• Birdwatching: Autumn Migration • 4 Oct • Flatford Mill
• Discovering Water Voles: Biology, Ecology and Surveying • 15 Oct • Virtual
• Discovering Bryophytes • 16 Oct • Virtual
• Autumn Fungi: Introduction and Beginner ID • 19 Oct • Flatford Mill
• Identifying Broadleaf Trees in Winter • 31 Oct • Virtual
Natural History Courses: Covering all aspects of the natural world for beginners, enthusiasts, volunteer recorders and professionals. www.field-studies-council.org/fsc-natural-history-courses
Professional Development for Ecologists and Conservationists: An extensive range of courses that cater to a range of career levels, providing wildlife identification and surveying courses in many subjects.
www.field-studies-council.org/biodiversity/professional-development
Baron Charles de Worms: industrial chemist and enthusiastic lepidopterist (Creative Commons –Wikipedia: Original from London Natural History Society).
BARON CHARLES GEORGE MAURICE DE WORMS
(1904-1979)
Patrick Armstrong
Older members of the Society will remember the name ‘Baron de Worms’ (no initials, no first name) which appeared atop many articles in the Transactions of the Suffolk Naturalist Society, particularly in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, when he prepared a report, almost every year, on lepidoptera collected – and it was usually collected – in Suffolk. In my studies of the changing biota of the Sandlings heathlands it became clear that lepidoptera were important ‘indicator organisms’ and I found these reports to be of considerable value. It is of note that the Baron’s final article in the journal was a fifty-year review of the changing lepidoptera of the County (de Worms, 1979). He was proud to have been elected to the Society in 1933, and to have known some of the founding members, including Claude Morley. (See also Alfred Wallers’s fascinating letter in White Admiral 113; Winter 2023, page 13.)
A good deal of any account of his life, family and genealogy reads like a tale from another age. His title was inherited from his great uncle, who was created a hereditary baron of the Austrian Empire in 1871. Permission to use the title in the UK was given as recognition of the family’s service in developing tea plantations in the British colony of Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. His paternal greatgreat-grandmother was Schönche Jeannette Rothschild (1771–1859), and thus his great-great-great-grandfather was Mayer Amschel Rothchild (1744–1812), the founder of the notable Rothchild banking dynasty.
Charles, was born at Egham, in Surrey and, typically of his class, attended Eton College and then went on to King’s College, Cambridge, where he read for science degree, winning a prize for agricultural chemistry. He then obtained a doctorate in organic chemistry from London University. He continued to a career in chemistry at the Royal Cancer Hospital, and, during and after the Second World War, he was in charge of one of the military research facilities at Porton Down in Wiltshire.
Described as a ‘character’ and ‘kind-hearted, good with cats, dogs and small children’: despite his Jewish family background his Christmas parties were events that were much enjoyed by his friends and entomological colleagues. He seems to have been a little eccentric. One of his friends, Michael A Salmon (2000) recalled a time when on a collecting excursion in Surrey in the 1950s, when … we were reduced to laughter at the sight of the Baron fleeing from a swarm of bees. He ran extremely fast for a rather stout middleaged man with a gammy hip, not to mention a jacket, at least two old pullovers, and a satchel full of collecting equipment [of which] he always carried a great deal, much of it of uncertain use. … He would bring up to half-a-dozen kite-nets on collecting expeditions.
And collect he did, in a manner that would perhaps be out of phase with modern conservation thinking. He eventually had a collection of 350 drawers of lepidoptera, including many rare and extinct species, almost all captured or reared by himself. He is said to have had an uncanny knowledge of where to find colonies of rare species. Charles de Worms was an extensive traveller, collecting lepidoptera from throughout the British Isles, in many countries in Europe, North Africa, Australia, the islands of the Caribbean and Canada. He was a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society, publishing extensively in its journal. He left his collection to the Royal Scottish Museum in Edinburgh.
Charles visited Suffolk most years and wrote dozens of articles for the Suffolk Naturalists Society publications. As well as containing his own observations from the County, many friends sent him their observations and specimens. He captured many specimens from the heaths and marshes of the Sandlings region of East Suffolk, and from the nearby conifer woodlands of Dunwich Forest. Some of his pieces were jointly authored with H E Chipperfield, of the Shieling, Walberswick (whom I once met and whose massive collection, as a small boy I once viewed with something akin to awe). As well as his annual reviews he wrote numerous short pieces on particular occurrences or species (e.g. 1961).
Charles ended his ‘fifty years’ survey:
[T]he outlook is far from discouraging in spite of the apparent loss of some of the choicest species, so that we may well wonder what their overall prevalence and distribution may be when the Society celebrates its centenary. The hope is that there will still be plenty of
these insects to engage the attention and study of survivors till that day rather long hence.
Despite the hint of optimism in this paragraph, we may catch a note of uncertainty. The centenary of the Society is but a couple of years hence.
