Notes and Observations 17 Part 1

NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS SHRUBLAND PARK FUNGI.

The following were noted on 26th

October, 1974.

Agaricus sylvaticus W o o d M u s h r o o m (Edible) Armillaria mellea H o n e y F u n g u s Auricularia auricula (on beech) J e w ' s Ear Boletus granulatus G r a n u l a t e d Boletus or B u n Toadstool (Edible) Ciavaria cinerea G r e y C l u b F u n g u s Clitocybe nebularia C l o u d Cap T o a d s t o o l (Edible) Collybia peronata W o o d Woolly-foot Coprinus micaceus Glittering Ink C a p C. silvaticus W o o d Ink C a p Crepidotus variabilis Small Slipper-foot F u n g u s Daldinia concentrica Cramp-balls Geastrum triplex E a r t h Star Helvella crispa W r i n k l e d Helvella Hygrophorus niveus Snowy H y g r o p h o r u s (Edible) Hypholoma fasciculare S u l p h u r - t u f t (Not edible) Lactarius rufus R u f u s - t o p Milky Toadstool ( N o t edible) L. subdulcis Sweet-top Milky Toadstool (Edible) Lepicta rhacodes Shaggy Parasol (Good edible species) Lycoperdon giganteum G i a n t PufF-ball (Edible) L. molle Small Soft Puff-ball L. perlatum (gemmatum) C o m m o n Puff-ball Marasmius androsaceus Horse-hair F u n g u s Mutinus caninus D o g ' s Stinkhorn Nectria cinnabarina Coral Spot Phallus impudicus C o m m o n Stinkhorn Pholiota adiposa G o l d e n Scaly C a p Toadstool Polyporus (Grifolä) sulphureus S u l p h u r Polypore Russula emetica T h e Sickener (Poisonous) R. ochroleuca O c h r e C a p Russula Scleroderma aurantium C o m m o n Earth-ball S. verrucosum W a r t e d Earth-ball Sparassis crispa T h e Cauliflower F u n g u s (Edible) Trametes (Polystictus) versicolor Variable Polystictus Tricholoma nudum W o o d Blewits (Edible) Tubaria jurfuracea C i n n a m o n C a p T r u m p e t T o a d s t o o l Xylaria hypoxylon Candle-snuff F u n g u s

F. W. SIMPSON, The Museum, Ipswich.

BLYTHBURGH, WALBERSWICK: BIRDS. The excursion group on 2nd March split into two sections, one following the track from the Hinton cross-roads to Westwood Lodge and the other going through Blythburgh Fen Wood, both ending up on Walberswick Marshes. The more interesting birds seen were marsh harrier, hen harrier, bittern, bearded tit, twite, great grey shrike, shore-lark, Bewick's swan and kingfisher in addition to the usual ducks and waders.

H . E . CHIPPERFIELD A N O T H E R SUFFOLK RECORD FOR Balea perversa L. This inconspicuous little snail was discovered by my brother-in-law, H. K. Airy Shaw, on the trunk of an old walnut tree (Juglans

NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS

67

Regia L.) in the garden of my home on lOth June, 1972. It was determined by my friend Dr. Bernard Verdcourt, who sent a specimen to Dr. M. Kerney of the Geology Department of Imperial College, London. In reply Dr. Kerney stated he considers Balea perversa to be a rare species in East Anglia, the census record for vice-county 26 being from Walsham-le-Willows before 1909!

The snail was abundant on the damp bark of the same tree on 30th August, 1974, but when Bernard Verdcourt was here in early October there were none to be seen in spite of rainy conditions.

A careful examination of the trunk of a second walnut of similar age and of an old Blenheim Orange apple in the garden has failed to reveal another colony of Balea Perversa.

In an interesting discussion on the habitat of Balea, Boycott (1934) states that on trees it lives on only those which afford suitable crannies into which it may retire, and among other suitable trees he quotes walnut.

Reference Boycott, A. G . (1934).

Ecology 22, 16.

E.

T h e habitats of L a n d M o l l u s c a in Britain.

MILNE-REDHEAD,

Journ.

43 Bear Street, Nayland, Colchester.

Pholeus phalangioides AT WALBERSWICK. In Newsletter No. 17 of the Bedfordshire Natural History Society, published in September, 1974, Mr. T . J. Thomas records the daddy-longlegs spider, Pholeus phalangioides from Walberswick where he found it in a men's convenience. He remarks that he found only females, and suggests that it is possible that male specimens will be discovered by the ladies! This spider is widely distributed through southern England reaching as far north as Lincolnshire and Shropshire. It is however not known from Middlesex, Herefordshire and Huntingdonshire.

Colchester.

19th December, 1974.

