Suffolk Argus 43 Autumn 2008

The Suffolk Argus

Autumn 2008

Suffolk BranchContacts Howard Mendel c/o The Natural History Museum Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD 0207 938 8782

Chairman Mike Dean Coach House, Ixworth Bury St Edmunds IP31 2HL 01359 230292

Membership Secretary Susan Sidle Five Gables, The Ling Wortham, Diss, Norfolk IP22 1ST Tel 01379 643665

Treasurer Jim Foster Lugano, The Street, Stonham Aspal Stowmarket IP14 6AH 01449 711484

Programme Secretary and Newsletter Editor

The

Suffolk Argus

Peter Maddison Barnmead, Fishpond Rd Waldringfield, Woodbridge IP12 4QX

The Newsletter of the Suffolk Branch of Butterfly Conservation

01473 736607

Conservation Officer (Butterflies) and County Recorder Rob Parker 66 Cornfield Road Bury St Edmunds IP33 3BN 01284 705476

Conservation Officer (Moths) and Branch Secretary Tony Prichard 3 Powling Road, Ipswich IP3 9JR 01473 270047

Regional Officer, Eastern England Sharon Hearle c/o Busy Bee, 21 High Street Newmarket CB8 8LX 01638 731648

Committee Member Stella Wolfe The Suffolk Argus is published by the Suffolk Branch of Butterfly Conservation. © 2008 All rights reserved. For more information, see: www.suffolkbutterflies.org.uk Butterfly Conservation is limited by guarantee.

Registered Office: Manor Yard, East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5QP Tel: 01929 400209 Registered Charity No 254937.

Red Admiral on Ivy Photo by Peter Maddison

President

Autumn 2008

Volume 43

The Suffolk Argus

Autumn 2008

Contents

Editorial by Peter Maddison Editorial

3

A Season to Forget

5

A Fynn Valley butterfly year

6

Field meetings

8

Roosting Orange-tip

14

The Dingy Skipper in Suffolk

15

No Nettles Required

17

Grey Carpet and Grayling in the Brecks

18

Suffolk Branch Contacts

20

Editorial copy dates Contributions for the Spring edition of our newsletter are very welcome and should be sent to the Editor, Peter Maddison, no later than Saturday 31st January 2009 Any piece of writing considered to be of interest will be published and we also welcome line drawings, prints and photographs.

Contributions (preferably electronic) can be sent to the address on the back page or by email to: prmaddison@yahoo.co.uk

2

Welcome to the Autumn edition of the Suffolk Argus. Within these pages is a comment on the 2008 butterfly season, a report on the state of our Dingy Skipper, accounts of field events, some moth news and much more.

and numbers rose in July to a ‘satisfactory’ level. This success was reported in the East Anglian Daily Times, and The Times, in which Simon Barnes applauded those responsible in his Saturday column, ‘Wild Notebook’.

Malcolm Farrow, who edited Volumes 41 and 42, relinquished the post with regret when the demands at his place of work increased significantly. Also, the immobility caused by a ruptured Achilles tendon was a confounded nuisance for him, and ruined his butterfly season! Happily, this injury has mended well and I hope that we will see some of Malcolm’s superb photographs in future issues of our Newsletter. It was Malcolm who brought his graphic design skills to the Suffolk Argus and produced the template which both of his editions and this volume utilise. The Suffolk Argus is an important link between the members of this widelyspread county. As this is very much your newsletter please communicate! Feel free to submit articles, send in occasional observations, make comments, supply photographs….become involved! And thanks to those who have tapped at their keyboards to supply copy for this edition, which I have been pleased to edit.

Today, the 18th October, is St Luke’s day.

The sun shines, the wind is light and the temperature is pleasant, just as it has been for the last week or so. This is St Luke’s ‘Little Summer’, the short period of time in October when the weather is more often than not clement. Outside the window from where I sit I have divided the garden with a short panel fence over which ivy has been allowed to ramp. There is none of your neat cutting back here, and now the ivy hedge has become a harvest festival of nectar, feasted upon by myriad bees, hoverflies, hornets, moths and butterflies. Four Red Admirals and a Comma swoon in the sun, siphoning what surely must be countless gallons of syrupy nectar. Soon luscious ivy berries will appear and provide winter food for blackbirds and thrushes. Go on, plant an ivy hedge, it will give you hours of entertainment, and will be a festival of food for little critters.

I don’t think that I have seen so many spiders at one time - a couple of hundred I would guess – tarantula types ranging from cuties the size of a 10p coin to 7 year olds that would barely fit on the palm of your hand. They were boxed up, and ready for sale at the Amateur Entomologists’ Society’s Exhibition at Kempton Park. 118 sellers cosseted and

During the summer Rob Parker produced the Special Edition of the Suffolk Argus, which was the report on the 2007 translocation of Silver-studded Blue at Blaxhall Common. Happily in June of this year the first Silver-studded Blues of the season were observed there

3

The Suffolk Argus

Autumn 2008

Contents

Editorial by Peter Maddison Editorial

3

A Season to Forget

5

A Fynn Valley butterfly year

6

Field meetings

8

Roosting Orange-tip

14

The Dingy Skipper in Suffolk

15

No Nettles Required

17

Grey Carpet and Grayling in the Brecks

18

Suffolk Branch Contacts

20

Editorial copy dates Contributions for the Spring edition of our newsletter are very welcome and should be sent to the Editor, Peter Maddison, no later than Saturday 31st January 2009 Any piece of writing considered to be of interest will be published and we also welcome line drawings, prints and photographs.

Contributions (preferably electronic) can be sent to the address on the back page or by email to: prmaddison@yahoo.co.uk

2

Welcome to the Autumn edition of the Suffolk Argus. Within these pages is a comment on the 2008 butterfly season, a report on the state of our Dingy Skipper, accounts of field events, some moth news and much more.

and numbers rose in July to a ‘satisfactory’ level. This success was reported in the East Anglian Daily Times, and The Times, in which Simon Barnes applauded those responsible in his Saturday column, ‘Wild Notebook’.

Malcolm Farrow, who edited Volumes 41 and 42, relinquished the post with regret when the demands at his place of work increased significantly. Also, the immobility caused by a ruptured Achilles tendon was a confounded nuisance for him, and ruined his butterfly season! Happily, this injury has mended well and I hope that we will see some of Malcolm’s superb photographs in future issues of our Newsletter. It was Malcolm who brought his graphic design skills to the Suffolk Argus and produced the template which both of his editions and this volume utilise. The Suffolk Argus is an important link between the members of this widelyspread county. As this is very much your newsletter please communicate! Feel free to submit articles, send in occasional observations, make comments, supply photographs….become involved! And thanks to those who have tapped at their keyboards to supply copy for this edition, which I have been pleased to edit.

Today, the 18th October, is St Luke’s day.

The sun shines, the wind is light and the temperature is pleasant, just as it has been for the last week or so. This is St Luke’s ‘Little Summer’, the short period of time in October when the weather is more often than not clement. Outside the window from where I sit I have divided the garden with a short panel fence over which ivy has been allowed to ramp. There is none of your neat cutting back here, and now the ivy hedge has become a harvest festival of nectar, feasted upon by myriad bees, hoverflies, hornets, moths and butterflies. Four Red Admirals and a Comma swoon in the sun, siphoning what surely must be countless gallons of syrupy nectar. Soon luscious ivy berries will appear and provide winter food for blackbirds and thrushes. Go on, plant an ivy hedge, it will give you hours of entertainment, and will be a festival of food for little critters.

I don’t think that I have seen so many spiders at one time - a couple of hundred I would guess – tarantula types ranging from cuties the size of a 10p coin to 7 year olds that would barely fit on the palm of your hand. They were boxed up, and ready for sale at the Amateur Entomologists’ Society’s Exhibition at Kempton Park. 118 sellers cosseted and

During the summer Rob Parker produced the Special Edition of the Suffolk Argus, which was the report on the 2007 translocation of Silver-studded Blue at Blaxhall Common. Happily in June of this year the first Silver-studded Blues of the season were observed there

3

The Suffolk Argus

Autumn 2008 Annual General Meeting

stroked not only their arachnids, but also their phasmids, and their tropical coleoptera. But that wasn’t all, there were butterflies too: European and tropical, pinned and ranked in countless rows, and they were for sale. Nestling amongst them, and in my opinion in an uneasy alliance, were Butterfly Conservation, Moths Count and Buglife spreading the word of conservation – Hurrah! But it was the allure of beautiful butterflies on the printed page that caught my eye, and it was at the book stalls where I spent most of my time and money. I might have left the hall with a bag of chrysalis of Death’s Head Hawkmoth, or Atlas Moth or even Duke of Burgundy, but I didn’t. Instead I joined Buglife, the charity that campaigns for bugs and the environment.