Baron Charles de Worms was a man of his time. Indeed even some of his contemporaries seem to have regarded him as a little old fashioned. The words ‘collect’, ‘capture’ and ‘take’ appear frequently in almost everything he wrote. But he was a prodigious worker and his recording of the insect fauna of Suffolk, and its distribution and history, was outstanding. It is on this basis that naturalists of today’s more conservation-minded generation honour him.
References
Baron de Worms, 1960. The bedstraw hawk (Celerio galii, Rott) and other interesting captures in East Suffolk, Transactions of the Suffolk Naturalists Society, 11(3) pp 255-256. (The current scientific name of this hawk moth is Hyles gallii.)
Baron de Worms, 1961, Some interesting lepidoptera captured in Suffolk during 1960, Transactions of the Suffolk Naturalists Society, 11(5) pp 400-402.
Baron de Worms, 1979. A review of some butterflies and moths in Suffolk during the past fifty years, Transactions of the Suffolk Naturalists Society, 18 (1) pp 63-69.
Salmon, M A, 2000. The Aurelian Legacy: British Butterflies and their Collectors, Harley Books, Colchester.
The old pumping mill, Westwood Marshes, Walberswick, as it was in the early 2000s.
Baron de Worms and his friends and entomological colleagues used to regularly use mercury vapour moth traps at this site (© Stephen GG, Flickr)
SEARLES VALENTINE WOOD 1798 – 1880
Caroline Markham, GeoSuffolk
Melton Old Church has a fine memorial to this Victorian geologist on its north wall. The inscription includes the words: In memory of Searles
Valentine Wood author of a work on the Mollusca of the Crag. The church had an open afternoon on June 2nd this year and GeoSuffolk took along information on this man and his geology, including an original copy of his monograph, The Crag Mollusca Part I, and examples of Red and Coralline Crag fossil molluscs he recorded. His father was a solicitor in Woodbridge, living in Melton Hall for a time, and Searles Wood himself served in the East India Company merchant fleet until 1826 when he retired to devote himself to palaeontology. He settled at Hasketon and collected fossil shells from local crag pits, being one of the first to distinguish between the Red and Coralline Crags. The Palaeontographical Society was formed in1847 for the purpose of illustrating British fossils, and the first volume issued, in 1848, was The Crag Mollusca, Part I: Univalves by Searles Wood. Other volumes, including that on bivalves followed.
From the several specimens named after him we displayed Searlesia costifera, a Red Crag gastropod of which he found specimens at Sutton and Walton-onthe-Naze, and Cryptangia woodi, a Coralline Crag coral from Ramsholt. We also took Hinia reticosa, a Red Crag gastropod found by Searles Wood in several local pits, and Liomesis dalei, a Red Crag gastropod named after Samuel Dale,
An original copy of The Crag Mollusca Part I, 1848.
From left to right gastropods Searlesia
names as used at this event.
apothecary and physician of Braintree who found a fossil at Harwich about 1704 – Searles Wood found similar specimens at Sutton and at Walton-on-the-Naze.
Melton Old Church was made redundant in 1977 and bought by the Melton Old Church Society in 1982. They open it to the public usually about once a month, and it is worth a visit – not least to view this memorial. For details see the web site www.meltonoldchurch.co.uk.
Melton Old Church interior with Bob Markham in front of the Searles Valentine Wood memorial.
costifera, Hinia reticosa, Liomesis dalei and coral Cryptangia woodi –
PROTECTING YOURSELF: TICKS AND LYME DISEASE
Advice from the Canal & River Trust
Ticks feed on the blood of just about any bird or mammal and some reptiles too. They pick up Lyme disease and other infections from these animals, e.g. mice, voles, squirrels, blackbirds, pheasants and seabirds, which naturally carry the disease. If an infected tick subsequently bites you, it may transfer one or more of the diseases into your bloodstream.
A bullseye rash is a common sign of a tick bite infected with Borrelia bacteria, which cause Lyme disease. Public Domain image by James Gathany, from the Public Health Image Library, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Most tick bites are harmless and can be treated with an insect bite cream or antihistamine to reduce irritation.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection you might get after being bitten by hard bodied ticks that are infected by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Most cases of Lyme disease are treated successfully with antibiotics. But, if left untreated, it can infect the heart, joints and nervous system.
A tick bite usually looks like a lump with a small scab on the skin surface at the site of the bite.
Most people with Lyme disease then develop a reddish skin rash in a ring shape, and this may be the only sign of infection. The rash spreads out from the site of a bite after 3 to 30 days. Other common symptoms with early Lyme disease include tiredness, headache, joint pains, and flu like symptoms.
Left: Ticks use a specialist sensory structures on their front legs – the Haller’s organ – to find new hosts. They wave their front legs in the air, called questing, to detect changes in CO2 levels, humidity and temperature. This this informs them when a suitable host is near. Image © Psychmike, Flickr
Right: An engorged tick after feeding © Acid Pix, Flickr
Early detection and treatment with antibiotics helps to relieve the symptoms and shorten the illness. For this reason, it is important to be aware of the indicators, so that treatment can be given early.
