White Admiral Newsletter 99
Spring 2018
Suffolk Naturalists’ Society
Contents Editorial
Ben Heather
What’s on?
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Autumn Members ’ Evening 2017
Gen Broad
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Richard Stewart
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Juliet Hawkins
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Turtle Dove Surveyors Needed Across Suffolk
Katy Froud
13
Goneplax rhomboides (L., 1758) the Angular Crab in Suffolk: An Update
Jerry Bowdrey
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Joan Hardingham
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Geo Suffolk
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Suffolk Swift Survey
Edward Jackson
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A Correction: SNH Vol.53 Trichoptera of Suffolk
Adrian Chalkley
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Rob Parker & Juliet Hawkins
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Gen Broad
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Rasik Bhadresa
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Dr. C. J. B. Hitch
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Adrian Chalkley
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Joan Hardingham
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Neil Mahler
29
Patrick Armstrong
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Harwich Harbour Stone Beds
Bob Markham
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Shifting Sands Heritage Lottery Project in the Brecks
Sharon Hearle
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Butterfly Conservation
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The Current Popularity of Nature Writing Hoverflies, SBIS/SNS bursary
Training Courses for Wildlife Educators Pliocene Forest Open Day
Calling for Butterfly Recorders Book Review - Britain’s Mammals Shaken but not Stirred The lichens of Brandon Country Park, Suffolk (Part 1) A new record of the rare caddis fly Limnephilus tauricus An Unusual Christmas Decoration Whatever next … Dancing Wax Caps! Some Suffolk Clerical Aurelians
Butterfly and Moth Meetings 2018 ISSN 0959-8537
Published by the Suffolk Naturalists’ Society c/o Ipswich Museum, High Street, Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 3QH Registered Charity No. 206084 © Suffolk Naturalists’ Society
Suffolk The
Naturalists’ Society
Newsletter 99 - Spring 2018 Welcome to this spring issue of the White Admiral Newsletter. Thank you to all those who have provided copy for this issue of the newsletter. Has everyone had enough of snow yet? It has certainly felt like a long winter this year to me but spring is hopefully just round the corner and all the insects and spring plants are beginning to re-awaken. At work things are also slowly moving on too. We have finally finished our Christmas themed photography shoots and are well into Easter now with various parts of our development garden starting to show signs of life. Thank you to all those who attended the Suffolk Naturalists’ Society & Suffolk Mammal Group conference at the end of February. Despite a last minute panic to re-arrange a speaker, all seemed to go to plan and we all enjoyed an inspiring and informative day learning about current mammal conservation. All the talks were filmed and will slowly be appearing online in due course. Please can I draw your urgent attention to the enclosed form and the new data protection rules under the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), coming into force in May. So that we can continue to contact you with publications and newsletters, in the current way, please use the enclosed form or email direct to Gen.Broad@suffolk.gov.uk to give your consent to SNS holding your data. Further information can be found in our General Data Protection Policy on the website at www.sns.org.uk/pages/ gdpr.shtml. Editor:
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Ben Heather 28 Enville Way Highwoods, Colchester, CO4 9UF. whiteadmiralnewsletter@gmail.com 1
What’s on? Spring Members’ Evening & AGM 11th April 2018 | 7pm for 7:30pm Start Cedars Hotel, Needham Road, Stowmarket IP14 2AJ Agenda: • Apologies for absence • Minutes of the 88th Annual General Meeting • Chairman’s Report – Martin Sanford • Treasurer’s Report – Joan Hardingham • Secretary’s Report – Gen Broad • Any Other Business Following the conclusion of formal business and refreshments there will be a series of short presentations on natural history by members and projects funded by SNS including Arthur Rivett following up our recent mammal conference with trail camera footage of otters. If you have anything you would like to show please bring a PowerPoint or photos (jpgs) on a memory stick with you on the night. Also, SBIS will be bringing along a collection of British Wildlife back copy newsletters and other publications, all free to a good home. If you have spare natural history books that you’d like to exchange, or give away, do bring them along.
Drinks available from the pay bar on arrival and half-time refreshment break provided (tea and coffee). Suffolk Wildlife Trust - Hedgehog Workshops Saturday 2nd June 2018 10-11:30am Workshop: Hedgehogs and allotments Allotments can provide a brilliant range of habitats for hedgehogs and easy 2
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actions can ensure hazards to this well-loved prickly species are minimised. Join our hedgehog officer to learn about the needs of hedgehogs, and how allotment holders can help this declining species. Location: Lottie Shed, Whitton Allotments, Whitton Church Lane, Ipswich. Cost: Free, but spaces limited. Book online. Adult event. Friday 15th June 10-3pm Hedgehogs and development: a course for consultant ecologists A course for consultant ecologists, run by Senior Conservation Adviser Simone Bullion, and Hedgehog Officer, Ali North. Covers hedgehog ecology, threats and mitigation. Includes a field session to assess a theoretical development and the drafting of a mitigation plan for this species. Location: CRESS Pavilion, Halifax Road, IP2 8RE Cost: £50, book online.
Fantastic Fenland Bioblitz - Sunday 22nd July - 8am-8pm It’s now officially summer so join us for a bioblitz to celebrate the wonderful biodiversity of RSPB Lakenheath Fen. We will be moth trapping, bug hunting, birdwatching and bat detecting at various times of the day so come and see what we find. Other species will also be covered so we won’t be limited to the above activities! There may also be some surprises during the day! You can either make a long day of it or drop in for a while. Please keep an eye on the reserve blog to find out more about this event closer to the time. Adults £3, Children £1.50 (Non-members). RSPB Members free but there is a suggested donation of Adults £2.50, Children £1.25 to take part in the activities on the day. For more info contact David.White@rspb.org.uk.
Contributions to White Admiral Deadlines for copy are: 1st Feb (Spring issue), 1st June (Summer issue) and 1st Oct (Autumn issue) The opinions expressed in White Admiral are not necessarily those of the Editor or of the Suffolk Naturalists ’ Society.
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Autumn Members’ Evening 2017 - Reviewed by Gen Broad Thanks to our four excellent speakers, we had a varied and thought-provoking Autumn Members’ Evening on 29th November 2017. We travelled widely in the natural world, taking
in Suffolk bat surveying, Canadian Fen Orchids, relocation of the mysterious and hard to identify Tassel Stonewort in west Suffolk and mineral deposits found in a medieval church in Ipswich.
Arthur Rivett – Working for bats in Suffolk Arthur vividly described some of the bat surveys and monitoring across Suffolk in the summer of 2017. These surveys are essential to identifying distribution and population trends of all species, the more frequently seen ones such as the Common pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus and the less common ones such as Leisler’s bat Nyctalus leisleri. Suffolk Bat Group recorded nine bat species at Centre Parcs in Elveden Forest. The habitat is varied with woodland, waterways, pastures and hedgerows which, in turn, attract a variety of bats. Common pipistrelle, Brown longeared Plecotus auritus and Soprano Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pygmaeus are to be expected at most sites, but SBG members are always excited to record the very rare and endangered Barbastelle Barbastella barbastellus and the
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large Serotine bat Eptesicus serotinus, at its northern breeding limit in Suffolk. The lakes at Centre Parcs provide feeding sites for Daubenton’s bat Myotis daubentonii and other Myotis species, which can be hard to tell apart using bat detectors. The Group also recorded the rare Leisler’s bat. Most of the Suffolk records for this tree-dwelling species are within Thetford Forest and it occurs most frequently in the north west of the county. The largest number of bat species (10) were recorded at Captain’s Wood, a Suffolk Wildlife Trust reserve near Woodbridge comprising woodland, grassland and scrub. The rarer species recorded were Barbastelle, Leisler’s, Serotine and Noctule Nyctalus noctula, Britain’s largest bat. This is usually the first bat to appear in the evening, sometimes before sunset.