All members are invited to attend the Branch Annual General Meeting and Members’ Evening on Saturday 22nd November at 6.00pm at Bucklesham Village Hall.

The village is approached by leaving the A14 at the Seven Hills roundabout, Junction 58. Take the lane to Bucklesham which is the second exit, immediately after the A12 exit from the roundabout.

At the T junction in the village turn right, then at the Shannon public house turn right into Levington Lane. The hall is a few yards ahead on the right.

Grid Ref TM 244419

I think I’m suffering from screen fever, that reeling, far away malaise that staring into a computer screen brings on sometime after 11.00pm. I used to suffer in a similar way when presented with a stack of pupils’ essays and comprehension papers that had to be marked by the following morning. But no more, the classroom is behind and butterflies are ahead: Mexican Monarchs next February.

A Season to Forget?

Rob Parker summarises the 2008 butterfly year As the butterfly record sheets for the year trickle in, it is unsurprising to notice a common theme. Almost all of them begin with "A very poor year; the worst I can remember" - or words to that effect.

The reason is the poor baseline left over from a weak 2007 season which was then followed by a wintery start to spring, a very wet spell, a June in which hardly anyone saw any butterflies, a July which was all over very quickly, and no migrants to speak of. The flight periods of each species seemed shorter than usual, often being curtailed by pounding thunderstorms. Gardeners also complained of poor seasons for many of their favourite plants and fruits, reminding us that asynchrony (e.g. caterpillars hungry before the foodplant is growing) can be a problem in changing times. September was wet too, although a few unseasonably fine days in October allowed the hibernating species to finish gracefully. It was indeed a flat and disappointing season.

small margin, though nowhere near as good as 2006. Perhaps we should just say the past two seasons have been disappointing and we must hope that it will not take too long for butterfly numbers to recover. Let us hope that next year will bring a flurry of migrants, as well as some longer spells of nice weather, without droughts, of course.

Please do not fail to submit your records just because they seem uninspirational.

Some recorders are sending sightings from squares not previously visited in the current 5-year period - which I welcome, even if they are only for the commoner species. On the bright side, the season has not been as bad for Small Tortoiseshells as some had predicted.

The Tachinid fly that has become their most troublesome parasite was certainly present in August, but in some places pockets of Small Tortoiseshells emerged in good numbers, and an unexpected immigration in early September boosted counts along the East coast. Almost every garden recorder saw at least one, so the distribution maps will look reasonable, even though they were again all too thin on the ground.

It is hard to make qualitative comments before all record sheets are in, but some of the transects tell a slightly happier story. My own transect at Bury St Edmunds put in stronger counts than I had expected, with annual indices for most species being better than 2007 by a

Editor: Rob looks forward to receiving your 2008 records.

Small Tortoiseshell by Douglas Hammersley

4

5

The Suffolk Argus

Autumn 2008 Annual General Meeting

stroked not only their arachnids, but also their phasmids, and their tropical coleoptera. But that wasn’t all, there were butterflies too: European and tropical, pinned and ranked in countless rows, and they were for sale. Nestling amongst them, and in my opinion in an uneasy alliance, were Butterfly Conservation, Moths Count and Buglife spreading the word of conservation – Hurrah! But it was the allure of beautiful butterflies on the printed page that caught my eye, and it was at the book stalls where I spent most of my time and money. I might have left the hall with a bag of chrysalis of Death’s Head Hawkmoth, or Atlas Moth or even Duke of Burgundy, but I didn’t. Instead I joined Buglife, the charity that campaigns for bugs and the environment.

All members are invited to attend the Branch Annual General Meeting and Members’ Evening on Saturday 22nd November at 6.00pm at Bucklesham Village Hall.

The village is approached by leaving the A14 at the Seven Hills roundabout, Junction 58. Take the lane to Bucklesham which is the second exit, immediately after the A12 exit from the roundabout.

At the T junction in the village turn right, then at the Shannon public house turn right into Levington Lane. The hall is a few yards ahead on the right.

Grid Ref TM 244419

I think I’m suffering from screen fever, that reeling, far away malaise that staring into a computer screen brings on sometime after 11.00pm. I used to suffer in a similar way when presented with a stack of pupils’ essays and comprehension papers that had to be marked by the following morning. But no more, the classroom is behind and butterflies are ahead: Mexican Monarchs next February.

A Season to Forget?

Rob Parker summarises the 2008 butterfly year As the butterfly record sheets for the year trickle in, it is unsurprising to notice a common theme. Almost all of them begin with "A very poor year; the worst I can remember" - or words to that effect.

The reason is the poor baseline left over from a weak 2007 season which was then followed by a wintery start to spring, a very wet spell, a June in which hardly anyone saw any butterflies, a July which was all over very quickly, and no migrants to speak of. The flight periods of each species seemed shorter than usual, often being curtailed by pounding thunderstorms. Gardeners also complained of poor seasons for many of their favourite plants and fruits, reminding us that asynchrony (e.g. caterpillars hungry before the foodplant is growing) can be a problem in changing times. September was wet too, although a few unseasonably fine days in October allowed the hibernating species to finish gracefully. It was indeed a flat and disappointing season.

small margin, though nowhere near as good as 2006. Perhaps we should just say the past two seasons have been disappointing and we must hope that it will not take too long for butterfly numbers to recover. Let us hope that next year will bring a flurry of migrants, as well as some longer spells of nice weather, without droughts, of course.

Please do not fail to submit your records just because they seem uninspirational.

Some recorders are sending sightings from squares not previously visited in the current 5-year period - which I welcome, even if they are only for the commoner species. On the bright side, the season has not been as bad for Small Tortoiseshells as some had predicted.

The Tachinid fly that has become their most troublesome parasite was certainly present in August, but in some places pockets of Small Tortoiseshells emerged in good numbers, and an unexpected immigration in early September boosted counts along the East coast. Almost every garden recorder saw at least one, so the distribution maps will look reasonable, even though they were again all too thin on the ground.

It is hard to make qualitative comments before all record sheets are in, but some of the transects tell a slightly happier story. My own transect at Bury St Edmunds put in stronger counts than I had expected, with annual indices for most species being better than 2007 by a

Editor: Rob looks forward to receiving your 2008 records.

Small Tortoiseshell by Douglas Hammersley

4

5

The Suffolk Argus

Autumn 2008

A Fynn Valley butterfly year The third account of three seasonal walks along his Fynn Valley transect, described by Richard Stewart.

Part three: autumn.

These are notes from 16th September 2007, the penultimate walk of the year. There was a brisk breeze, the temperature was 20 degrees.

line, and a welcome pair of Small Heath; few nectar sources, 100.

Section 8 – wood and Alder carr: the noise soon swallowed up by the peace of this wood; 2 Speckled Wood in dappled shade and a Red Admiral, but wind blowing through a gap left by the railway cutting back vegetation; grandparents and children having a picnic near the path, 70.

(The figure at the end of each section indicates the percentage of sunlight.)

Section 1 – lane: 3 Speckled Wood, a Painted Lady in good condition but just one butterfly, a Comma, on the plentiful open sunlit umbels of Ivy in the hedges; Green Woodpecker calling, 90.

Section 15 – lane: three Speckled Wood and Common Darters, but sunlit Ivy near Anglian Water treatment plant has no butterflies, 100.Our excursion over the weekend of the 23rd & 24th June 2007 was a visit to Somerset, the plan being to see the Large Blue at one of its sites in the Polden Hills. Members are no-doubt aware of the success story of the re-introduction of this butterfly and fuller details of this can be found in an article in the Autumn 2006 edition of Butterfly magazine.

approximately 90, was frustrating at a time of year when fewer butterflies are about – a pity the summer percentages were not comparable.