Ticks can survive in many places but prefer slightly moist, shady areas such as grass, bracken, bushes and leaf litter This is also where the animals they feed on are most likely to visit Ticks can be found in both rural and urban locations They are least likely to live in short grass or dry heather.
Avoidance tactics
• You should make it more difficult for a tick to reach your skin by wearing shoes rather than sandals and tucking long trousers into socks.
• Ticks can be more easily seen on white or light coloured clothing
• Avoid a tick’s favourite places by walking in the middle of paths and check yourself after sitting on logs or leaning against tree trunks
• Use a light coloured blanket for picnic, it is then easier to check for ticks
• Check your pets for ticks when they come into the house and especially keep them off bedding and soft furnishings
• Consider using anti tick pesticides for pets consult your veterinary surgeon for advice
• Consider spraying your clothing with an effective anti tick pesticide There are a variety in outdoor shops and chemists Make sure you follow the instructions carefully
How to remove a tick
• Wear rubber / plastic gloves or, in the absence of gloves, shield fingers with tissue or paper.
• Using pointed tweezers, {if you do not have a tick remover tool which is available from vets and pet shops). Commence by cleansing the tweezers with antiseptic.
• With pointed tweezers grasp the tick as close to the host’s skin as possible and pull upwards with steady, even pressure. There may be considerable resistance. Do not twist or jerk the tick as this may leave the mouth parts embedded.
• Remove any embedded mouth parts with tweezers or a sterilised needle.
• Do not squeeze or crush the body of the tick, because its fluids (saliva and gut contents) may contain infective organisms.
• Do not handle the tick with bare hands, because infective agents may enter through breaks in the skin or through mucous membranes {if you touch eyes, nostrils or mouth).
• After tick removal, cleanse the bite site and the tweezers with antiseptic and wash your hands thoroughly.
• Do not use your fingernails to remove a tick. Infection can enter via any breaks in your skin, e.g. Close to the fingernail.
DO NOT use petroleum jelly, any liquid solutions, or freeze / burn the tick, as this will stimulate it to regurgitate its stomach contents, increasing the chance of infection.
Read more about ticks in this article from the Natural History Museum
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/ticks-bites-lyme-diseasehow-to-protect-yourself.html
A female Ixodes tick burrowing into skin. © Dr. Diego Morales (@DiegoMoralesN), Flickr
LYME DISEASE BASICS
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection primarily transmitted by Ixodes ticks, also known as deer ticks or blacklegged ticks. Lyme disease affects people of all ages. The CDC notes that it is most common in children, older adults, and others such as firefighters and park rangers who work outside and have higher exposure to ticks.
Be Tick Aware
Wear Tick Repellent:
Repellents with DEET, picaridin or lemon eucalyptus oil are the most effective.
Create a Tick-Safe Zone at Home: Prune trees, clear leaves and brush, keep deer and other wild animals out of your yard.
Treat Pets Monthly:
Animal fur can act like a “tick magnet,” exposing you when you snuggle with your pet.
10 Outdoor Safety Tips
Do a tick check immediately and 3 days after being outside.
If you find a tick, remove it properly.
Apply repellent on skin and permethrin on clothing.
Symptoms To Watch For
What If You Get Bitten?
Don’t squeeze, twist or squash the tick. Don’t burn it with a match or cover it with Vaseline.
Use fine-point tweezers or a special tickremoving tool. Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible.
Pull the tick straight out with steady, even pressure. Disinfect the bite area and wash your hands.
Check out your symptoms at www. lymedisease.org/symptomchecker for printable results you can give your doctor.
Save the tick for testing (alive if possible) in a small bottle or plastic bag with a green leaf or damp piece of tissue. Label it with your name, date, site of bite and how long tick was attached.
Walk on trails.
Avoid sitting on logs or leaning against trees.
Wear a hat & tuck in hair if possible.
Wear shoes— no bare feet or sandals.
Avoid long grass & bushes.
Wear trousers tucked into high socks or boots.
Wear a long sleeve shirt fitted at the wrists.
One of Britain’s largest beetles, this longhorn species has a life-cycle similar to that of the European stag beetle Lucanus cervus. Like the latter, its larvae feed and develop on the subterranean, decaying roots and stumps of broad-leaf trees. As with stag beetles there are three larval stages, with overall larval growth taking at least three years. Both male and female tanner beetles are glossy brown to dark brown, the male being more conspicuous with its stout, heavily serrated antennae (feelers). Females are generally larger than males, their antennae are narrower and less obviously serrated. Tanner beetles are generally found singly during the months of July and August. However, both sexes can be observed together on warm summer evenings at dusk when they pair up to mate. Their larvae are relatively easy to separate from stag beetle larvae as their body tapers significantly from ‘head to tail’, the larval head is small and almost black. Stag beetle larvae have an orange head, their body does
THE TANNER BEETLE PRIONUS CORIARIUS (ALSO KNOWN AS THE SAWYER BEETLE)
Colin Hawes
not taper significantly and they have six orange legs.