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Arthur compared the bats recorded in Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s Black Bourne Valley Nature reserve in Thurston (previously known as Grove Farm) in 2010 with 2017. In 2010, only four of the commoner species were recorded, but by August 2017, extensive enhancements
to the site meant that six species were recorded, including Barbastelle and Serotine. The 1983-2016 Suffolk Bat Distribution Atlas is available to download from the SBG website at w w w . su ffo l kw i ld l if e tru s t . o rg / suffolkbatgroup.
Tim Pankhurst - Fen orchid in western Canada Tim Pankhurst of Plantlife gave an enthusiastic and fascinating talk about his visit to western Canada in the summer of 2017 to research the ecology of the Fen orchid Liparis loeselii. The UK range of the plant has contracted to only three sites in the Norfolk Broads, north east of Norwich, and some White Admiral 99
dune slacks in South Wales. It was last recorded in Suffolk in 1975 in Thelnetham and there were other records in the 19th Century. The species grows in temperate zones across Europe and the continent of North America. The Fen orchid is on the IUCN threatened list and is legally protected throughout 5
Europe. Tim was investigating why the plant grows successfully in the Canadian fens without the human disturbance that ensured its survival in the UK until recently. His aim was to increase knowledge of the plant’s ecology and so provide information that would enable Plantlife to re-establish colonies in the UK throughout its previous range. The requirements of the species are short sward, very wet grassland, with high levels of calcium. It previously grew throughout the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads where there was extensive peat cutting which disturbed the habitat and prevented the fens drying out. The Fen Orchid is related to the Common Twayblade, and, like the 6
latter, is inconspicuous, blending extremely well with other plants. It has three to six, greenish-yellow, flowers and seldom grows taller than 25 cm. Tim’s trip coincided with the peak flowering time, between 14th and 30th June. The sites were west and east of the Rockies and moving between them was long and fraught with difficulties owing to mountain ranges and rivers according to Tim’s Travel Tales. Most of the sites were in British Columbia Mara Meadows, White Lake, Bush River, Columbia/Kicking Horse River confluence, Seymour Arm, Kinbasket Lake on the Columbia
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River and North Saskatchewan River, but he also visited Clyde Fen in Alberta.
from Suffolk! We look forward to welcoming Tim back to give a longer talk in the future.
Tim’s talk was sprinkled with stunning photographs of snowcapped mountains, bright blue skies, wide rivers, candid shots of snowy owls, buffalo and exotically coloured birds and plants. A far cry
Tim was sponsored by the Suffolk Naturalists’ Society, the Percy Sladen Memorial Fund, the Botanical Research Fund and a private sponsor.
Juliet Hawkins - Tassel stonewort translocation at the SWT ’s Black Bourn Valley Nature Reserve Juliet successfully applied for an SNS bursary (2012-2014) to study of how quickly Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species, including great crested newt, toad, grass snake and tassel stonewort, as well as aquatic invertebrates, colonised nine new, and several restored, ponds from existing ponds. This was followed up by further work on stoneworts. Tassel stonewort Tolypella intricata is found in the shallow water of pools, ditches and semi-permanent puddles that dry up in the summer. The species is declining nationally from its UK sites in Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Somerset. It appears sporadically, often remaining dormant and then colonising recently disturbed areas. The species is classed as Vulnerable as well as being a BAP (Priority) species. White Admiral 99
Records of Tassel stonewort in Suffolk are intermittent. About 1860 it was recorded in Bury St Edmunds by Charles Babington; it was found in the 1960s in a ditch in Mickfield by Francis Simpson; and then in the same ditch in 1998 by Nick Stewart. It was first seen by Juliet in 2011 at the Black Bourn Valley Reserve. Following a successful translocation of stonewort in Oxfordshire, Suffolk Wildlife Trust put in place a similar project. This involved identifying suitable receptor ponds, taking into account their water levels and access by cattle, and then adding a bucketful of clay and a thin layer of surface organic matter from a donor pond. By the end of 2013, the nine new ponds had been colonised by an average of 3.0 aquatic plant/algae/
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Experiment to help rare Tassel Stonewort at Grove Farm - Photo by Pete Case
stonewort species – mainly Delicate stonewort Chara virgata. However, on 24th May 2017, Juliet and Nick Stewart, the national stonewort recorder, found Tassel stonewort at Black Bourn Valley reserve. During their stonewort ‘fussocking’ expeditions at the reserve, they also found the Nationally Scarce Clustered stonewort Tolypella glomerata, Common stonewort Chara vulgaris, Delicate stonewort Chara virgata and Fragile stonewort Chara globularis. Thanks to the presence of the five species of stonewort, Black Bourn Valley Nature Reserve has been designated as an Important Stonewort Area. The document ‘Important Stonewort Areas - An assessment of the best sites for stoneworts in the United Kingdom’ can be found on the Plantlife website. 8
Juliet successfully applied for an SNS bursary (2012-2014) to study of how quickly Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species, including great crested newt, toad, grass snake and tassel stonewort, as well as aquatic invertebrates, colonised nine new, and several restored, ponds from existing ponds. This was followed up by further work on stoneworts.
Extracting clay and organic matter from the donor pond
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sto ne w o rt Tolypella intricata is found in the shallow Tas se l
water of pools, ditches and semipermanent puddles that dry up in the summer. The species is declining nationally from its UK sites in Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Somerset. It appears sporadically, often remaining dormant and then colonising recently disturbed areas. The species is classed as Vulnerable as well as being a BAP (Priority) species. Records of Tassel stonewort in Suffolk are intermittent. About 1860 it was recorded in Bury St Edmunds by Charles Babington; it was found in the 1960s in a ditch in Mickfield by Francis Simpson; and then in the same ditch in 1998 by Nick Stewart. It was first seen by Juliet in 2011 at the Black Bourn Valley Reserve. Following a successful translocation of stonewort in Oxfordshire, Suffolk Wildlife Trust put in place a similar project. This involved identifying suitable receptor ponds, taking into account their water
levels and access by cattle, and then adding a bucketful of clay and a thin layer of surface organic matter from a donor pond. By the end of 2013, the nine new ponds had been colonised by an average of 3.0 aquatic plant/algae/ stonewort species – mainly Delicate stonewort Chara virgata. However, on 24th May 2017, Juliet and Nick Stewart, the national stonewort recorder, found Tassel stonewort at Black Bourn Valley reserve. During their stonewort ‘fussocking’ expeditions at the reserve, they also found the Nationally Scarce Clustered stonewort Tolypella glomerata , Common stonewort Chara vulgaris, Delicate stonewort Chara virgata and Fragile stonewort Chara globularis. Thanks to the presence of the five species of stonewort, Black Bourn Valley Nature Reserve has been designated as an Important Stonewort Area. The document ‘Important Stonewort Areas - An assessment of the best sites for stoneworts in the United Kingdom’ can be found on the Plantlife website.
Bob Markham - New to Suffolk Bob gave a fascinating talk about ‘New to Suffolk’ records of minerals which have been found crystallising out of stonework in White Admiral 99
the medieval St Mary at the Quay church in Ipswich. The church has recently reopened as a heritage and well-being centre, thanks to a 9
St Mary at the Quay church in Ipswich
project run by the Churches Conservation Trust and the mental health charity Suffolk MIND. The church was built between about 1450 and 1550, possibly on the site of an earlier church and was damaged by bombing in 1942. Marked for demolition in the 1950s, it is now a Grade II listed building with a unique contribution to make to the people of Ipswich.
Salt water, biological materials and diesel fumes are the probable contributors to the chlorides, nitrates and sulphates of the salts, which rose up the pillars (in solution) from the ground before crystallising. The minerals identified were Halite (more commonly known as sodium chloride or rock salt); Carnallite; Thenardite; Aphthitalite; Blรถdite; Darapskite; and Niter (also known as saltpetre).