Notes are transferred to an official sheet and after week 26 are added up and sent to Rob Parker as part of the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme.

Most notes of other wildlife go to the Suffolk Biological Records Centre.

There is a need for fresh records from the Fynn Valley in case the North Circular Bypass route around Ipswich is resurrected.

Comment – the total of 18 butterflies of 6 species was reasonable for this time of year but the high percentage of sunshine,

Section 9 – field with cows: Water Bistort in a damp area and a Kestrel flying, but no butterflies, 100.

Section 2 – lane: one Red Admiral; hedges on both sides not just cut at the wrong time of year, but prickles and thorns left on the track, 95.

Section 10 – short, shady lane: no butterflies on sunlit Ivy, but one Red Admiral and both male and female Common Darter, 50.

Section 3 – lane: Hawthorn and Ivy growing together, but no butterflies, 90.

Section 11 – other side of field in section 9, river in middle: now facing into the wind; more Common Darters, but no butterflies, 100.

Section 4 – wet meadow to River Fyn: several flowers still out, including Hemp Agrimony, Trefoil and Water Mint; no butterflies, not even on sunlit Ivy umbels near Rosemary Bridge, 100.

Section 12 – woodland , scrub and reeds: more Common Darters and a Green Woodpecker calling, but no Speckled Wood in dappled shade, 100.

Section 5 – fields along the river: just one Red Admiral, 100.

Section 13 – short lane: one Small White,100.

Section 6 – short path between fields, with dykes: no butterflies, literally just a Dandelion for nectar, 100.

Section 14 – large field and hedge to left: two Kestrels flying; usual Small Heath area is partly in shade from tall trees and just one recorded, 60.

Section 7 – field parallel with East Suffolk railway line: dust and much noise from cycle scrambling on the other side of the

6

Small Heath by Douglas Hammersley

WANTED: more assistant transect walkers (Particularly at Coddenham) Last year's publicity was successful in finding volunteers to assist the RSPB warden with his transects at Wolves Wood & Ramsey/Hintlesham Woods. Brenda Hudson has been holding the fort at Coddenham, with able assistance this year from Brian Buffery.

However, another volunteer who lives closer to Coddenham would be really useful for the future.

If you would like to get involved or find out more, call Rob Parker (Transect Co-ordinator) on 01284 705476

7

The Suffolk Argus

Autumn 2008

A Fynn Valley butterfly year The third account of three seasonal walks along his Fynn Valley transect, described by Richard Stewart.

Part three: autumn.

These are notes from 16th September 2007, the penultimate walk of the year. There was a brisk breeze, the temperature was 20 degrees.

line, and a welcome pair of Small Heath; few nectar sources, 100.

Section 8 – wood and Alder carr: the noise soon swallowed up by the peace of this wood; 2 Speckled Wood in dappled shade and a Red Admiral, but wind blowing through a gap left by the railway cutting back vegetation; grandparents and children having a picnic near the path, 70.

(The figure at the end of each section indicates the percentage of sunlight.)

Section 1 – lane: 3 Speckled Wood, a Painted Lady in good condition but just one butterfly, a Comma, on the plentiful open sunlit umbels of Ivy in the hedges; Green Woodpecker calling, 90.

Section 15 – lane: three Speckled Wood and Common Darters, but sunlit Ivy near Anglian Water treatment plant has no butterflies, 100.Our excursion over the weekend of the 23rd & 24th June 2007 was a visit to Somerset, the plan being to see the Large Blue at one of its sites in the Polden Hills. Members are no-doubt aware of the success story of the re-introduction of this butterfly and fuller details of this can be found in an article in the Autumn 2006 edition of Butterfly magazine.

approximately 90, was frustrating at a time of year when fewer butterflies are about – a pity the summer percentages were not comparable.

Notes are transferred to an official sheet and after week 26 are added up and sent to Rob Parker as part of the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme.

Most notes of other wildlife go to the Suffolk Biological Records Centre.

There is a need for fresh records from the Fynn Valley in case the North Circular Bypass route around Ipswich is resurrected.

Comment – the total of 18 butterflies of 6 species was reasonable for this time of year but the high percentage of sunshine,

Section 9 – field with cows: Water Bistort in a damp area and a Kestrel flying, but no butterflies, 100.

Section 2 – lane: one Red Admiral; hedges on both sides not just cut at the wrong time of year, but prickles and thorns left on the track, 95.

Section 10 – short, shady lane: no butterflies on sunlit Ivy, but one Red Admiral and both male and female Common Darter, 50.

Section 3 – lane: Hawthorn and Ivy growing together, but no butterflies, 90.

Section 11 – other side of field in section 9, river in middle: now facing into the wind; more Common Darters, but no butterflies, 100.

Section 4 – wet meadow to River Fyn: several flowers still out, including Hemp Agrimony, Trefoil and Water Mint; no butterflies, not even on sunlit Ivy umbels near Rosemary Bridge, 100.

Section 12 – woodland , scrub and reeds: more Common Darters and a Green Woodpecker calling, but no Speckled Wood in dappled shade, 100.

Section 5 – fields along the river: just one Red Admiral, 100.

Section 13 – short lane: one Small White,100.

Section 6 – short path between fields, with dykes: no butterflies, literally just a Dandelion for nectar, 100.

Section 14 – large field and hedge to left: two Kestrels flying; usual Small Heath area is partly in shade from tall trees and just one recorded, 60.

Section 7 – field parallel with East Suffolk railway line: dust and much noise from cycle scrambling on the other side of the

6

Small Heath by Douglas Hammersley

WANTED: more assistant transect walkers (Particularly at Coddenham) Last year's publicity was successful in finding volunteers to assist the RSPB warden with his transects at Wolves Wood & Ramsey/Hintlesham Woods. Brenda Hudson has been holding the fort at Coddenham, with able assistance this year from Brian Buffery.

However, another volunteer who lives closer to Coddenham would be really useful for the future.

If you would like to get involved or find out more, call Rob Parker (Transect Co-ordinator) on 01284 705476

7

The Suffolk Argus

Autumn 2008

A Weekend in the West Alan Johnson recounts a group visit to the Polden Hills to see the Large Blue….objective achieved!

Our excursion over the weekend of the 23rd & 24th June 2007 was a visit to Somerset, the plan being to see the Large Blue at one of its sites in the Polden Hills.

Members are no-doubt aware of the success story of the re-introduction of this butterfly and fuller details of this can be found in an article in the Autumn 2006 edition of Butterfly magazine.

S.E. facing, steep hillside with its areas of grass, scrub, thistles, nettles and wild thyme. We were soon rewarded with several sightings of our ‘target species’ and this was the first time the majority of our group had seen the Large Blue, with most of us commenting that its size appeared to be only slightly larger than the Chalkhill Blue.

A total of twelve members attended, all staying in the village of Thornfalcon, near Taunton. Most of us had a very wet and slow journey down on the Friday, with similar conditions on the following Monday for the return journey. I need hardly to remind anyone of the wet summer, also I was unaware that our visit coincided with the Glastonbury Festival when doing the initial organising!

Other species seen were:- Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Marbled White, Green-veined White, Small White, Small Heath, Large Skipper, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Painted Lady.

species. The afternoon was spent exploring the Edwardian Formal Garden and the Victorian Terrace, both providing interest and colourful floral displays, and well worth a visit in their own right.

Although the unseasonable weather had spoilt the plans for the weekend, we had at least achieved the main objective – to see the Large Blue.

After returning to our cars heavy and prolonged rain curtailed the day’s activities On Sunday, with no improvement in the weather forecast, most of our group opted for a visit to nearby Hestercombe Garden, four miles north of Taunton. Hestercombe is a collection of three gardens spanning three centuries of garden history and design. All have undergone acclaimed restoration work.

Saturday morning saw us at Collard Hill (approximately 1km south of Street), a National Trust site and one of the introduction areas for the Large Blue.

During its flight period from mid-June to mid-July the site is wardened. A car parking area is situated near to the crossroads where the site entrance is.