In Bentley, the author has received reports from five residents who have found Tanner beetles in their gardens; residents have also reported seeing this beetle on some of Bentley’s roads (all confirmed by photos.) In 2023, several of these beetles were observed flying in one resident’s garden. The author has also found them in Dodnash Wood, Great
Martins Wood, Old Hall Wood and at Dodnash Fruit Farm. A Stutton resident has observed several Tanner beetles emerging from a rotting log pile in his garden, and managed to video their activity.
In 2011, the author discovered a Stag beetle larva and a Tanner beetle larva that were both feeding a short distance apart in the same piece of rotting deadwood, and in 2023, two Tanner beetle larvae were found among 21 Stag beetle larvae underneath a rotting oak log, larvae have also been recorded feeding in an apple stump, a sycamore stump, and a fallen oak limb.
© Colin Hawes
TWO NEW 'LARGER BRACHYCERA' ADDED TO THE SUFFOLK DIPTERA CHECKLIST
Peter Vincent, Diptera Recorder
It is always pleasing to add new species to the checklist of Suffolk Diptera and even more so when these species are not from one of the more obscure and difficult families, but from a group of well studied fly families known as the Larger Brachycera. This group of families are covered by the excellent identification and ecological guide, British Soldierflies and their Allies by Alan Stubbs and Martin Drake (Stubbs and Drake, 2001). They include some of the more familiar and best recorded flies on the Suffolk checklist. Furthermore, these two new species were collected not from a pristine nature reserve but from my garden in Middleton. The flies in question are the Rhagionid Spania nigra Meigen, 1830 commonly known as the Liverwort Fly found and the Stratiomyid Beris fuscipes Meigen, 1820, the Short-horned Black Legionnaire. I collected both flies earlier this spring, S. nigra on the 19 May 2024 and B. fuscipes on the 13 June 2024.
As S. nigra is Britain's smallest snipefly, indeed the smallest of our Larger Brachycerans, with a body length up to 2 mm long, it can be overlooked. It is most likely to be confused with an empidid or opetiid in the field but has the more complex wing venation associated with snipeflies. The National Biodiversity Network (NBN) shows that S. nigra has widespread but scattered distribution throughout Britain but has mostly been recorded from the north and the west although there are records from Norfolk and Cambridgeshire and the Essex Field Club website show one record from the Thames valley. Though, undoubtedly S. nigra is under-recorded through its small size and rather secretive habit. It is classified as Nationally Scarce. (NS)
The ecology of S. nigra is not well known but it seems to be associated with liverworts in damp woodland (e.g. along woodland streams and around woodland seepages). Although there is some uncertainty with this feeding association, but it is generally thought that S. nigra mines the leaves of the thalloid liverwort Pellia neesiana (Gottsche) Limpr. (Jefferson, 2017) and possibly other Pellia species (Stubbs and Drake, 2001). The female specimen of S. nigra I collected by sweeping along a tree shaded and muddy path which crosses the floodplain towards the Minsmere River river some 30m away. The
banks of the river contain the closest known colony of Pellia liverworts to the collection point. However, this is Pellia endiviifolia (Dicks.) Dumort (being the most common Pellia species in Suffolk). It was recorded here by Richard Fisk in 2017. By comparison P. neesiana is very rare in Suffolk (Sandford and Fisk, 2010). It is found in wet woodland and needs acidic conditions which restrict its distribution in Suffolk. There are only four coastal Suffolk records (Fisk pers comm.), the nearest being along the Dunwich River 5km distant. Of course there could be closer colonies of P. neesiana but acidic wet woodland is not present along the Minsmere River. It therefore seems most likely that in this case the food plant of S. nigra is P. endiviifolia.
The second new to Suffolk species B. fuscipes is nationally a widespread but scarce species more commonly found in western and northern districts, especially towards southwest England. There are a few Norfolk and Cambridgeshire records including one from Chippenham Fen north of Newmarket and two records from Essex. Differing from the similar dark bodied Beris geniculata Curtis,1830 in having clear orange areas on the legs rather than the murky orange legs of B. geniculata. Though, the most useful character is the short antennae and the presence of a distinct bulge in the antennae of males when seen from above. Males also vary from B. geniculata in having a much smaller face and frons and rather different genitalia. Females are harder to separate but again tend to have the more distinct colortation of the legs. I collected the male specimen of B. fuscipes by sweeping amongst tall herbage and reeds on the edge of an open area of fen like grassland. This is similar to its preferred habitat of sheltered edges of fens and marshes described by Stubbs and Drake (2001).