The Current Popularity of Nature Writing Anyone visiting the natural history section of a major bookseller such as Waterstones will quickly realise that natural history writing is popular. Our country has a long tradition of such work, from Beowulf and Chaucer to the poetry of Wordsworth, Keats, Shelley, 10
Hopkins and new ways of writing poetry about animals from D.H. Lawrence and Ted Hughes. Prose has kept pace, with Gilbert White, W.H. Hudson, Henry Williamson and Edward Thomas. More recently the list has included Robert Macfarlane and John Lister White Admiral 99
Kaye plus East Anglian writers such as Richard Mabey and Mark Cocker. I have omitted one writer, the Victorian naturalist Richard Jefferies, acknowledged to be our greatest writer about wildlife and countryside matters, being given top place in a ‘Guardian’ poll some years ago. His many books also include the childhood classic ‘Bevis’, the dystopian ‘After London’ and the mystical autobiography ‘The Story of My Heart’. My specific job on the national council of the Richard Jefferies Society is to produce a shortlist for the annual writing award in his name, currently worth £1000. Twenty-seven books, all first published in 2017, were submitted and the short list of five is a good indication of what is currently being published: A Sweet Wild Note by Richard Smyth pub. Elliott and Thompson using a rich but approachable style the author explores the nature and meaning of birdsong, including analysis of literary references. Beyond Spring by Matthew Oates pub. Fair Acre Press - a butterfly expert extends into the wider countryside with deliberate use of fairly short chapters and abundant literary references.
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The January Man by Christopher Somerville pub. Penguin - this is more of a walking journey than pure natural history but well written with excellent linking flashbacks to his relationship with his now deceased father. Waiting for The Albino Dunnock by R o s a mu nd R ic h ar d so n p u b . Weidenfeld and Nicholson overcoming a personal tragedy with the nature cure of ornithology, visiting many locations and covering a multitude of bird species with descriptions capturing the ‘jizz’ of each one. The Seabird’s Cry by Adam Nicholson pub. Collins - a superbly written account of many seabirds and their habitats, revealing new discoveries about feeding habits and migratory routes. Three of these are bird orientated but for those with a more specialised interest here are two more that just failed to make the short list: The Orchid Hunter by Leif Bersweden pub. Short Books - the author attempts to see every British orchid species in one year. Bee Quest by Dave Goulson pub. Cape - studying and conserving bee species under threat, at home and abroad. Richard Stewart
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Hoverflies, SBIS/SNS bursary - and a New Year Resolution
Eristalis Hoverfly by Ben Heather
I’m taking myself off to the one-day Introduction to Hoverflies course at Flatford Mill Field Studies Council on 2nd July, with the aid of a Suffolk Biodiversity Information Service/SNS bursary* that covers the cost of the non-residential day fee - and in return I shall need to submit 50 hoverfly records by the end of September. I’m not a hoverfly expert and don’t expect to become one overnight but in 2017, whilst studying a lovely marshfringed farmland pond in Felsham, I was overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of different species feeding on the large area of water 12
mint and adjacent flowery margins.
species-rich
I knew that rat-tailed maggot larvae living in ponds metamorphosed into hoverflies but never really took the time or felt able to identify to hoverflies to species. However, the sheer abundance on a sunny day in August of hundreds of different hoverflies compelled me to take photographs and some specimens home. I surprised myself at being able to confidently key out seven of Britain’s 480 species that I’d taken home using the very user-friendly ‘Britain’s Hoverflies: An introduction to the White Admiral 99
hoverflies of Britain by Stuart Ball and Roger Morris (2013)’ and backed up by the older, equally wonderful but different, ‘British Hoverflies: An Illustrated identification guide by Alan E Stubbs and Steven J Falk (1983)’. None of the batman, furry, dronefly, tiger, lesser hornet and marsh hoverflies are rare but I’m sure all
are under-recorded. So my New Year’s Resolution was to go forth, get better equipped in July to tackle the identification of a few more hoverflies in 2018. The terms of the bursary will be the necessary (and very fair) incentive and deadline for submitting the records! Juliet Hawkins
*The Suffolk Biodiversity Information Service and Suffolk Naturalists Society offer bursaries to support individuals who wish to attend some of the Natural History courses offered at the Field Studies Council’s Flatford Mill Field Study Centre. These courses will provide people with the skills and experience to identify and record Suffolk wildlife. The bursary will provide for up to 100% of the non -residential fees for courses though Successful applicants will still need to pay for any accommodation booked at FSC Flatford Mill or nearby B&B if they require accommodation for the duration of the course. Check out the eligible courses in 2018 and how to apply for a bursary at http:// www.sns.org.uk/pages/bursary -f.shtml
Turtle Dove Surveyors Needed Across Suffolk The Turtle Dove is the UK’s fastest declining bird species, the population having declined by 94% since 1995. The breeding range has also halved and the species is now largely only found in the East and South East of England. With support from volunteers we aim to carry out annual co-ordinated surveys in Suffolk to monitor
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changes in abundance and associated habitat in turtle dove hotspot areas. The information gathered will help improve understanding of the breeding ecology of these charismatic birds and help the RSPB to implement conservation actions to improve Turtle dove productivity.
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5) Able to organise own travel to and from survey tetrad. 6) Ability to keep data confidential. What’s in it for you?
2) Able to walk two 1000m transects across 1km grid square over public footpaths and possibly rough ground.
A chance to assist the RSPB with high priority work. Good opportunity to improve bird identification skills, increase knowledge of farmland bird ecology and learn more about Turtle Dove ecology. Some training may be available and support is given throughout the survey season. The RSPB is an active and exciting conservation charity, the largest in Europe! We can help you gain skills and give you a valuable insight into our work.
3) Able to read large-scale maps.
Katy Froud
Skills needed: 1) Able to identify turtle doves and common bird species, especially farmland birds by sight and sound.
4) Commit to 2 early morning surveys between early May and late July. Find out more at https://www.rspb.org.uk/get -involved/volunteeringfundraising/volunteer/volunteer -opportunities/opportunities/7976/ #RyH5SRbiEgJuCIBu.99
Goneplax rhomboides (L., 1758) the Angular Crab in Suffolk: An Update In the SBIS Spring 2017 Newsletter (p.2) my discovery of the carapace of an angular crab (Goneplax rhomboides) (Fig.1) at Sizewell in February 2017 was reported, according to the NBN 14
website, a new species for Suffolk. Since that time I have done a little research on this colourful species and discovered that, until quite recently, this crab was considered
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to be a species with a north-east Atlantic and Mediterranean distribution.
distributed North Sea sites had been found, indicating that the species is now well established.
Neumann et al. (2010) mention single records from the Dogger Bank in 1998 and from Smiths Knoll, off Yarmouth, in 2000 and concluded that no sustainable population existed in the North Sea. Further south, Watts and Skinner (2004) reported the species from the Thames Estuary off Essex. However, Neumann et al go on to state that in 2008/9, 82 individuals from 22 widely
Since my initial discovery I have found the characteristic reddish, elongated forelimbs (Fig.2) on the strandlines at Thorpeness (TM474597, 12.i.2018), Bawdsey Ferry (TM331375, 31.i.2018) and at Sizewell (TM476631, 14.ii.2018), but so far an entire specimen has eluded me!
Fig. 1
Jerry Bowdrey
Fig. 2
References: Neumann, H. et al. (2010)Establishment of the angular crab Goneplax rhomboides (Linnaeus, 1758) (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura) in the Southern North Sea. www.aquaticinvasions.net/2010/Supplement/ A1_2010_5_S1 Watts, L.E. and Skinner, J.F. 2004. Sea life of the Essex coast . Southend -on-Sea Borough Council. (Southend Museums Handbook No.23). p.28.