During the morning we walked around the semi-natural trail through the Georgian Landscape Garden which lies in a combe or valley set in over 40 acres of mainly woodland. Having only noted Meadow Brown and Ringlet we were pleasantly surprised to see colourful, day-flying, Scarlet Tiger moths. At Hestercombe the Green Alkanet on which it feeds is especially managed to encourage the

On ascending the hill a heavy shower of rain greeted us, causing a quick change into waterproofs. Fortunately the rain did not last long, with sunshine breaking through and continuing for the remainder of the morning. During this time we were able to follow the marked trail around the

8

Scarlet Tiger on Green Alkanet

by Beryl Johnson

9

The Suffolk Argus

Autumn 2008

A Weekend in the West Alan Johnson recounts a group visit to the Polden Hills to see the Large Blue….objective achieved!

Our excursion over the weekend of the 23rd & 24th June 2007 was a visit to Somerset, the plan being to see the Large Blue at one of its sites in the Polden Hills.

Members are no-doubt aware of the success story of the re-introduction of this butterfly and fuller details of this can be found in an article in the Autumn 2006 edition of Butterfly magazine.

S.E. facing, steep hillside with its areas of grass, scrub, thistles, nettles and wild thyme. We were soon rewarded with several sightings of our ‘target species’ and this was the first time the majority of our group had seen the Large Blue, with most of us commenting that its size appeared to be only slightly larger than the Chalkhill Blue.

A total of twelve members attended, all staying in the village of Thornfalcon, near Taunton. Most of us had a very wet and slow journey down on the Friday, with similar conditions on the following Monday for the return journey. I need hardly to remind anyone of the wet summer, also I was unaware that our visit coincided with the Glastonbury Festival when doing the initial organising!

Other species seen were:- Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Marbled White, Green-veined White, Small White, Small Heath, Large Skipper, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Painted Lady.

species. The afternoon was spent exploring the Edwardian Formal Garden and the Victorian Terrace, both providing interest and colourful floral displays, and well worth a visit in their own right.

Although the unseasonable weather had spoilt the plans for the weekend, we had at least achieved the main objective – to see the Large Blue.

After returning to our cars heavy and prolonged rain curtailed the day’s activities On Sunday, with no improvement in the weather forecast, most of our group opted for a visit to nearby Hestercombe Garden, four miles north of Taunton. Hestercombe is a collection of three gardens spanning three centuries of garden history and design. All have undergone acclaimed restoration work.

Saturday morning saw us at Collard Hill (approximately 1km south of Street), a National Trust site and one of the introduction areas for the Large Blue.

During its flight period from mid-June to mid-July the site is wardened. A car parking area is situated near to the crossroads where the site entrance is.

During the morning we walked around the semi-natural trail through the Georgian Landscape Garden which lies in a combe or valley set in over 40 acres of mainly woodland. Having only noted Meadow Brown and Ringlet we were pleasantly surprised to see colourful, day-flying, Scarlet Tiger moths. At Hestercombe the Green Alkanet on which it feeds is especially managed to encourage the

On ascending the hill a heavy shower of rain greeted us, causing a quick change into waterproofs. Fortunately the rain did not last long, with sunshine breaking through and continuing for the remainder of the morning. During this time we were able to follow the marked trail around the

8

Scarlet Tiger on Green Alkanet

by Beryl Johnson

9

The Suffolk Argus

Autumn 2008

A meeting with the Norfolk Branch at Stoke Ferry and Narborough Old Railway Line 13th May 2007 Richard Stewart reports Cloud and patches of light rain dominated the day and, given the conditions, the eleven who attended in the morning were perhaps fortunate to find a Common Blue on a nettle leaf in the car park and two more of the same species later on the walk.

We also found, at rest, Cinnabar moth and one Hairy Dragonfly but lack of butterflies was balanced by song and sightings of birds, including two Nightingales, Cuckoo, Turtle Dove, Blackcap, Garden Warbler and Chiffchaff. Swallows over the water near the bridge joined a few newly arrived Swifts. Wild Strawberry was in abundance and there were a few flowers of Bird’s-foottrefoil, but both Grizzled and Dingy

Skippers, the target species, eluded us.

Even under such poor conditions it was obvious that on a better day we would have recorded many species.

Although the new Norfolk Butterfly Recorder, Andy Brazil, was one of the eight who braved heavier rain at Narborough in the afternoon, we saw no butterflies and heard few birds. Even down at the bottom of the railway embankment, where it was more sheltered, we found no butterflies.

Phil Childs was the leader all day and showed considerable fortitude and good humour in trying conditions.

Common Blue by Douglas Hammersley

10

How Hill 16th June 2007 Alan Johnson writes about the search for the Swallowtail which breeds at this Norfolk site.

For those unfamiliar with the area, How Hill is situated adjacent to the River Ant, the nearest village being Ludham. This 148 hectares, 365 acres, nature reserve is owned and managed by the Broads Authority. The nearby How Hill House is run by a Trust as an Environmental Education Centre.

vegetation where Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Comma, Large Skipper and Meadow Brown were seen. Next, to the hide overlooking the ‘Scrape’, where the birds observed were Avocet, Redshank and a Lapwing with young, also a Black-tailed Skimmer dragonfly.

With the earlier sunshine now giving way to the more cloudy conditions that had been forecast, together with the promise of thundery showers later, our group of eleven members, including one from the Surrey Branch, moved off from Toad Hole Cottage, the start of a 1.5 miles ‘Wildlife Trail’. This waymarked walk is through a mostly marshy area, criss-crossed by a system of dykes.

Moving on along the track with Clayrack Marshes on our left, Cetti’s Warbler was heard singing, there was a Kestrel hovering above the marshes and a Grey Heron flying over the river. The only butterfly being seen was a Red Admiral. An approaching thunder storm sent us hurrying along to the shelter of the hide which overlooks Crome’s Broad where we were able to watch several Tufted Duck. Once the heavy rain had eased we quickly made our way through rather soggy overhanging vegetation back to our cars for a picnic lunch.

The meadow at the start of the walk has in previous visits been a good spot to see the Swallowtail and we duly gathered in anticipation. After a short wait, a brief spell of sunshine encouraged this butterfly to take to the wing and we were rewarded with two sightings, one nectaring on Meadow Thistle, the other not inclined to settle. Also seen were several Painted Lady, a Silver Y moth, and many Four–spotted Chaser dragonflies flying over the meadow. Leaving the everhopeful photographers to linger, the rest of us moved on crossing over a wooden bridge to a warm sheltered area of dense

11

Duly fortified it was decided to try another circuit of the Trail, our second visit to the meadow producing two Swallowtail butterflies. A Small White and a Five-spot Burnet moth were also added to our list.

Once again leaving our intrepid photographers behind we moved on. From the track alongside Clayrack Marshes we could hear the booming of a Bittern, and saw a Barn Owl in flight. An extremely tatty and worn Peacock was the only

The Suffolk Argus

Autumn 2008

A meeting with the Norfolk Branch at Stoke Ferry and Narborough Old Railway Line 13th May 2007 Richard Stewart reports Cloud and patches of light rain dominated the day and, given the conditions, the eleven who attended in the morning were perhaps fortunate to find a Common Blue on a nettle leaf in the car park and two more of the same species later on the walk.

We also found, at rest, Cinnabar moth and one Hairy Dragonfly but lack of butterflies was balanced by song and sightings of birds, including two Nightingales, Cuckoo, Turtle Dove, Blackcap, Garden Warbler and Chiffchaff. Swallows over the water near the bridge joined a few newly arrived Swifts. Wild Strawberry was in abundance and there were a few flowers of Bird’s-foottrefoil, but both Grizzled and Dingy

Skippers, the target species, eluded us.

Even under such poor conditions it was obvious that on a better day we would have recorded many species.

Although the new Norfolk Butterfly Recorder, Andy Brazil, was one of the eight who braved heavier rain at Narborough in the afternoon, we saw no butterflies and heard few birds. Even down at the bottom of the railway embankment, where it was more sheltered, we found no butterflies.

Phil Childs was the leader all day and showed considerable fortitude and good humour in trying conditions.

Common Blue by Douglas Hammersley

10

How Hill 16th June 2007 Alan Johnson writes about the search for the Swallowtail which breeds at this Norfolk site.