References
Beris fuscipes ©fatatouille, iNaturalist. www.inaturalist.org/observations/222000230
Jefferson, R.G. (2017) Insects and Bryophytes in Antenna 41(3): 108-119. Sandford, M. & Fisk, R. (2010) A Flora of Suffolk. Ipswich, D.K. & M.N. Sanford. Stubbs, A. & Drake, C.M. (2001) British Soldierflies and their Allies, Reading, British Entomological and Natural History Society.
THE SAPROXYLIC BEETLES OF ICKWORTH PARK
Dr Ross Piper
Ickworth Park, near Bury St Edmunds is a wellknown site, covering approximately 730 hectares and including large areas of parkland/wood pasture and woodland. In 2022, I was commissioned by the National Trust to carry out an entomological survey of the site, specifically the saproxylic insects associated with the veteran and ancient trees. Trees like this are an important habitat that support nearly 2,000 invertebrate species in the UK, 650 of which are beetles, representing an impressive 53 families. Some of these beetles feed on the wood itself, but many depend on the varied fungi that feed on the wood or the fine wood mold that accumulates in the rot cavities of standing trees. Still more are hunters, feeding on the species that nibble the wood and fungi. There are even some that are free-loaders in the nests of ants and wasps that make their nests in dead and decaying trees.
I installed vane traps on nine oak trees and one beech tree in May and emptied them once a month until the end of September. As well as the
© Ross Piper
© Ross Piper
© Ross Piper
traps, I also did a small amount of direct searching. The traps are a superb way of surveying saproxylic insects that depend on these trees. They fly into the transparent acrylic panes and fall into the collecting bottle underneath.
One hundred and forty insect species and one pseudoscorpion species were recorded during the survey, all of which were identified by myself, Tony Allen and Roger Booth. Among this haul were 91 saproxylic beetle species, 48 of which were new to the site. Twenty-one of these saproxylic beetle species have a conservation status. In addition to beetles, other notable saproxylic arthropods recorded during the survey included the small solitary wasp Nitela borealis, the Forest Hoverfly Brachypalpus laphriformis, the crane fly Ctenophora pectinicornis and the pseudoscorpion Dendrochernes cyrneus.
With this new data, the list of saproxylic beetles now known from the site stands at 191 species, ranking this site as nationally important for its saproxylic habitats and species. As Ickworth Park is so large, further trapping surveys, direct searching and light trapping would add more species to the site list, which would refine the assessment of the habitat quality of the site.
The most notable species from the survey were as follows:
Stichoglossa semirufa (Erichson) (Staphylinidae)
One individual JuneJuly sample from Oak in parkland with large rot hole (TL 81932 61710).
One specimen. This species is only known from six other records spread between 1898 and now. Next to nothing is known about the habitat requirements of this species, but for it to be encountered so infrequently suggests that it has very specific habitat requirements.
Euplectus tholini (Guillebeau) (Staphylinidae)
One individual July-August sample from recently dead, standing Oak in parkland near main entrance (TL82441 62099).
Procraerus tibialis (Lacordaire) (Elateridae)
One individual June-July sample from ancient parkland ‘stag-horn’ oak with large central hollow (TL 80863 63164).
Colydium elongatum (Fabricius) (Zopheridae)
One individual JuneJuly sample from Oak in parkland with split trunk (TL 81635 62063).
One individual MayJune sample from Oak in parkland with large, central hollow (TL 81533 62402).
Two individuals May-June, sample, one individual June-July sample and one individual July-August sample recently dead, standing Oak in parkland near main entrance (TL82441 62099).
All images on pp. 23–4 © Udo Schmidt
Calambus bipustulatus (Linnaeus) (Elateridae)
One individual May-June sample from ancient parkland oak with large, central hollow and broken trunk (TL 80891 62916).
Phloiotrya vaudoueri (Mulsant) (Melandryidae)
One individual JuneJuly sample from Oak in parkland with split trunk (TL 81635 62063).
Opilo mollis (Linnaeus) (Cleridae)
One individual JuneJuly sample from Oak in parkland with large, central hollow (TL 81533 62402).
Prionocyphon serricornis (Müller) (Scirtidae)
One individual JuneJuly and one individual July-August samples from large, pollarded Beech in woodland with wet, central rot hole (TL 82142 60173).
Scraptia testacea (Allen) (Scraptiidae)
Two individuals May-June sample from Tea Party Oak (TL 81415 61849) with large, central hollow. Three individuals May-June sample and one individual June-July sample from Oak in parkland with large, central hollow (TL 81533 62402).
www.rosspiper.net/2020/01/10/ saproxylic-beetles
Lymexylon navale (Linnaeus) (Lymexylidae)
Two individuals May-June, five individuals June-July, one individual JulyAugust and one individual August-September from recently dead, standing Oak in parkland near main entrance (TL82441 62099).
Diaperis boleti (Linnaeus) (Tenenbrionidae)
Diaperis boleti was formerly very rare and local but has expanded its range and become generally common throughout the southeast and east in recent decades, warranting a revision of its conservation status.