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Training Courses for Wildlife Educators I am trying to establish if there is interest and support within SNS to help set up a programme of courses for wildlife educators of children of primary school age. There are many people engaging children in the natural world – running Ecoschools, Forest Schools and wildlife charity clubs, who would welcome more in-depth knowledge about wildlife and how the natural world works. This would complement SNS’s work raising the profile of recording and encouraging the next generation of recorders. It is apparently not ‘cool’ among older children to stand out from their peers in having anything resembling academic knowledge. This is probably a reaction of the overwhelming amount of ‘stuff’ there is to know about leading to a ‘lowest common denominator’ tr en d and a r e treat in to ‘acceptable’ interests such as social media and digital games. This pressure does not exert itself on younger children who are, till the age of about 10, eager to learn and relatively unprejudiced about almost anything presented to them, particularly wildlife. The opportunity can be taken to impart ‘the knowledge’ and provide the basic grounding in understanding of how the world works that will 16
hopefully lie latent and emerge later in life once the teenage years have passed. It is envisaged that these training courses, closely linked to Suffolk Wildlife Trust, would build on the already extensive skills and enthusiasm wildlife educators have and provide the extra knowledge so they can guide and enthuse children with confidence and encouraging them to understand the natural world more thoroughly. This hopefully will result in new experts in natural history emerging; after all – all experts start as complete novices. The aim, when they have finished the course/workshop/conference, is that participants should: •
have a good concept of the basic principles of how the natural world functions and basic species identification
•
know what resources are available and build a collection of artefacts
•
know how to get concepts over to children at the right level and develop their own ways of doing this
•
and for school teachers – there is a direct link with the National Curriculum.
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It is envisaged that this could be achieved through a series of workshops or a conference. How you could help: Share your experience of working with children. Providing basic fact sheets on your area of expertise - birds, fungi, plants, pond life, invertebrates, Suffolk geology etc., no matter how specialised, which can be used to develop worksheets, including an overview of the group, taxonomy simple keys, associated life cycles and habitats. Some of this information will be readily available through your national organisation but needs a Suffolk emphasis. Delivering a workshop/conference session
There is broad agreement, backed by scientific studies, that the
natural world – that is our world - is in crisis. Degrading natural habitats and plummeting numbers of birds, invertebrates and other groups has accelerated exponentially in the last 20 years and our health and even our sanity will be compromised by this. SNS can play a small part by helping to spread knowledge and appreciation of wildlife which is needed to reverse this trend.
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad. Knowledge is only really useful if you use it, and this should be the aim throughout. If you can assist with suggestions, contacts, as a trainer or to be involved in anyway please contact: Joan Hardingham
jfh@aldercarrfarm.co.uk
Pliocene Forest Open Day GeoSuffolk is opening its Pliocene Forest to the public this summer as part of the Sutton Open Gardens Event. Created in the Geological SSSI at Rockhall Wood to promote Suffolk’s unique Coralline Crag fossil pollen record, the ‘forest’ is eight years old and a source of inspiration for tree-lovers and palaeontologists alike. It delivers a strong narrative on the Pliocene ‘paradise’ – lost to Suffolk with the onset of colder conditions during the Pleistocene. The fossil pollen indicates only genera, but all are extant and Barry Hall has sourced a rich variety of species and cultivars from around the globe to populate our ‘forest’. The Sutton Open Gardens Event will be held on Sunday 10 June from 12 noon until 5pm to raise funds for the Memorial Hall and Church. Rockhall Wood SSSI is privately owned, so this is a good opportunity to see the Pliocene Forest, with a chance to view the adjoining Coralline Crag exposure. White Admiral 99
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Our Swifts will be back with us in early May - to the news that they are now formally ‘Endangered’ as a UK breeding bird. Please can SNS members continue to contribute to the ongoing Suffolk Swift Survey by recording as many records as possible of screaming parties, actual nest sites in buildings and any nest boxes that have been installed on buildings. Please don’t assume that someone else has made a report of any of these - we
would rather have duplicate records than none at all! Records of places where there used to be screaming parties or actual nest sites, but these are no longer evident, can be highlighted in the ‘Comments’ boxes of the SOS Swift Survey form. Visit http://www.suffolkbis.org.uk/swift to add your records. Many thanks, Edward Jackson for SOS Swifts
Image by Bill Baston
Suffolk Swift Survey
A Correction: SNH Vol.53 - Trichoptera of Suffolk In the latest Suffolk Natural History Transactions (Vol.53|Page 64) an error was made whereby Adrian Chalkley's piece on ‘The Trichoptera of Suffolk’ included the wrong list of ‘species in Suffolk’. The corrected version follows...
The Suffolk list of Trichoptera Comprising 104 species, those marked : ➢ are in need of further records, indicates the 34 species which have been added since Morley made his collection, shows 5 species recorded by Morley which have not been recorded since
Adicella reducta: (Leptoceridae) Agapetus fuscipes: (Glossosomatidae) Agraylea multipunctata: (Hydroptilidae) Agraylea sexmaculata: (Hydroptilidae) Agrypnia pagetana: (Phryganeidae) Agrypnia varia: (Phryganeidae) Anabolia brevipennis: (Limnephilidae) Anabolia nervosa: (Limnephilidae) ➢ Apatania muliebris: (Apataniidae) Athripsodes albifrons: (Leptoceridae) Athripsodes aterrimus: (Leptoceridae) Athripsodes cinereus: (Leptoceridae) 18
Beraea maurus : (Beraeidae) Beraea pullata: (Beraeidae) Beraeodes minutus: (Beraeidae) Brachycentrus subnubilus: (Brachycentridae) ➢ Ceraclea albimacula: (Leptoceridae) ➢ Ceraclea dissimilis: (Leptoceridae) ➢ Ceraclea fulva: (Leptoceridae) Ceraclea nigronervosa: (Leptoceridae) Ceraclea senilis: (Leptoceridae ) Chaetopteryx villosa: (Limnephilidae) Crunoecia irrorata: (Lepidostomatidae)
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Cyrnus flavidus: (Polycentropodidae) Cyrnus trimaculatus: (Polycentropodidae) Ecnomus tenellus: (Ecnomidae) Glyphotaelius pellucidus : (Limnephilidae ) Goera pilosa: (Goeridae) Grammotaulius nigropunctatus: (Limnephilidae) Grammotaulius nitidus: (Limnephilidae) Halesus digitatus: (Limnephilidae ) Halesus radiatus: (Limnephilidae) ➢ Holocentropus dubius: (Polycentropodidae) Holocentropus picicornis: (Polycentropodidae) Holocentropus stagnalis: (Polycentropodidae) Hydropsyche angustipennis: (Hydropsychidae) ➢ Hydropsyche contubernalis: (Hydropsychidae) Hydropsyche instabilis: (Hydropsychidae) Hydropsyche pellucidula: (Hydropsychidae) Hydropsyche saxonica: (Hydropsychidae) Hydropsyche siltalai: (Hydropsychidae) Hydroptila cornuta: (Hydroptilidae ) Hydroptila forcipata : (Hydroptilidae) Hydroptila sparsa: (Hydroptilidae) Ironoquia dubia: (Limnephilidae) Ithytrichia lamellaris: (Hydroptilidae) Lepidostoma hirtum: (Lepidostomatidae) Leptocerus lusitanicus: (Leptoceridae) Leptocerus tineiformis: (Leptoceridae) Limnephilus affinis: (Limnephilidae ) Limnephilus auricula: (Limnephilidae) Limnephilus binotatus: (Limnephilidae) Limnephilus bipunctatus: (Limnephilidae) Limnephilus centralis: (Limnephilidae) Limnephilus decipiens: (Limnephilidae) Limnephilus extricatus: (Limnephilidae) Limnephilus flavicornis : (Limnephilidae) Limnephilus griseus: (Limnephilidae) Limnephilus hirsutus: (Limnephilidae) Limnephilus incisus : (Limnephilidae) Limnephilus lunatus: (Limnephilidae ) Limnephilus luridus: (Limnephilidae) Limnephilus marmoratus: (Limnephilidae )
Limnephilus nigriceps: (Limnephilidae) ➢ Limnephilus pati: (Limnephilidae) Limnephilus politus: (Limnephilidae) Limnephilus rhombicus : (Limnephilidae) Limnephilus sparsus: (Limnephilidae) ➢ Limnephilus tauricus: (Limnephilidae) Limnephilus vittatus: (Limnephilidae) Lype phaeopa: (Psychomyiidae) Lype reducta: (Psychomyiidae ) Micropterna lateralis: (Limnephilidae) Micropterna sequax: (Limnephilidae) Molanna angustata: (Molannidae) Mystacides azurea: (Leptoceridae) Mystacides longicornis: (Leptoceridae) Mystacides nigra: (Leptoceridae ) Neureclipsis bimaculata: (Polycentropodidae) Notidobia ciliaris: (Sericostomatidae) ➢ Odontocerum albicorne: (Odontoceridae ) Oecetis furva: (Leptoceridae) Oecetis lacustris: (Leptoceridae) Oecetis ochracea: (Leptoceridae) Orthotrichia costalis: (Hydroptilidae) Oxyethira flavicornis: (Hydroptilidae ) Oxyethira simplex: (Hydroptilidae) Phryganea bipunctata: (Phryganeidae) Phryganea grandis : (Phryganeidae) Plectrocnemia conspersa: (Polycentropodidae) Polycentropus flavomaculatus: (Polycentropodidae ) Potamophylax latipennis: (Limnephilidae) Potamophylax rotundipennis : (Limnephilidae) Rhyacophila dorsalis: (Rhyacophilidae ) Sericostoma personatum: (Sericostomatidae) Silo pallipes: (Goeridae) Stenophylax permistus: (Limnephilidae) ➢ Tinodes assimilis: (Psychomyiidae) ➢ Tinodes unicolor: (Psychomyiidae) Tinodes waeneri: (Psychomyiidae) Triaenodes bicolor: (Leptoceridae) Trichostegia minor: (Phryganeidae) ➢ Wormaldia subnigra: (Philopotamidae) Ylodes reuteri: (Leptoceridae )
Calling for Butterfly Recorders for Local Farmland Surveys In 2017 Butterfly Conservation in Suffolk teamed up with Suffolk Wildlife Trust (SWT) for a very White Admiral 99
successful farm butterfly survey we hope the first of many. Wendy Cooper, a BC member volunteer, 19