For those unfamiliar with the area, How Hill is situated adjacent to the River Ant, the nearest village being Ludham. This 148 hectares, 365 acres, nature reserve is owned and managed by the Broads Authority. The nearby How Hill House is run by a Trust as an Environmental Education Centre.

vegetation where Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Comma, Large Skipper and Meadow Brown were seen. Next, to the hide overlooking the ‘Scrape’, where the birds observed were Avocet, Redshank and a Lapwing with young, also a Black-tailed Skimmer dragonfly.

With the earlier sunshine now giving way to the more cloudy conditions that had been forecast, together with the promise of thundery showers later, our group of eleven members, including one from the Surrey Branch, moved off from Toad Hole Cottage, the start of a 1.5 miles ‘Wildlife Trail’. This waymarked walk is through a mostly marshy area, criss-crossed by a system of dykes.

Moving on along the track with Clayrack Marshes on our left, Cetti’s Warbler was heard singing, there was a Kestrel hovering above the marshes and a Grey Heron flying over the river. The only butterfly being seen was a Red Admiral. An approaching thunder storm sent us hurrying along to the shelter of the hide which overlooks Crome’s Broad where we were able to watch several Tufted Duck. Once the heavy rain had eased we quickly made our way through rather soggy overhanging vegetation back to our cars for a picnic lunch.

The meadow at the start of the walk has in previous visits been a good spot to see the Swallowtail and we duly gathered in anticipation. After a short wait, a brief spell of sunshine encouraged this butterfly to take to the wing and we were rewarded with two sightings, one nectaring on Meadow Thistle, the other not inclined to settle. Also seen were several Painted Lady, a Silver Y moth, and many Four–spotted Chaser dragonflies flying over the meadow. Leaving the everhopeful photographers to linger, the rest of us moved on crossing over a wooden bridge to a warm sheltered area of dense

11

Duly fortified it was decided to try another circuit of the Trail, our second visit to the meadow producing two Swallowtail butterflies. A Small White and a Five-spot Burnet moth were also added to our list.

Once again leaving our intrepid photographers behind we moved on. From the track alongside Clayrack Marshes we could hear the booming of a Bittern, and saw a Barn Owl in flight. An extremely tatty and worn Peacock was the only

The Suffolk Argus

Autumn 2008

butterfly.

A spectacular darkening sky and the distant rumble of thunder and flashes of lightning persuaded us that it was time to return to our cars. Stopping briefly at the Staithe adjacent to Toad Hall Cottage a short burst of song from a Cetti’s Warbler was heard and a female Marsh Harrier was seen flying on the far side of the river.

At the point where this path turns sharply eastwards we found the oak tree that had been mentioned to us earlier by other visitors. This tree, oozing sap from near the base of the trunk, was attracting six to eight Red Admiral, also a single Speckled Wood, together with several Hornets, the latter deterring looking too closely.

Kenton Hills and Sizewell 19th August 2007 Alan Johnson Grayling seen in good numbers during this late summer walk.

I must admit to being pleasantly surprised when, in spite of a very pessimistic weather forecast for the day, six other members met Beryl and myself in the Kenton Hills car park, for this last outdoor meeting of our 2007 programme.

was then investigated, duly revealing Red Admiral, Small White, Common Blue, Small Copper and Gatekeeper.

On entering Broom Covert the strong flight and bright colours of a large moth attracted our attention. After briefly landing on Stella Wolfe’s blouse, the moth flew on to settle, well camouflaged on the sandy soil of the path. It was then identified as a Red Underwing, one of the largest British noctuid moths, fairly common in the S.E. of England, but rare elsewhere.

On arrival a burst of sunshine tempted out a Red Admiral, which obligingly landed on the bonnet of my car. Perhaps this was a good omen as the weather stayed dry but mostly cloudy, although with some brief spells of sunshine, for the duration of our 5 miles circular walk.

The track, which eventually joins the Leiston-Sizewell road, has in the past provided sightings of the Wall, but not on this occasion. Once at Sizewell Beach we had our picnic lunches, then continued our walk northwards along the beach. On reaching the concrete blocks, remnants of anti-invasion measures from the 2nd World War, our path left the beach to turn inland.

This area is always a good spot to linger and this day was no exception, with Small Tortoiseshell, two Painted Lady and a Grayling nectaring on still flowering Sea Holly growing on the beach. Slightly inland, a Clouded Yellow on Ragwort, several Grayling together with Small Copper, Common Blue and Meadow Brown, were attracted to a small area of

The initial part of the walk was to take us along waymarked permissive paths around Sizewell Belts, an area rich in wildlife, comprising grazing marshes intersected by drainage dykes and tree belts. Crossing a recently cut meadow then a short ascent thro’ thick bracken took us up onto Leiston Common, the colourful haze of Sheep’s Sorrel now gone. Here a solitary Small Heath was seen.

Red Admirals and Hornet by Beryl Johnson

12

An open area prior to Reckham Pits Wood provided sightings of Gatekeeper, Red Admiral and Speckled Wood. On the path through this wood which leads to Sandy Lane, a young Grass Snake was seen disappearing quickly into the undergrowth. The edge of a small meadow

13

The Suffolk Argus

Autumn 2008

butterfly.

A spectacular darkening sky and the distant rumble of thunder and flashes of lightning persuaded us that it was time to return to our cars. Stopping briefly at the Staithe adjacent to Toad Hall Cottage a short burst of song from a Cetti’s Warbler was heard and a female Marsh Harrier was seen flying on the far side of the river.

At the point where this path turns sharply eastwards we found the oak tree that had been mentioned to us earlier by other visitors. This tree, oozing sap from near the base of the trunk, was attracting six to eight Red Admiral, also a single Speckled Wood, together with several Hornets, the latter deterring looking too closely.

Kenton Hills and Sizewell 19th August 2007 Alan Johnson Grayling seen in good numbers during this late summer walk.

I must admit to being pleasantly surprised when, in spite of a very pessimistic weather forecast for the day, six other members met Beryl and myself in the Kenton Hills car park, for this last outdoor meeting of our 2007 programme.

was then investigated, duly revealing Red Admiral, Small White, Common Blue, Small Copper and Gatekeeper.

On entering Broom Covert the strong flight and bright colours of a large moth attracted our attention. After briefly landing on Stella Wolfe’s blouse, the moth flew on to settle, well camouflaged on the sandy soil of the path. It was then identified as a Red Underwing, one of the largest British noctuid moths, fairly common in the S.E. of England, but rare elsewhere.

On arrival a burst of sunshine tempted out a Red Admiral, which obligingly landed on the bonnet of my car. Perhaps this was a good omen as the weather stayed dry but mostly cloudy, although with some brief spells of sunshine, for the duration of our 5 miles circular walk.

The track, which eventually joins the Leiston-Sizewell road, has in the past provided sightings of the Wall, but not on this occasion. Once at Sizewell Beach we had our picnic lunches, then continued our walk northwards along the beach. On reaching the concrete blocks, remnants of anti-invasion measures from the 2nd World War, our path left the beach to turn inland.

This area is always a good spot to linger and this day was no exception, with Small Tortoiseshell, two Painted Lady and a Grayling nectaring on still flowering Sea Holly growing on the beach. Slightly inland, a Clouded Yellow on Ragwort, several Grayling together with Small Copper, Common Blue and Meadow Brown, were attracted to a small area of

The initial part of the walk was to take us along waymarked permissive paths around Sizewell Belts, an area rich in wildlife, comprising grazing marshes intersected by drainage dykes and tree belts. Crossing a recently cut meadow then a short ascent thro’ thick bracken took us up onto Leiston Common, the colourful haze of Sheep’s Sorrel now gone. Here a solitary Small Heath was seen.

Red Admirals and Hornet by Beryl Johnson

12

An open area prior to Reckham Pits Wood provided sightings of Gatekeeper, Red Admiral and Speckled Wood. On the path through this wood which leads to Sandy Lane, a young Grass Snake was seen disappearing quickly into the undergrowth. The edge of a small meadow

13

The Suffolk Argus

Autumn 2008

Bell Heather and Ling. A few yards further on, patches of Hemp Agrimony tempted several Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Peacock, Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown.

