June 1999
The Suffolk Argus
Back issues of the
Suffolk Argus For our newer members we have available back issues of the Suffolk Argus from
volumn I to 14. If any members would like to make up the complete set they are available at a cost of 25p each plus postage. The following new second class postage rates apply:Up to 2 copies - 19p Up to 4 copies - 30p Up to 6 copies - 40p Up to 7 copies - 51p Up to 9 copies - 60p Up to 11 copies - 70p Please make your cheques payable to Butterfly Conservation and send your
orders to:Paul Gilson 18 Cheltenham Avenue Ipswich Suffolk IP! 4LN Please do not send any cash through the post!
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Mapping European Butterflies (by Internet)
Editorial
by Rob Parker Readers with an interest in the distribution of European butterflies may already be aware of the Mapping European Butterflies project being led by Dr Otakar Kudrna. Some British entomologists already contribute, but the need is for records, as these are sent centrally from the Biological records Centre at Monks Wood. Anyone wanting to know more can read the latest newsletter etc on the Internet. Here is a snippet: MEB is a project of the Naturschutzbund Deutschland e. V. (NABU) and Gesellschaft fur Schmetterlinschutz e. V. (GfS). 427 recorders from almost all European countries have already joined Mapping European Butterflies, a project launched in May 1996. Many thanks are due to over 100 recorders who have already sent in their recording sheets containing valuable distribution data! The closing date for returning all your completed MEB recording sheets will be 31 st March 1999 but special arrangements can be agreed for a later return of recording sheets under certain circumstances. Please send your data as soon as possible after the close of the 1998 season to help avoid delays in data input. Internet
& MEB
The www site of Mapping European Butterflies can be found under: http://home.t-online.de/home/Kudrna. meb/ index.hem. One of our MEB recorders, Mr Mario Meier {Webmaster@EuropeanButterflies.com) has kindly designed our www site and will keep it up to date adding news at least twice a year. The MEB Newsletter will be published regularly on the Internet. You may like to visit Mario Meier's internet homepage, too: http://EuropeanButterflies.com. Internet browsers will probably already be familiar with the site for the Amateur Entomologists' Society: http://www.theaes.org.
by Richard Stewart The season certainly started with a bang! read the article by our Chairman, James Mann to find out what five of us were fortunate to see back in March.
On the subject of early butterflies, this short poem: 'On the aubretia Again, two tortoiseshells And all Summer to come'. is hopefully a taste of things to come and also introduces Suffolk BC member Jill Bence-Jones' latest poetry volume, 'Ostrich Creek'. This also features on the front cover a photo of the late Tom Baker, decoy Keeper at Nacton, where the areas surrounding the Decoy were kept as natural as possible and attracted many butterflies. Jill's book is available from local shops, including Waterstone's of Ipswich. Jill also featured in the rescue of a butterfly off the coast of Kenya, after it had landed on the water. It was released safely back on shore, being described as white with an iridescent sheen of purple on the wing tips. In the tradition of all dedicated lepidopterists Jill cau·ght her leg on something near the pier and ended up with four stitches. What we do for butterflies! In this edition there is also a comprehensive early/late list of species, not just during the Millennium Survey but from all records at any time in Suffolk. This has already been published in the SNS 'White Admiral' and amended so this will be the last opportunity to alter it. After chat it will stand as the official list and hopefully appear in the 'New Butterflies of Suffolk' book.
On a more pessimistic note, the area many have come to know affectionately as 'The Secret Garden' at Bixley Open Space is no more-literally flattened and cleared for a new development of houses. Luckily a BC member living nearby contacted me and I ended up having to stand in front of a large excavator which was in the process of damaging the roots of a length of elm hedge known to have a colony of White-letter Hairstreak. The ensuing conversation between his boss and myself is best left as 'directand animated'but there has subsequently been a site meeting of all parties involved and there will be a survey of the butterfly in this area during this year's flight period, to assess the situation. Before you read this there will also have been a site inspection of the hedge to determine which trees are healthy and to be protected, hopefully. To end on a brighter note-read the Wall Brown appeal and help if you can.
Articles for the Suffolk Argus If any members have articles for future editions of the Suffolk Argus could they please send them to Paul Gilson at 18, Cheltenham Avenue, Ipswich IP1 4LN. Myself and Richard Stewart will be overseeing the production of the newsletter until a new Editor is found.
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