was asked by SWT to carry out a systematic survey over two transects on John Pawsey’s organic Shimpling Park Farm near Lavenham - as part of a larger programme of surveys being undertaken including birds, dragonflies, amphibians and plants - so that he can see how butterflies, amongst other taxonomic groups, fare under his organic regime. SWT provided the maps, the insurance for Wendy as a volunteer, and introduced her to the farm with a brief. Wendy walked the two transects (fixed routes) once a month from April to September and submitted the records with some comments to SWT’s farm conservation adviser Juliet Hawkins, who then drafted a report on the findings and some management recommendations to John. It was a great outcome for all - Wendy enjoyed recording over 20 butterfly species and having focussed access over local countryside (and will undoubtedly return), John established what he had and how he could improve management even more, and SWT was pleased to ensure advisory recommendations had a good evidence base. And in 10 years time the replicable transect can be repeated and we can all see what has changed. Following the success of this first little pilot partnership, BC and SWT are keen to extend this to 20
other interested farms where local butterfly enthusiasts might enjoy walking transects through different habitats, monthly on nice sunny days from April to September, and submitting their records to the landowner via SWT. For the enthusiast this provides a good opportunity for someone who wants to get out and about and explore butterfly patches they haven’t been on before, and for the landowner they get some meaningful records in return! However, we do appreciate that it is a regular commitment and not for the fainthearted! New requests to survey come in all over Suffolk and where we know we have offers to survey, we can offer volunteers. In 2018, we are especially seeking help with several SWT projects: North-east Suffolk where SWT is working with a re-wilding project on a large estate will see positive management changes for wildlife and baseline survey information would be very valuable. Rougham where the aims of the charitable Rougham Estate Trust is to improve wildlife conservation and again SWT is co-ordinating surveys that measure the changes following more sympathetic management such as in the ancient woodland. Bramfield Parish where SWT is working with three sympathetic White Admiral 99
farmers who want to work together to ensure their conservation efforts are more ‘joined up’ and well connected and where SWT wants to make a case study of the efforts. Stour Valley where SWT is working with a group of farmers linked to SWT Arger Fen Nature Reserve near Assington to reconnect habitats and strengthen corridors for wildlife. So if you live near the above areas and are interested in taking on a farm transect or two, or if you live elsewhere and are interested in getting involved locally to you, then please contact Rob Parker at robparker@waitrose.com to register your interest. We will be able to give you more information about
which farms are participating, and how to set up your transect walk. The idea is to use the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme methodology, although there is no requirement to register these walks or to use the online recording scheme. The Suffolk recording scheme will of course receive your records, and you will benefit from access to interesting habitat on privately owned farmland. Ideally, we need half a dozen established recorders who are confident with their identifications. Rob Parker, Conservation Officer (Butterflies) & Juliet Hawkins, SWT Conservation Advisor.
Book Review - Britain’s Mammals: A field guide to the mammals of Britain and Ireland by Dominic Couzens, Andy Swash, Robert Still and Jon Dunn (Princetown University Press, 2017).
This is a beautifully illustrated and comprehensive guide to finding and identifying the mammals of Britain and Ireland. It includes the native terrestrial mammals, marine mammals recorded in the wild and introduced species, such as rednecked wallaby, which have bred
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in the wild in the last 50 years.
The format of the book has been carefully crafted, introducing the reader to the biology and life-cycle of mammals and their history in B r i t a i n a n d I re l a nd f r o m prehistoric times through to the changes of the 21st century. A section on taxonomy explains the
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agement for the reader to record their sightings and submit them to their local Biological Records Centre or to one of the online sites, such as iRecord. This would be a useful addition to the section in view of the relatively small amount of mammal recording when compared to groups like birds.
names and scientific classification system and is refreshingly clear and easy to understand. This is followed by a very useful overview of types of mammal by Order and Family. The text is thoroughly readable and full of fascinating up to date information. The Watching Mammals section encourages readers to go mammal watching and contains common sense tips on where to go, what equipment to use (including camera traps) and what the different times of year have to offer. This is followed by a wellillustrated section on tracks and signs, including guidelines on good practice and licence requirements. Unfortunately, there is no encour22
The species accounts are full of information, each one at least two pages long, and include high definition photographs which illustrate key identification features mentioned in the text. The sounds of the mammal are described, together with what to look for in the field, such as the patterns of tracks, and the colour, shape and size of droppings. The reader can learn about the type of habitat in which each species lives; the food it eats; and its habits, for example whether it is active during the day or the night and whether it hibernates. The species’ breeding behaviours are described and current population estimates given, together with conservation status and any legal protection. The “where to look/observation tips” highlighted box is extremely useful, as are the distribution maps. There is a dedicated section about bats with useful tips on how to identify species by sight, sounds and droppings. This contains an excellent step-by-step key to the 17 White Admiral 99
resident bat species of Britain and Ireland. There is a valuable section summarising Status and Legislation at the end of the book. This explains conservation designations and briefly outlines mammal legislation. The section includes a table listing all the mammal species recorded in Britain and Ireland in modern times with a summary of their status and legislative
protection status. This is a ‘first’ for a popular book and a useful reference feature. The book manages to pack a wealth of useful information into a handbook which is small enough to be easily used in the field. It is an invaluable guide to the UK’s mammals and a delight to read. Gen Broad
Shaken but not Stirred
When on the road, I am always worried about some bird or animal crossing the road at the wrong time. I have had lots of close shaves, as I am certain you have. Once one evening a roe deer had already started to cross the road when seeing us approach, our headlights on full beam, decided to turn back just in time. We would
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have definitely hit it full on if it had continued. A lucky escape. Pigeons and doves have an awful habit of staying put until the last minute and pheasants are mindless when crossing the road. But then there are also smaller birds, blackbirds, robins, sparrows, wrens who are adept at the act of ‘harakiri’ but no doubt their actions are purely incidental. One tries to take care by slowing down in time but occasionally it is just too late. I was overcome by dread when on this occasion one morning going along the Straight Road in East Bergholt, a small bird took off from the hedge on the left when we were no more than a couple of yards away and simply too late for an 23
emergency stop. It came across and then just disappeared in front of us. And since we didn’t hear anything hitting the car, we assumed that miraculously it had gone under the car and out the other side and away. However, that wasn’t true because as I slowed down and looked at my rear -view mirror, I actually glimpsed some small thing on the road. To all intent and purpose, dead. We stopped, parked the car on the verge and walked back to investigate. And sure enough, confronting us on the road was a blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) – quiet and still. ‘It has had it’, I said, feeling somewhat rotten and remorseful. To do the decent thing (we didn’t want it to be squashed by an oncoming car), I gently picked it up to put it under the hedge. I cupped it in my hand and looked at its beautiful markings. The courteous yellow of the underparts marked with a central narrow nearly black stripe gave it a te n d e r an d af f e c tio n a te appearance. The fresh blue ‘skullcap’ appeared a bit dull (was it a female, I wondered?) on an otherwise strong ‘highwayman’ head pattern of a distinctive offblack eye-stripe, a thin scarf-like collar and comparatively speaking a somewhat wide bib. The greyish-
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blue mantle with a tinge of yellow gently merged into the celestial blue of the wings. A white wing-bar was visible, greater coverts a brighter blue. The blue tail rested squarely on my palm. The bird was still warm. As the lower part of my third finger touched its chest, I felt a throbbing and an amazing truth dawned on me, ‘it’s alive’, I said, ‘alive’, as I felt the rapid heartbeat (and I am not talking about mine!). Suddenly, the bird, so small in my hand, shuddered as if coming out of a trance. The eyes blinked once and then again before they opened wide, looking straight into mine. A few seconds of wonderment went by before the blue tit rose to its feet and jumped to leave the protection of my hand onto the hedge on my right. Still looking a bit shaky, it turned to face us but not yet showing its characteristic lively disposition. I also had enough time to take one shot (see picture) but that was all I was going to get. It fleeted a couple of times like an athlete getting ready for a race and it was away, up up and away. A sigh of relief and a heart-warming delight overcame us totally. ‘A pure encounter of the third kind,’ I said.