Green-veined White. Two Southern Hawker dragonflies ‘in cop’ were noted, oblivious to eight pairs of eyes watching them!

The Dingy Skipper in Suffolk

The final stage of our walk was along woodland rides, following the southern edge of Goose Hill, then Kenton Hills.

Butterflies seen were Peacock, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood, Small White, and

Back at the car park a Holly Blue brought the number of species of butterfly seen to 15, bringing a very pleasant walk to a satisfactory end.

In order to record a possible early start to the 2008 season, checks were begun at the King’s Forest in fine weather on 26th April. However, it was not until the 13th May that the first sightings were made there, which was the normal one week’s delay after the first flights were noted on the 5th May on the county border along the Devil’s Dyke. The flight season in the King’s Forest apparently reached a peak in the week 18th to 24th May. Cool wet weather thereafter made for few sightings. The latest was on 31st May.

the surrounding rides. Plans have been laid to check the encroachment on the Archery glade by mahonia and pine this winter, to fell trees at Wordwell to let light into the ride during the 2009 thinning operation, and to disturb the margins of selected rides with a view to encouraging the regeneration of Bird'sfoot-trefoil.

This year’s survey involved 19 people, and 34 man-days but, disappointingly, searches at Center Parcs and RAF Barnham found no Dingy Skippers.

Another year without sightings at these two sites is of grave concern. The Dingy Skipper is losing ground and if the colonies at these two sites have been extinguished, the King’s Forest is now the only remaining Suffolk population.

Even there, the original Wordwell ride produced only a single sighting this year, although the butterfly was found to be spreading out from the Archery area to other apparently suitable rides. Possibly these were stray singletons, though there was no evidence of breeding away from the Archery area.

In King's Forest:

Roosting Orange-tip An evening observation by Richard Stewart roosting from 7.30pm on the Saturday. It would be interesting to know exactly what determines this length and its eventual moving. I presume it is the arrival of sunlight and the butterfly warming up sufficiently to start moving and eventually fly. I also wondered how much research and observation there has been of roosting behaviour, especially what a butterfly does if the next morning is cold and sunless. Perhaps others have timed such garden roosts and have more information.

Since our neighbours removed a large tree from their front garden the space created has allowed a wide shaft of evening sunlight to pass all the way down our back garden, onto a silver birch which attracts insects, especially Red Admirals, to bask on its sunlight trunk and branches. Just in front is a bed of flowers and in May these also include Garlic Mustard. On Saturday 10th a female Orange-tip landed on nearby Forget-me-not then transferred to the top of one of the tallest Garlic Mustard plants, still bathed in sunlight. The plant is one of those used for egg-laying by Orange-tips, but this female just settled with wings closed. It was obviously going to roost there, allowing Marie and me to have very close views with a monocular of the beautiful underwing pattern, cryptic camouflage like lichen or moss.

The next morning it was still there at nine, with some shafts of early morning sun almost reaching the plant and by 9.30am it had gone. This makes a total of at least thirteen and a half hours of

Rob Parker summarises the 2008 season.

The sites surveyed for Dingy Skippers are listed below, with more detail. This year’s effort was concentrated on the most promising sites, including the peripheral areas of the King’s Forest.

First found on the 13th May (after negative checks on 26th April and 7th May) Best counts were 21 on 18th May and, in a different place, 21on 24th May. Latest sighting was on the 31st May.

King’s - Chalk Lane area

TL827752 – 18th May (1), 24th May (1), 31st May (1) TL826754 (1) & TL829753 (1) & TL833749 (1 in the heathland reversion square, further east) all on 24th May. King’s- Wordwell area TL834733

Forest Enterprise reacted promptly to the news of the Dingy Skipper's decline.

Sharon and Rob met Neal ArmourChelu, the Forest Ecologist in the King's Forest and inspected the flight area and

The first sighting on the 13th May was the only one at Wordwell.

Orange-tip by Beryl Johnson

14

15

The Suffolk Argus

Autumn 2008

Bell Heather and Ling. A few yards further on, patches of Hemp Agrimony tempted several Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Peacock, Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown.

Green-veined White. Two Southern Hawker dragonflies ‘in cop’ were noted, oblivious to eight pairs of eyes watching them!

The Dingy Skipper in Suffolk

The final stage of our walk was along woodland rides, following the southern edge of Goose Hill, then Kenton Hills.

Butterflies seen were Peacock, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood, Small White, and

Back at the car park a Holly Blue brought the number of species of butterfly seen to 15, bringing a very pleasant walk to a satisfactory end.

In order to record a possible early start to the 2008 season, checks were begun at the King’s Forest in fine weather on 26th April. However, it was not until the 13th May that the first sightings were made there, which was the normal one week’s delay after the first flights were noted on the 5th May on the county border along the Devil’s Dyke. The flight season in the King’s Forest apparently reached a peak in the week 18th to 24th May. Cool wet weather thereafter made for few sightings. The latest was on 31st May.

the surrounding rides. Plans have been laid to check the encroachment on the Archery glade by mahonia and pine this winter, to fell trees at Wordwell to let light into the ride during the 2009 thinning operation, and to disturb the margins of selected rides with a view to encouraging the regeneration of Bird'sfoot-trefoil.

This year’s survey involved 19 people, and 34 man-days but, disappointingly, searches at Center Parcs and RAF Barnham found no Dingy Skippers.

Another year without sightings at these two sites is of grave concern. The Dingy Skipper is losing ground and if the colonies at these two sites have been extinguished, the King’s Forest is now the only remaining Suffolk population.

Even there, the original Wordwell ride produced only a single sighting this year, although the butterfly was found to be spreading out from the Archery area to other apparently suitable rides. Possibly these were stray singletons, though there was no evidence of breeding away from the Archery area.

In King's Forest:

Roosting Orange-tip An evening observation by Richard Stewart roosting from 7.30pm on the Saturday. It would be interesting to know exactly what determines this length and its eventual moving. I presume it is the arrival of sunlight and the butterfly warming up sufficiently to start moving and eventually fly. I also wondered how much research and observation there has been of roosting behaviour, especially what a butterfly does if the next morning is cold and sunless. Perhaps others have timed such garden roosts and have more information.

Since our neighbours removed a large tree from their front garden the space created has allowed a wide shaft of evening sunlight to pass all the way down our back garden, onto a silver birch which attracts insects, especially Red Admirals, to bask on its sunlight trunk and branches. Just in front is a bed of flowers and in May these also include Garlic Mustard. On Saturday 10th a female Orange-tip landed on nearby Forget-me-not then transferred to the top of one of the tallest Garlic Mustard plants, still bathed in sunlight. The plant is one of those used for egg-laying by Orange-tips, but this female just settled with wings closed. It was obviously going to roost there, allowing Marie and me to have very close views with a monocular of the beautiful underwing pattern, cryptic camouflage like lichen or moss.

The next morning it was still there at nine, with some shafts of early morning sun almost reaching the plant and by 9.30am it had gone. This makes a total of at least thirteen and a half hours of

Rob Parker summarises the 2008 season.

The sites surveyed for Dingy Skippers are listed below, with more detail. This year’s effort was concentrated on the most promising sites, including the peripheral areas of the King’s Forest.

First found on the 13th May (after negative checks on 26th April and 7th May) Best counts were 21 on 18th May and, in a different place, 21on 24th May. Latest sighting was on the 31st May.

King’s - Chalk Lane area

TL827752 – 18th May (1), 24th May (1), 31st May (1) TL826754 (1) & TL829753 (1) & TL833749 (1 in the heathland reversion square, further east) all on 24th May. King’s- Wordwell area TL834733

Forest Enterprise reacted promptly to the news of the Dingy Skipper's decline.

Sharon and Rob met Neal ArmourChelu, the Forest Ecologist in the King's Forest and inspected the flight area and

The first sighting on the 13th May was the only one at Wordwell.

Orange-tip by Beryl Johnson

14

15

The Suffolk Argus

Autumn 2008 RAF Barnham TL 8580/8680

Negative searches were made in good conditions on: 18th May, 21st May, 24th May (by 2 separate parties), 28th May, 31st May. The habitat is deteriorating somewhat along the main ride, but there is decent Bird’s-foot-trefoil growth along the east-west access track. The full length of the track was checked.