Table 1. Saproxylic beetles from Ickworth Park Survey 2022
SPECIES
ADERIDAE
Euglenes oculatus (Paykull) NS 8 1
ANTHRIBIDAE
Platyrhinus resinosus (Scopoli) NS 4 1 BUPRESTIDAE
Agrilus angustulus (Illiger)
Agrilus biguttatus (Fabricius) 8 3
Agrilus sinuatus (Olivier) 4
CANTHARIDAE
Malthinus flaveolus (Herbst) 1
CERAMBYCIDAE
Anaglyptus mysticus (Linnaeus) NS 4
Grammoptera ruficornis (Fabricius) 1
Phymatodes testaceus (Linnaeus) 4 1
Cerylon ferrugineum (Stephens) 2
Cerylon histeroides (Fabricius) 4
CIIDAE
Cis bilamellatus (Wood)
Cis boleti (Scopoli) 1
Cis castaneus (Herbst)
Cis fagi (Waltl)
(Marsham)
(Marsham)
cornutus (Gyllenhal)
CLERIDAE
Korynetes caeruleus (De Geer) NS 8 1
Opilo mollis (Linnaeus) NS 8 1
formicarius (Linnaeus) 4 1 CUCUJIDAE
Pediacus dermestoides (Fabricius) 4 1
CRYPTOPHAGIDAE
Cryptophagus labilis (Erichson) NS 8
Cryptophagus scanicus (Linnaeus) 0 CURCULIONIDAE
Dryocoetes villosus (Fabricius) 2
Euophryum confine (Broun) 0
Platypus cylindrus (Fabricius) NS 8 1
Scolytus intricatus (Ratzeburg) 2
Xyleborus dryographus (Ratzeburg) NS 8 1
ELATERIDAE
Calambus bipustulatus (Linnaeus) NS 8 1
Melanotus villosus / castanipes (Geoffroy in Fourcroy) 0
Procraerus tibialis (Lacordaire) RDB3 16 3
Stenagostus rhombeus (Olivier) 4 1
ENDOMYCHIDAE
Endomychus coccineus (Linnaeus) 2 EROTYLIDAE
Dacne bipustulata (Thunberg) 2 HISTERIDAE
Paromalus flavicornis (Herbst) 2
Plegaderus dissectus (Erichson) 8 2
LAEMOPHLOEIDAE
Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens) 2 LATRIDIIDAE
Enicmus brevicornis (Mannerheim) NS 8 1
Enicmus rugosus (Herbst) NS 8
Dorcus parallelipipedus (Linnaeus) 2
(Linnaeus)
Conopalpus testaceus (Olivier) 8 1
Phloiotrya vaudoueri (Mulsant)
Axinotarsus marginalis (Laporte) 0
Dasytes aeratus (Stephens) 2
Malachius bipustulatus (Linnaeus) 1 MONOTOMIDAE
Rhizophagus bipustulatus (Fabricius) 1
Rhizophagus ferrugineus (Paykull) 2
MORDELLIDAE
Mordellochroa abdominalis (Fabricius) 4 MYCETOPHAGIDAE
Mycetophagus atomarius (Fabricius) 2 1
Cryptarcha undata (Olivier)
8 Epuraea aestiva (Linnaeus) 0 Epuraea fuscicollis (Stephens) NS 8 Epuraea unicolor (Olivier) 2
Glischrochilus hortensis (Geoffroy in Fourcroy) 0 PTINIDAE
serra (Fabricius) 4
punctatum (De Geer) 1
chrysomelina (Sturm) 4 1
flavicornis (Fabricius) NS 8 1
Grynobius planus (Fabricius) 2 Hemicoelus fulvicornis (Sturm) 1 Ptilinus pectinicornis (Linnaeus) 1 Ptinomorphus imperialis (Linnaeus) 8 Ptinus sexpunctatus (Panzer) 0 SCIRTIDAE Prionocyphon serricornis (Müller) NS 8 1 SCRAPTIIDAE
Anaspis fasciata (Forster) 2
Anaspis garneysi (Fowler) 0
Anaspis maculate (Fourcroy) 0
Anaspis regimbarti (Schilsky) 0
Anaspis thoracica (Linnaeus) NS 8 3
Scraptia testacea (Allen) NS 16 3 STAPHYLINIDAE
Anomognathus cuspidatus (Erichson) 2
Atrecus affinis (Paykull) 1
Bisnius subuliformis (Gravenhorst) 2
Dropephylla ioptera (Stephens) 1
Euplectus tholini (Guillebeau) RDB3 24 3
Hapalaraea pygmaea (Paykull) 2
Haploglossa gentilis (Märkel) 2
Haploglossa villosula (Stephens) 0
Phloeopora Testacea (Mannerheim) 1
Scaphidium quadrimaculatum (Olivier) 2
Stichoglossa semirufa (Erichson) RDBI 24
TENENBRIONIDAE
Diaperis boleti (Linnaeus) NS 24
Prionychus ater (Fabricius) 8 1
Pseudocistela ceramboides (Linnaeus) NS 8 2
Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) 0 THROSCIDAE
Aulonothroscus brevicollis (de Bonvouloir) RDB3 24 3
ZOPHERIDAE
Colydium elongatum (Fabricius) NS 16 DS = direct searching;
THE HOLLY BLUE
DARWIN WASP (LISTRODROMUS
NYCTHEMERUS) AT DOVEDALE, FELIXSTOWE
Paul Oldfield
Recorded on the 13 June and this constitutes, apparently, the first Suffolk record, which I find somewhat surprising taking into account its European distribution, and only the tenth British record (see GBIF map). This species main population base is the Netherlands and Belgium with scattered records elsewhere as far south as the French side of the Pyrenees and northern Corsica and as far north as southern Norway and Sweden.