C’est la vie! Rasik Bhadresa
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The lichens of Brandon Country Park, Suffolk (Part 1) Brandon Country Park is covered by a tetrad of 4 1km squares and abuts a portion of Brandon Park which is open heathland rich with Cladonia species and bounded by pine forest, virtually all in TL7784. In 1996 a very limited look was undertaken and in the following summer, a much more detailed Table 1 shows the species that were recorded during the initial surveys. Either field records or herbarium determinations 1996
Hypogymnia physodes Lecanora chlarotera Lecanora dispersa Lepraria incana
white poplar, walled garden white poplar, walled garden L. hagenii on oak, redet 2018 white poplar, walled garden
In 2017, a Bioblitz of the area was organised and as the author was not able to attend at that time, but with the cooperation of the White Admiral 99
visit was made involving the edges of woodland and free-standing trees, pine stumps, the mausoleum and the walled garden. At the time it was thought that in the dark forest beyond the carpark there would not be any lichens, which are basically light loving organisms, but Table 1 belies this fact. 1997
Anisomeridium nyssaegenum Athelia arachnoidea Baeomyces rufus Caloplaca citrina agg. Candelariella reflexa Chaenotheca ferruginea Cladonia fimbriata Cladonia subulata Collema crispum Dimerella pineti Diploicia canescens Evernia prunastri Gyalideopsis anastomosans Hypogymnia physodes Intralichen lichenum Lecania erysibe f. sorediata Lecania hutchinsiae Lecanora albescens Lecanora campestris Lecanora conferta Lecanora expallens Lepraria incana Lepraria lesdainii Lepraria lobificans Leproloma vouauxii Leproplaca chrysodeta Mycoporum quercus Parmelia caperata Parmelia subaurifera Parmelia sulcata Placynthiella dasaea Placynthiella icmalea Platismatia glauca Porina chlorotica Psilolechia lucida Ramalina farinacea Usnea subfloridana Verrucaria nigrescens f. sorediata Verrucaria viridula
sycamore in shade algae on sycamore south wall of mausoleum base sunny south wall of mausoleum white poplar, walled garden bole of purple sycamore pine stump pine stump on the ground oak flint of mausoleum sycamore crotch of oak branch branch of oak by gate, Betula on L. albescens on mortar shady wall of mausoleum breich of mausoleum wall wall of mausoleum east wall of mausoleum north wall of mausoleum oak branches Betula sp., many trees in woods under basic ledge of mausoleum sycamore in shade mortar north wall of mausoleum shady north wall of mausoleum hazel at edge of wood complex white poplar walled garden oak branches branch of purple sycamore fallen pine branch oak branch of purple sycamore P. aenea on Cotoneaster - shady shady north wall of mausoleum oak tree near lake, coll. Chris Rolfe south wall of mausoleum northeast butress of mausoleum
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Table 2 shows the lichens encountered during the first of three recent visits to the site, as field records.
Amandinea punctata Arthonia punctiformis Arthonia radiata Caloplaca limonia Candelariella vitellina Hypogymnia physodes Lecanora albescens Lecanora chlatotera Lecanora expallens Lecanora symmicta Lecidella elaeochroma Lepraria incana Lepraria lobificans Melanelixia subaurifera Parmelia sulcata Parmotrema perlata Physcia adscendens Physcia aipolia Physcia tenella Syzygospora physciacearum Xanthoria parietina Xanthoria polycarpa
apple, Orchard car park apple, Orchard car park apple, Orchard car park mortar, walled garden beer table, walled garden well roof in walled gaarden cement of well, walled garden norway maple. car park notice board, walled garden apple, Orchard car park tall old apple, Orchard car park beech opposite House tree stump apple, Orchard car park oak, Orchard car park apple, Orchard car park norway maple, car park apple, Orchard car park apple, Orchard car park on Physcia adscendens apple, Orchard car park apple, Orchard car park
warden, subsequent trips were made available to the site. This involved walking deeper into the woodland of the Country Park and locating the lichen heath in Brandon Park.
of the visitor centre could have provided some interest and it was thought that the large whitish discs of growth present were Lecanora campestris, but this was not confirmed.
At the time when recording was being carried out, it was not realised that the heath lay outside the country park area and this fact only came to light when talking to the warden at the end of the first day, as the maps of the area provided, were slightly confusing for critical work and the heathland data has been omitted from this survey report.
Initially the walled garden was looked at, to see what saxicolous (stone loving) lichens were present, also the wood round the notice board in the garden, beer table and the wooden shingles on the south side of the roof over the “well� as they were covered with lichens, though not the north side (this structure was rather unstable, see later).
Most of the first day concentrated on the country park itself. The roof
In the main carpark, the line of Norway maples (Acer platanoides)
Images top right: Thallus of Physcia adscendens supporting the lichenicolous fungus Syzygospora physciacearum on a planted apple by Orchard car park, Brandon Country Park.
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dividing it in half, had several small thalli present, as the trees there were considerably enlightened from the west. Some minute samples were collected for analysis later. Other trees around the visitor centre in the vicinity were looked at but were all too dark to support any lichens.
elements present. A youngish freestanding oak by the entrance also had several small thalli on the bole, and the canopy branches were well covered with grey Parmelioid species but were too high for a determination at this time and one would have needed a ladder to reach them.
Further afield in the picnic area by the Orchard car park, there was a small planted apple tree about 2 metres high and it was well covered with lichens, since the bark of apples is base rich and not acidic, a good list was produced from it with some interesting finds. Trees brought in and planted may well come from areas where the air is pure and if conditions are favourable enough, the lichens may be still able to survive.
Following the time spent on the heath, beside the path leading to the visitor centre, the mausoleum was discovered and a tour round it was made, but it was very poor for lichens with only two species encountered. Then nearer to the visitor centre, the overgrown lake came into view at the bottom of the massive lawns, west of the house and bordered on either side by silver leaved atlantic cedars (Cedrus atlantica).