An extensive search in good weather on 7th May found Bird’s-foot-trefoil was present, but under-developed, and no Dingy Skippers were seen. Another visit was made in cooler weather on 19th May (immediately after the first sighting in King’s Forest) but none was found. A third visit had to be cancelled, and whilst the warden’s routine inspections failed to see any, the 2008 searches were by no means conclusive proof that the colony has been totally extirpated.

King’s - Archery Restricted area TL833737

The secluded open area between the mature beech to the north and the plantation to the south seems to be the best-used habitat (TL834739), but the northern margin of the east-west ride south of the Archery hut is productive too, as is the north-south conservation ride bounding the archery restricted block. Sightings have also been made on the eastwards extension of the east-west ride to TL836735. The highest one-day count in this area was 20 on 18th May. Mating pairs have been found on 3 occasions (18th May (1) & 24th May (2)).

Center Parcs, Elveden TL810805

This isolated colony exists on a small site that is progressively losing its suitable habitat to a build up of coarse grass. Four pairs of eyes, including BC’s Eastern Region Conservation Officer, conducted a search in bright intervals on 21st May, but without finding a single Dingy Skipper. Center Parcs staff made further visits in better weather, but still saw none. Discussing the possibilities for managing the site, it was concluded that there was nothing to be lost by creating a long curve of bare soil in the prime area near the drainage ditch. This would set the grass back and disturb the seed bank, triggering re-growth of Bird’s-foot trefoil. A side-by-side mown / rotovated strip is proposed, taking care to preserve the Milkparsley growth favoured by the bumblebees.

King’s - East of Restricted area

This year, encouragingly, two sightings have been made further east than ever before (well, back to 1995, anyway). One was at TL837737 on 24th May, and the other was on 23rd May, at TL839732 where there is some Lotus. The ride extends east into the next tetrad, although none was seen flying in the apparently suitable habitat there.

Dingy Skipper by Douglas Hammersley

16

No Nettles Required Ken Thompson.

Eden Project Books 2006 £10 ISBN 1903 919681 A Review by Richard Stewart I would imagine that almost everyone who tries to create a butterfly garden is also interested in attracting other wildlife. This book, subtitled ‘The Reassuring Truth About Wildlife Gardening’, covers a wide spectrum of species, far beyond what the author, plant ecologist Ken Thompson, describes as the usual 3B’s: birds, bees and butterflies. His main aim is to challenge the myth that wildlife gardening is difficult, suggesting that instead that it can be easier, cheaper and more attractive than many believe. The book has no colour other than its front cover, and as such is a contrast to the multitude of colour photos in other wildlife gardening books. Just a few small, black and white illustrations by Mary Claire Smith separate chapters. The text is easy to read, the author mixing personal opinion, research and facts with consummate skill, each section having a boxed summary and fresh information, often referring to other texts. Some snippets were memorable, such as the bat box in a Hampshire nudist colony which became home to a colony of hornets. I also loved his comment that ‘However bad the weather or appalling the performance of your local football team, the sight of a family of newly fledged blue tits is enough to lift the spirits of the grumpiest gardener’. These are interlaced with more serious observations, one suggesting that present-day agriculture could almost have

been designed to discourage bees.

Relying heavily on an intensive survey of sixty one varied gardens in Sheffield, and ‘The Ecology of a Garden – The First Fifteen Years’ by Jennifer Owen, the author stresses how important the small creatures are, the earthworms, bacteria etc., referring to hoverflies as his favourite garden insects. At the heart of the book are wellargued challenges to many assumptions about wildlife gardening. The title challenges the oft-read advice to cultivate nettles for egg-laying Red Admirals, Peacocks and Small Tortoiseshells. He considers them usually a waste of time and space in any garden, since much larger and better beds are abundant in the countryside. Other sections challenge whether large gardens are necessarily better than small, and he considers many wildlife gardens well within towns and cities to be as good as or better than those closer to the countryside, having in many cases a resident rather than commuting list of species: he cites the example of Buckingham Palace gardens, with 270 species of beetle. Amongst other challenges to traditional wisdom is denying any link between songbird decline and increased number of predators like Sparrowhawks. He also encourages the wildlife gardener not to try to replicate countryside and to accept a level of control

17

The Suffolk Argus

Autumn 2008 RAF Barnham TL 8580/8680

Negative searches were made in good conditions on: 18th May, 21st May, 24th May (by 2 separate parties), 28th May, 31st May. The habitat is deteriorating somewhat along the main ride, but there is decent Bird’s-foot-trefoil growth along the east-west access track. The full length of the track was checked.

An extensive search in good weather on 7th May found Bird’s-foot-trefoil was present, but under-developed, and no Dingy Skippers were seen. Another visit was made in cooler weather on 19th May (immediately after the first sighting in King’s Forest) but none was found. A third visit had to be cancelled, and whilst the warden’s routine inspections failed to see any, the 2008 searches were by no means conclusive proof that the colony has been totally extirpated.

King’s - Archery Restricted area TL833737

The secluded open area between the mature beech to the north and the plantation to the south seems to be the best-used habitat (TL834739), but the northern margin of the east-west ride south of the Archery hut is productive too, as is the north-south conservation ride bounding the archery restricted block. Sightings have also been made on the eastwards extension of the east-west ride to TL836735. The highest one-day count in this area was 20 on 18th May. Mating pairs have been found on 3 occasions (18th May (1) & 24th May (2)).

Center Parcs, Elveden TL810805

This isolated colony exists on a small site that is progressively losing its suitable habitat to a build up of coarse grass. Four pairs of eyes, including BC’s Eastern Region Conservation Officer, conducted a search in bright intervals on 21st May, but without finding a single Dingy Skipper. Center Parcs staff made further visits in better weather, but still saw none. Discussing the possibilities for managing the site, it was concluded that there was nothing to be lost by creating a long curve of bare soil in the prime area near the drainage ditch. This would set the grass back and disturb the seed bank, triggering re-growth of Bird’s-foot trefoil. A side-by-side mown / rotovated strip is proposed, taking care to preserve the Milkparsley growth favoured by the bumblebees.

King’s - East of Restricted area

This year, encouragingly, two sightings have been made further east than ever before (well, back to 1995, anyway). One was at TL837737 on 24th May, and the other was on 23rd May, at TL839732 where there is some Lotus. The ride extends east into the next tetrad, although none was seen flying in the apparently suitable habitat there.

Dingy Skipper by Douglas Hammersley

16

No Nettles Required Ken Thompson.

Eden Project Books 2006 £10 ISBN 1903 919681 A Review by Richard Stewart I would imagine that almost everyone who tries to create a butterfly garden is also interested in attracting other wildlife. This book, subtitled ‘The Reassuring Truth About Wildlife Gardening’, covers a wide spectrum of species, far beyond what the author, plant ecologist Ken Thompson, describes as the usual 3B’s: birds, bees and butterflies. His main aim is to challenge the myth that wildlife gardening is difficult, suggesting that instead that it can be easier, cheaper and more attractive than many believe. The book has no colour other than its front cover, and as such is a contrast to the multitude of colour photos in other wildlife gardening books. Just a few small, black and white illustrations by Mary Claire Smith separate chapters. The text is easy to read, the author mixing personal opinion, research and facts with consummate skill, each section having a boxed summary and fresh information, often referring to other texts. Some snippets were memorable, such as the bat box in a Hampshire nudist colony which became home to a colony of hornets. I also loved his comment that ‘However bad the weather or appalling the performance of your local football team, the sight of a family of newly fledged blue tits is enough to lift the spirits of the grumpiest gardener’. These are interlaced with more serious observations, one suggesting that present-day agriculture could almost have

been designed to discourage bees.