The Holly Blue Darwin Wasp is, as the name suggests, a specialist parasitoid of the Holly Blue Butterfly (Celastrina argiolus). The female lays its egg in first instar larvae of the host species and it is thought, where this species is prolific, it can reach 99% of the Holly Blue butterfly caterpillars thus causing a massive collapse in its host population. Happily populations of this Ichneumonid Wasp appear to peak on roughly a seven year cycle which no doubt gives its host species time to recover before the next onslaught. It is interesting to note that larvae have been found to be half grown in their pupal hosts during the winter.
My thanks to Makcnm Mapxomehko and Gavin Broad for confirming my identification.
References
Ichneumonid Wasps, their Classification and Biology. Broad, Shaw and Fitton. Cambridgeshire Bees, Wasps and Ants https://beekeepersgarden.wordpress.com
STAG BEETLES 2024
Colin Hawes, Lead partner for the conservation of stag beetles in Suffolk Emergence of the European stag beetle often begins in mid-May but this is very much dependent on the weather. Low temperatures, or rain, or a combination of both can hold up emergence for weeks. Emergence is dependent on the nearsurface soil temperature rising to a level sufficient to raise the body temperature of the stag beetle to a level that stimulates activity.
To date, 8 of June, this year, there have been fewer records of stag beetle sightings sent to me than usual. Sightings have been received from (in alphabetical order), Bentley, Bramford, Capel St Mary, East Bergholt, Felixstowe, Kesgrave, Tattingstone, and Washbrook.
If you have seen stag beetles, or see them later, I would be grateful if you would forward the details to me (date seen, where: address or postcode, male or female, flying, walking etc.) at hawescolin@gmail.com or send them to 3 Silver Leys, Bentley IP9 2BS
Thank you
Sexual generation gall of Pseudoneuroterus
TURKEY OAK (QUERCUS CERRIS) IS IT ALL BAD?
Jerry Bowdrey
The Turkey Oak was first introduced to Britain in the C18th and since then has successfully colonised a wide area of Britain. Whilst there is concern amongst conservationists and foresters over the spread of this invasive alien species, for the hymenopterist it is a fruitful source of cynipid galls, as many gall wasps use this host as part of their life cycle.
At Dodds Wood, Benhall (TM362631) the public footpath is lined by planted Turkey oaks and a visit on May 23 2024 produced many galls of Pseudoneuroterus saliens, resembling pink sea anemones, as well as catkin galls of Andricus grossulariae, looking very like unripe blackcurrants. Both represent the sexual generation of their respective species.
Also noticed were the mirid bug Miris striatus and a larva of the Purple Hairstreak (Favonius quercus).
Perhaps this tree isn’t so bad for biodiversity after all?
saliens
White Admiral
Sexual generation gall of Andricus grossulariae
Larva of the Purple Hairstreak (Favonia quercus) Miris striatus
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL
Trevor Goodfellow
My positive view of what 2024 had in store was quickly eroded by foul weather, cold nights and record rainfall.
I recently walked the wildflower meadows and verges at Marham Park Bury St. Edmunds only to find a just a handful of butterflies. Despite acres of blooming flowers, five Meadow Browns and a couple of Common Blues were all there was.
My 2024 Dingy Skipper survey was a wash-out with the best count of just 10, it is hard to imagine a colony recovering from such a dismal population.
Domestic wildlife records started to get interesting as my annual moth species count reached 200+ by the end of June. Eleven new species to a running total of nearly 800.
Odonata seemed less than impressive, so it is ironic that I found two new species of dragonfly: a female Scarce Chaser (Libellula fulva), and a female Southern Migrant Hawker (Aeshna affinis)[front cover image]. Both of these in the same week as finding Scarce Emerald (Lestes dryas) at SWT Blackbourn Vally and Norfolk Hawker (Aeshna isosceles) at SWT Lackford Lakes.
I accept that things probably won’t get better than that.