Other trees in the picnic area were poorly covered and only had only a few species, though the one nearest to the carparking area with very shiny leaves had Xanthorion
Dr. C. J. B. Hitch
To be continued in White Admiral 100...
A new record of the rare caddis fly Limnephilus tauricus in Suffolk In the recent copy of Suffolk Natural History 2017, Vol. 53 I wrote an article “ The Trichoptera of Suffolk: The Morley Collection and Post Morley Records�. As always with a large review of any White Admiral 99
natural history records one expects the contents to eventually become out of date, but in this case important new information came to light within a month of submitting the article. 27
Limnephilus tauricus
Caddis flies are often attracted to light, just like moths, and Raymond Watson who not only operates his own moth trap but takes the time and trouble to identify and submit records of the Trichoptera caught wherever he takes it. In the yearly list he sent me one species stood out from the others, namely Limnephilus tauricus. This species has only been recorded twice in Suffolk, both times at Redgrave in 1915 and as the specimens are not in the Morley Collection there was some doubt surrounding the records. This used to be a Red Data Book species and the current IUCN status is Vulnerable. The latest review by Ian Wallace, the National Recorder, states that lack
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of knowledge of the larval biology makes identification of the larva very difficult. However adult identification is possible providing the genitalia can be dissected. The few sites where this species has occurred, or which are worth searching, all have high conservation status. Raymond’s record is then an imp o rt an t o ne fo r Ca dd is recording, not only in Suffolk but in the UK as a whole. He dissected the abdomen and his photograph shown here shows the distinctive genitalia mounted on a microscope slide. Because of the importance of the species he wishes to withhold the location but his photograph has been verified by Ian Wallace and Peter Barnard, who wrote the key
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to adults, and the details have been passed to both SBIS and the national Trichoptera recording scheme.
Adrian Chalkley, County Freshwater Invertebrate Recorder
An Unusual Christmas Decoration About 50 spiderlings hatched from amongst the ivy and fir cones on our angel chimes table decoration and swathed the cherub in silk! The way they extended this onto nearby candles was fascinating to watch as together they formed a
communal web. Unfortunately, as they were not welcome on the dinner table (and with the lack of suitable feeding material) no further study was possible. Joan Hardingham
Whatever next … Dancing Wax Caps! Well not quite, but there is a very pretty pink Wax Cap fungus called the Ballerina Wax Cap (Hyrgocybe calyptriformis var. calyptriformis) and this has recently been found White Admiral 99
growing on the lush green slopes ‘somewhere’ in the Stour Valley and is the first confirmed sighting for Suffolk. The name Ballerina comes from its similarity to a 29
flared/curled ballerina’s dress.
The fungus is not really rare as such but is a BAP flagship species used to highlight the importance of preserving traditional grassland meadows which have not been ploughed up, re-seeded, or ‘improved’ in anyway, such as the addition of nitrogen fertilisers or the dreaded slurry. Thankfully, the lady who found it (Angela Norton) is an experienced “organic, self-sufficient farmer for the past 4 years” and for many more years has been an ecologist with the SWT, RSPB and presently with the Essex Wildlife Trust. So, in summary, proof that conservation sheep grazing works. In other news I would like to mention the finding of what I estimate to be well over 1,000 tiny Earthstar fungi discovered growing inside the Anglia Water Sewage Treatment compound next to Needham Lakes when a line of Leyland Cypress trees were felled recently. The earthstars were the
Ballerina Wax Cap - Identification made by Hawk Honey
seldom seen Daisy Earthstars (Geastrum floriforme) and were spotted by Anne & Dennis Kell who have permission to do bird ringing on the site.
G.floriforme seems to like growing under conifers feeding on all the dead debris which falls to the ground. When conditions are dry the rays of the earthstar curl up around the inner spore-sac to protect it, but when rain arrives the rays open up again to allow spores to be dispersed. Neil Mahler
Some Suffolk Clerical Aurelians The Society of Aurelians seems to have come into existence in London sometime between 1720 and 1742 (Salmon, 2000). The term ‘aurelian’ was applied to both butterflies and to the collectors of these insects. 30
The word comes from aureolus, Latin for gold, or golden, and is based on the golden colour of some of the pupae or chrysalises of some butterflies. The Society was apparently the first society White Admiral 99
‘It is with John Ray that the adventure of modern science begins’ (Raven, 1942, 1986). Ray (1627-1705) was born, and died, at Black Notley in Essex, but travelled widely in Britain and Europe. For a while he held a fellowship – he had been ordained as a Church of England priest in December 1660 - at Trinity College Cambridge, but forfeited the fellowship in 1662, following the Restoration, as he refused to comply with the Act of Uniformity. Shortly after this he worked for some months as a tutor at Friston, near Leiston, in the heart of the Suffolk Sandlings region: he no doubt studied the natural history of the nearby countryside. Primarily a botanist, but a great polymath, his History of Insects was published posthumously (in 1710). This contained one of the first attempts at a classification of
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butterflies and moths. He included the caterpillars and pupae of some species separately - the metamorphosis of insects had not then been fully documented. In The Wisdom of God (1691), perhaps his most important work, and one that includes early ecological ideas, he outlined the doctrine that later became known as Natural Theology: the notion that and understanding of the beauty and complexity of the living world can give an insight into the nature of the Creator. John Ray clearly loved butterflies and saw them as illustrating his ideas: “You ask what is the use of butterflies? I reply to adorn the world and delight the eyes of men; to brighten the countryside like so many golden jewels. To contemplate their exquisite beauty and variety is to experience the truest pleasure. To gaze
John Ray (1627-1705)
dedicated to entomology ever formed anywhere, and clergy were involved from an early stage. Often the field of enquiry of these early collectors and naturalists expanded to include the other branch of the Lepidoptera, the moths. The County of Suffolk, with its neighbour Essex, for many decades, seems to have been one of the areas of the country most intensely studied and collected.
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William Kirby (1759-1850)
enquiringly at such elegance of colour and f o r m designed by t h e ingenuity of nature and painted by her artist’ pencil, is to acknowledge and adore the imprint of the art of God.” (Raven’s translation from the original Latin.) It is recorded that Ray’s teenage daughters assisted in the collection of insects: so often family members of naturalists assisted greatly and go unremembered!