Relying heavily on an intensive survey of sixty one varied gardens in Sheffield, and ‘The Ecology of a Garden – The First Fifteen Years’ by Jennifer Owen, the author stresses how important the small creatures are, the earthworms, bacteria etc., referring to hoverflies as his favourite garden insects. At the heart of the book are wellargued challenges to many assumptions about wildlife gardening. The title challenges the oft-read advice to cultivate nettles for egg-laying Red Admirals, Peacocks and Small Tortoiseshells. He considers them usually a waste of time and space in any garden, since much larger and better beds are abundant in the countryside. Other sections challenge whether large gardens are necessarily better than small, and he considers many wildlife gardens well within towns and cities to be as good as or better than those closer to the countryside, having in many cases a resident rather than commuting list of species: he cites the example of Buckingham Palace gardens, with 270 species of beetle. Amongst other challenges to traditional wisdom is denying any link between songbird decline and increased number of predators like Sparrowhawks. He also encourages the wildlife gardener not to try to replicate countryside and to accept a level of control

17

The Suffolk Argus

Autumn 2008

that is far less than would be expected in office or home: what badgers can do to well-kept lawns is one example he gives.

always the best. With such radical opinions there will always be ones you disagree with: I still believe Sparrowhawks and some species of the crow family can wipe out nesting garden songbirds on a local level and I still do not agree that garden birds should be fed in summer.

The book also contains many helpful lists, such as the positive features of a wildlife garden, which includes five pages about trees, shrubs and deadwood; another section gives in-depth comment and advice about encouraging bees and wasps and there are extensive lists of larval food plants for butterflies and moths. No book can cover everything on such an extensive subject but I would have liked more about ponds, smaller containers for drinking and bathing, native species in garden hedges and a comprehensive list of good nectar sources. I think the inclusion of the last mentioned may have seriously questioned his assertion that native plants are not

The final chapter, ‘Why You Should Care’ answers the question on both a local and global level, stressing the importance and the therapeutic benefit of ‘reconnecting with nature’ and pointing out the positive benefits for wildlife if sixteen million gardens in our country were managed in their interests. This is a radical and thought-provoking book, well-written and one I would recommend to all wildlife gardeners.

The project should also provide a great opportunity to find out more about the Grayling butterfly in the Brecks. The Grayling has been added recently to the UK Biodiversity Action Plan as a Priority species due to its rapid decline in population and distribution, particularly at inland sites. The Brecks area provides numerous open sites with fine grasses that the Grayling caterpillars use, but numbers of Grayling appear to have reduced over the last 20 years according to records maintained by both

the Suffolk and Norfolk county recorders. In 2008 regional officer Sharon Hearle did record Grayling at two of the known Grey Carpet sites at Maid’s Cross Hill near Lakenheath and along the Cut-off Channel at Eriswell in Suffolk and also at Cranwich Camp in Norfolk. The Cranwich Camp record appears to be the first record for 14 years so it may be a case of under recording. It is hoped that further targeted surveying by both the regional officer and volunteers will provide an up to date distribution for the butterfly in 2009.

Grey Carpet and Grayling in the Brecks

by Sharon Hearle, Regional Officer for East of England Sharon will be starting a new project in October to conserve the Grey Carpet Moth in the Breckland area of Norfolk and Suffolk. A grant from Sita Trust, and funding from Forest Heath District Council and Norfolk Biodiversity Partnership will enable the Regional Officer to work with land managers to create ideal habitat conditions for Grey Carpet Moth and many other species.

The Grey Carpet is not found anywhere else in the UK, other than in the Brecks area where its caterpillars feed on

Flixweed, an annual associated with bare, sandy soil. The moth is widespread in the Brecks and is easily disturbed during the day which will make monitoring quite straightforward.

There are many other distinctive Breckland plants and moths, including Tawny Wave and Marbled Clover, that should also benefit from the project.

Increasing the amount of soil disturbance in Breckland habitats was seen as a priority at a 2007 workshop, ‘Biodiversity in the Brecks’.

18

Grey Carpet by Neil Sherman

19

The Suffolk Argus

Autumn 2008

that is far less than would be expected in office or home: what badgers can do to well-kept lawns is one example he gives.

always the best. With such radical opinions there will always be ones you disagree with: I still believe Sparrowhawks and some species of the crow family can wipe out nesting garden songbirds on a local level and I still do not agree that garden birds should be fed in summer.

The book also contains many helpful lists, such as the positive features of a wildlife garden, which includes five pages about trees, shrubs and deadwood; another section gives in-depth comment and advice about encouraging bees and wasps and there are extensive lists of larval food plants for butterflies and moths. No book can cover everything on such an extensive subject but I would have liked more about ponds, smaller containers for drinking and bathing, native species in garden hedges and a comprehensive list of good nectar sources. I think the inclusion of the last mentioned may have seriously questioned his assertion that native plants are not

The final chapter, ‘Why You Should Care’ answers the question on both a local and global level, stressing the importance and the therapeutic benefit of ‘reconnecting with nature’ and pointing out the positive benefits for wildlife if sixteen million gardens in our country were managed in their interests. This is a radical and thought-provoking book, well-written and one I would recommend to all wildlife gardeners.

The project should also provide a great opportunity to find out more about the Grayling butterfly in the Brecks. The Grayling has been added recently to the UK Biodiversity Action Plan as a Priority species due to its rapid decline in population and distribution, particularly at inland sites. The Brecks area provides numerous open sites with fine grasses that the Grayling caterpillars use, but numbers of Grayling appear to have reduced over the last 20 years according to records maintained by both

the Suffolk and Norfolk county recorders. In 2008 regional officer Sharon Hearle did record Grayling at two of the known Grey Carpet sites at Maid’s Cross Hill near Lakenheath and along the Cut-off Channel at Eriswell in Suffolk and also at Cranwich Camp in Norfolk. The Cranwich Camp record appears to be the first record for 14 years so it may be a case of under recording. It is hoped that further targeted surveying by both the regional officer and volunteers will provide an up to date distribution for the butterfly in 2009.

Grey Carpet and Grayling in the Brecks

by Sharon Hearle, Regional Officer for East of England Sharon will be starting a new project in October to conserve the Grey Carpet Moth in the Breckland area of Norfolk and Suffolk. A grant from Sita Trust, and funding from Forest Heath District Council and Norfolk Biodiversity Partnership will enable the Regional Officer to work with land managers to create ideal habitat conditions for Grey Carpet Moth and many other species.

The Grey Carpet is not found anywhere else in the UK, other than in the Brecks area where its caterpillars feed on

Flixweed, an annual associated with bare, sandy soil. The moth is widespread in the Brecks and is easily disturbed during the day which will make monitoring quite straightforward.

There are many other distinctive Breckland plants and moths, including Tawny Wave and Marbled Clover, that should also benefit from the project.

Increasing the amount of soil disturbance in Breckland habitats was seen as a priority at a 2007 workshop, ‘Biodiversity in the Brecks’.

18

Grey Carpet by Neil Sherman

19

The Suffolk Argus

Autumn 2008

Suffolk BranchContacts Howard Mendel c/o The Natural History Museum Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD 0207 938 8782

Chairman Mike Dean Coach House, Ixworth Bury St Edmunds IP31 2HL 01359 230292

Membership Secretary Susan Sidle Five Gables, The Ling Wortham, Diss, Norfolk IP22 1ST Tel 01379 643665

Treasurer Jim Foster Lugano, The Street, Stonham Aspal Stowmarket IP14 6AH 01449 711484

Programme Secretary and Newsletter Editor

The

Suffolk Argus

Peter Maddison Barnmead, Fishpond Rd Waldringfield, Woodbridge IP12 4QX

The Newsletter of the Suffolk Branch of Butterfly Conservation

01473 736607

Conservation Officer (Butterflies) and County Recorder Rob Parker 66 Cornfield Road Bury St Edmunds IP33 3BN 01284 705476

Conservation Officer (Moths) and Branch Secretary Tony Prichard 3 Powling Road, Ipswich IP3 9JR 01473 270047

Regional Officer, Eastern England Sharon Hearle c/o Busy Bee, 21 High Street Newmarket CB8 8LX 01638 731648

Committee Member Stella Wolfe The Suffolk Argus is published by the Suffolk Branch of Butterfly Conservation. © 2008 All rights reserved. For more information, see: www.suffolkbutterflies.org.uk Butterfly Conservation is limited by guarantee.

Registered Office: Manor Yard, East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5QP Tel: 01929 400209 Registered Charity No 254937.

Red Admiral on Ivy Photo by Peter Maddison

President

Autumn 2008

Volume 43