The cold nights meant that my carp spawned much later than usual, perhaps the water being deeper and cold nights slowed down the water warming to a suitable temperature.
It seems the outlook is gloomy. Within the last 10 years I have noticed toad number down from 250 (average) to 9 and frogs down from 20 to zero. As climate change indicator species, it is shocking.
Female Scarce Chaser
© Trevor Goodfellow
NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS
An unusual visitor
A couple of photos of the Dendroxena quadrimaculata that I spotted as it walked across my living room floor, a nice surprise. – Emma Aldous
Spider Egg Sac
When tidying up my garden last Autumn I discovered this egg sac. It was a papery flask shaped structure with a flat top, about 2cm tall, that was woven around the upright stems of a Lavender plant. After consulting Spiders of Britain and Northern Europe by Michael J. Roberts, I concluded it was an egg sac of the Wasp Spider Argiope bruennichi which I had seen in the same locality a few years previously. – David Walker
Rare hoverfly
A female Chrysogaster solstitialis otherwise known as a Darkwinged Wrinklehead spotted in Felixstowe. A new species for me. According to NBN atlas there are less than 20 records for Suffolk. – Paul Oldfield
STEVEN PIOTROWSKI
We were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Steve Piotrowski. Steve was a long time member of the Suffolk Bird Group and spent fourteen years as their Honorary President.
Steve’s lifelong passion for wildlife and its conservation led to him contributing so much to Suffolk Ornithology and he inspired many more people to do the same.
Our thoughts and condolences are with his friends and family at this very sad time.
A memorial tribute page to Steve can be found at https://stevenpiotrowski. muchloved.com
SUFFOLK NATURALISTS’ SOCIETY GRANTS
Suffolk Naturalists’ Society has received generous donations in the past and uses these to fund studies by members on the flora, fauna and geology of the county. Amateur naturalists have always been in the forefront in increasing knowledge and recording the natural history of Suffolk. We aim to help those who feel that the costs of a study are a barrier, either experts or beginners, encouraging exploration of understudied areas of the natural world and explaining the importance of this knowledge to the general public.
Applications are welcomed for small or large sums, £1,000 or more for substantial, longer running, projects.
Grants can be used for:
Scientific equipment, books, software or other relevant items. Reasonable travel and subsistence for field work. Attending training courses, conferences, specialist meetings and visits to scientific institutions. Running workshops or field meetings that encourage people to get involved with wildlife studies and recording. Payment for expert guidance and acquiring necessary licences.
Criteria:
1. Projects should include a large element of original work and further the knowledge of Suffolk’s flora, fauna or geology.
2. A written account of the project is required within 12 months, unless it is a longer term study. This should be suitable for publication in one of the Society’s journals: Suffolk Natural History, Suffolk Birds or White Admiral.
3. Suffolk Naturalists’ Society should be acknowledged in all publicity associated with the project and in any publications emanating from the project.
Applications may be made at any time. Please apply to SNS for an application form or visit our website for full details and criteria. www.sns.org.uk/pages/bursary.shtml.
The opinions expressed in White Admiral are not necessarily those of the Editor or of the Suffolk Naturalists’ Society.
WWW.SNS.ORG.UK
The Suffolk Naturalists’ Society, founded in 1929 by Claude Morley (1874 -1951), pioneered the study and recording of the County’s flora, fauna and geology. It is the seed bed from which have grown other important wildlife organisations in Suffolk, such as Suffolk Wildlife Trust (SWT) and Suffolk Bird Group (SBG).
Recording the natural history of Suffolk is still the Society’s primary objective. Members’ observations go to specialist recorders and then on to the Suffolk Biodiversity Service at The Hold to provide a basis for detailed distribution maps and subsequent analysis with benefits to environmental protection.
Funds held by the Society allow it to offer substantial grants for wildlife studies.
Annually, SNS publishes its transactions Suffolk Natural History, containing studies on the county’s wildlife, plus the county bird report, Suffolk Birds (compiled by SBG). The newsletter White Admiral, with comment and observations, appears three times a year. SNS organises two members’ evenings a year and a conference every two years.
Subscriptions to SNS:
Individual membership £15; Family/Household membership £17; Student membership £10; Corporate membership £17. Members receive the three publications above.
Joint subscriptions to SNS and SBG:
Individual membership £30; Family/Household membership £35; Student membership £18. Joint members additionally receive the SBG newsletter The Harrier.
As defined by the Constitution of this Society its objectives shall be:
2.1 To study and record the fauna, flora and geology of the County
2.2 To publish a Transactions and Proceedings and a Bird Report. These shall be free to members except those whose annual subscriptions are in arrears.
2.3 To liaise with other natural history societies and conservation bodies in the County
2.4 To promote interest in natural history and the activities of the Society.
For more details about the Suffolk Naturalists’ Society contact: Suffolk Naturalists’ Society, The Hold, 131 Fore St, Ipswich IP4 1LR. enquiry@sns.org.uk