The philosophical outlook of William Kirby (1759-1850), rather over a century later, seems to have been rather similar (Armstrong, 2000, 2015). He was born at Witnesham, Suffolk, and studied at Ipswich School, not far distant, whence he proceeded to Caius College, Cambridge, where he graduated in 1781. He was ordained in 1782, and spent his entire working life in the country parish of Barham in Suffolk. He was there for 68 years, first as curate, and then as rector from 1797. He is often regarded as the true ‘Father of Entomology’, on account of his Introduction to 32
Entomology (first edition, 1810), which amongst much else, emphasises economic entomology, and insect behavior. By this time much more was understood about the metamorphosis of insects, including Lepidoptera: “Butterflies [and] moths … are in their pupa state … enclosed in a membraneous envelope; but their legs, antennae and wings, are closely folded over the breast and the sides; and the whole body enclosed in a common case or covering of a substance of a more horny consistence, which admits of a much less distinct view of the organs beneath it. …[T]hese pupae are often tinged of a golden colour…” (Kirby and Spence, 6th edition, 1857, p. 34) Kirby’s book was highly influential – a copy accompanied Charles Darwin on HMS Beagle, and was extensively used. Closer by, in Ipswich, lived a Laetitia Jermyn (1788-1848: her clerical connection was that she married the Revd James Ford, the rector of Navestock, in Essex). Laetitia described herself as a ‘Fair Aurelian’, and she was the authoress of a charming book, illustrated by herself, titled A
Butterfly Collector’s Vade Mecum, or a Synoptical Table of English Butterflies, 1824). The book was dedicated to Kirby: it can be White Admiral 99
assumed that they knew one another quite well. The Synoptical Table provides useful information of foodplants, times of appearance and distribution. Suffolk and Essex insects were emphasised. Laetitia gives a superb illustration of the life stages of a swallowtail (larva on its foodplant, pupa and adult). In contrast to Kirby’s lifetime residence in Suffolk, that of the Revd Henry Harpur-Crewe (18281889), was briefer. A graduate of Trinity College Cambridge, he became rector of a Derbyshire parish, but he seems to have travelled and collected quite w id e ly . A numbe r o f his publications from the 1850s have a by-line from Drinkstone, Woolpit, Suffolk. He seems to have raised insects, particularly moths, from larvae and contributed a number of observations to the Zoologist and to specialist entomological journals: the pug moths (Eupithecia) were a special interest. Some parsonnaturalists were extraordinarily specialised in their enthusiasms: no fragment of the great bounty of Creation was to go undocumented. A clerical colleague of HarpurCrewe, in a nearby parish – they may have collected together – was ‘Parson Joseph Green’ (1824 1906), who popularised the
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collecting technique of pupadigging. He seems to have been extraordinarily good at it! He prepared A List of Lepidoptera
occurring in the County of Suffolk (1851) so he presumably collected there. He is said to have been a retiring man, with a ‘high sense of probity’. However, some have questioned his reliability. In 1849 he took two Mazarine Blues at a site in Gloucestershire. But fiftythree years later the date had changed to 1850 and the number had increased to eight! (Salmon, 2000). The Victorian era was the great age of the parson-naturalist. But the species seems to have survived into the twentieth century. The Transactions, and Suffolk Natural History contain occasional records from clergy, but the increase in workloads as parishes are grouped together have had their effect. Incumbencies are shorter, so that a parson does not have the opportunity to get to know a single parish, its human inhabitants and its natural history as when a parson might be in his parish for several decades, as in the eighteenth or nineteenth century. Patrick Armstrong
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References: Armstrong, P H (2000), The English Parson-Naturalist: a Companionship between Science and Religion, Gracewing Publishing, Leominster. Armstrong, P H (2015) ‘William Kirby (1759 – 1850): Eminent Suffolk naturalist’. Suffolk Natural History 51, 87-94. Raven, C E (1942, reissued 1986) John Ray: Naturalist, Cambridge University Press. Salmon, M A (2000) The Aurelian Legacy: British Butterflies and their Collectors, Harley Books, Colchester.
Harwich Harbour Stone Beds
Dredging by the Westminster Dredging Company in 1994 (the main channel was dredged to a minimum depth of 12.5 metres) yielded a spectacular haul of hundreds of huge boulders, perhaps 7,000 – 9,000 tons in total, 34
some blocks weighing perhaps eight tons. One sandstone boulder I measured was about 11 feet long. There were sandstone boulders, flint-pebble conglomerate boulders, and ‘flagstone’-like boulders. Some blocks had clay pebbles in them. White Admiral 99
Some contained fossil marine molluscs, gastropods such as Calyptraea and bivalves such as Ostrea; other blocks contained fossil leaves and wood, one tree trunk measuring about 5 feet by 7 inches. The dredged boulders were deposited on the beach at Landguard, Felixstowe. Because the material was not seen in situ,
it is difficult to say exactly where it comes from stratigraphically, but it seems to be from between the Thanet Beds and the London Clay. Although superficially like sarsen stones, the Felixstowe blocks have a calcite, not silica, cement. Specimens are in Ipswich Museum. Bob Markham
Shifting Sands Heritage Lottery Project in the Brecks Your help is needed to survey and monitor butterflies and moths in the Kings Forest – training can be provided, beginners or experts welcome lots of different ways to help.
Shifting Sands is the project name for the Brecks part of the national Back from the Brink project with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund for the next 3 years. Back from the Brink is one of the most ambitious conservation projects ever undertaken and at a national level aims to save 20 species from extinction and benefit over 200 more through 19 projects that span England; from the tip of Cornwall to Northumberland. Butterfly Conservation is part of this major partnership and it’s the first time ever that so many conservation organisations have come together. White Admiral 99
In the Brecks the aim is to restore and create a mosaic of habitats for the Brecks’ rarest wildlife. As part of Shifting Sands the Forestry Commission will be embarking on a project to significantly widen a network of forest rides on the west side of the B1106. This will be achieved by removing timber trees and adding habitat detail to those rides through rotational mowing, rotovating and other work to create bare ground and add variety along a network of rides linked to patches of heathland. We expect that this will benefit many scarce invertebrate species of particular interest to Butterfly Conservation such as Dingy Skipper, Grayling, Lunar Yellow Underwing, Grey Carpet, Forester and Basil Thyme Case-bearer which are already present in King’s Forest but mostly on the east side of the B1106. 35
Butterfly Conservation will be involved in delivering training events, survey and monitoring work in the Brecks over the next 3 years and in 2018 this will be at King’s Forest. There will of course be many other species that will also be recorded during our survey work. There will be four main events at King’s Forest in 2018 aimed at volunteers including beginners. Moths traps will be set the night before and opened at 10am where the moths can be viewed before they are released again. This can be a great opportunity for photography. We will then embark on a walk of the forest ride network to record butterflies and day flying moths. We are aiming to collect baseline information in 2018 before the main ride widening work begins. This data is vital and will help Forestry Commission to design ride management work in the future over the entire network.
If you are already involved in monitoring and survey work in the Brecks and in particular the regular Dingy and Grayling surveys please continue and all this information is valuable. Help needed with the following: •
Butterfly surveys during the day
•
Moth identification in the morning and help retrieving the overnight traps
•
Day flying moth surveys between April and September
•
Caterpillar surveys both daytime in spring/summer and early evening in the winter
Training provided if needed. Please get in touch if you can help at all.
Sharon Hearle - Regional Officer shearle@butterfly-conservation.org Tel 07920131526 or 01638 484145
Butterfly and Moth Meetings 2018 The Suffolk Branch of Butterfly Conservation runs an interesting calendar of field events, at which White Admiral readers are always welcome as guests. Take a look at the programme online at: http://www.suffolkbutterflies.org.uk/events.html All the events organized by BC are free, but the list incorporates a few (e.g. Helmingham Hall) where an entry charge applies. It is always worth phoning the designated leader in advance. 36
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Suffolk Naturalists’ Society Bursaries The Suffolk Naturalists’ Society offers six bursaries, of up to £500 each, annually. Larger projects may be eligible for grants of over £500 – please contact SNS for further information. Activities eligible for funding include: travel and subsistence for field work, visits to scientific institutions, scientific equipment, identification guide books or other items relevant to the study. Morley Bursary - Studies involving insects (or other invertebrates) other than butterflies and moths. Chipperfield Bursary - Studies involving butterflies or moths. Cranbrook Bursary - Studies involving mammals or birds. Rivis Bursary - Studies of the county's flora. Simpson Bursary - In memory of Francis Simpson. The bursary will be awarded for a botanical study where possible. Nash Bursary - Studies involving beetles. Applications should be set in the context of a research question i.e. a clear statement of what the problem is and how the applicant plans to tackle it. Criteria:
1. Projects should include a large element of original work and further knowledge of Suffolk’s flora, fauna or geology.
2. A written account of the project is required within 12 months of receipt of a bursary. This should be in a form 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 more details www.sns.org.uk/ pages/bursary.shtml. Cover Photo: Goldfinch on Teasel by Steve Roach https://www.flickr.com/photos/blurmeister/
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 Ornithologists’ Group (SOG). 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 Biological Records Centre at Ipswich Museum 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, and the County bird report, Suffolk Birds (compiled by SOG). 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. Field meetings are held throughout the year often in conjunction with other specialist organisations. Subscriptions: Individual members £15.00; Family membership £17.00; Student Membership £10.00; Corporate membership £17.00. Members receive the three publications above. Joint membership with the Suffolk Ornithologists’ Group: Individual members £30.00; Family membership £35.00. Joint members receive, in addition to the above, the SOG 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 contact: 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: Hon. Secretary, Suffolk Naturalists’ Society, c/o Ipswich Museum, High Street, Ipswich, IP1 3QH. Telephone 01473 400251 enquiry@sns.org.uk