E . MILNE-REDHEAD,

TOAD IN BLACKBIRD'S NEST. Outside our kitchen window we have a thick hedge of Sineus Monroi in which two families of blackbirds built their nests. After the broods had flown, these nests were taken over by two toads. How they knew the nests were there is a mystery, and the climb up through the thick hedge must have been very arduous.

Presently, a third toad arrived, and not finding a vacant nest took up residence with one of the other toads. However, they erected between them a partition of nesting material, so that they dwelt 'semi-detached'. At dusk, they all climbed slowly down to forage, but in the morning they were always back.

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Suffolk Natural History, Vol. 17, Part 1

As the weather got colder with heavy rain, the toads somehow burrowed underneath the bottom lining of the nests and covered themselves up, with just their faces showing. Finally, they left to hibernate and it will be interesting to see if they occupy the nests again next autumn.

MRS. N. C. STAINTON, The Paddock, Southwold.

INTERESTING AND IMPORTANT SĂœFFOLK CAPTURES BY THE LATE W I L L I A M STOREY. T h e sudden and unexpected death of William

Storey on 7th January, 1975, has robbed the county of one of its most erudite and ardent lepidopterists who had only taken up residence in it since 1969 on his retirement from the firm of Pye at Cambridge where he had lived for some 20 years. As soon as he came to live at his fine house at Great Bealings he started running a mercury moth-trap regularly with some remarkable results during the six seasons he operated it. I have therefore thought it of interest to summarise his more important records for the county though they have appeared at intervals in the Suffolk Natural History.

His most outstanding moths included a specimen of the Whitespeck Wainscot (Leucania unipuncta Haworth) taken on 29th October, 1969, his first year in Suffolk. This species is extremely rare in the eastern areas of England. In his last year on 14th August, 1974, he found in his trap a male Striped Hawkmoth (Celerio livornica Esp.) which seems to have been the only record of this great migrant for the British Isles last year. It has seldom been met with in the east of England. But his most remarkable insect was a halved gynandromorph of the Barred Red (Ellopia fasciaria Linn.), possibly a unique specimen with one side having male antennae which are pectinated, while the female antennae on the other side are quite thin without pectinations.

Some of the less common species for the county he took at Great Bealings included the Small Noctuid, the Silver Hook (Eustrotia uncula Clerck) in 1970 in which year several moths not often seen far inland came to his trap. Among these were Webb's Wainscot (Nonagria sparganii Esp.) and the Starwort Shark (Cucullia asteris Schiff.). Frequent visitors were such local species as the Stout Dart (Spaelotis ravida Schiff.), the Alder Moth (Apatele alni, Linn.), the Maple Prominent (Lophopteryx cucullina Schiff.) and the Pale Lemon Sallow (Cirrhia ocellaris Borkh.). Rarities for the county included a male Large Footman (Lithosia quadra Linn.) in August, 1973, and an example of the Juniper Carpet (Thera juniperate Linn.) in October, 1973, while the autumn of 1974 saw a Tawny Pinion (Lithophane semibrunnea Haworth) also seldom seen in the county.

BARON DE WORMS, M.A., Ph.D., F.L.S., F.R.E.S., M.B.O.U., Three Oaks, Shore's Road, Horsell, Woking, Surrey.

69

NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS LIZARD ORCHID

(Himantoglossum hircinum)

AT THE BRECK,

further

ten years.

March, 1965. Sixteen plants counted, all looked healthy.

By the middle of June, two plants with nice buds showing were laid prostrate when visited one evening, searching round base of stalks, I found yellow banded snails had eaten stalks off at ground level. Parent plant and two young plants flowered during last week of June.

April, 1966. Twenty-six plants showing, some of which may flower, by the middle of June after prolonged spell of hot, dry weather, plants turned brown and withered away.

February, 1967. Sixteen plants, three we hope will flower, during June, two plants with flowering stems, toppled over, after heavy rain followed by hot weather. Moles doing some damage among colony, covering plants with pushed-up soil.

March, 1968. Seventeen plants look in excellent condition, and by the end of May, five were developing flowering stems.

7th July one splendid spike of flowers seventeen inches high, and a smaller one (obviously a young plant) in good flower, three others were bitten off by hares, they have a direct path through the colony, and I have noticed Chenopodium bitten off in just such a slanting manner.

January, 1969. Thirty plants counted, outer leaves showing frost damage, but six were developing a nice central growth, by 2nd July the parent was in fĂźll flower, also two young plants but with poorer flowers. Professor Fremlin called and photographed flowers today.

April, 1970. Twenty plants this season, none of which look like putting forth flowers, and by mid-June this proved to be the case. Parent after flowering splendidly the year before, failed to put forth a Single leaf. During this time it was noticed that near-by a thrush had been hammering snails on a pebble, therefore I placed some more in among the colony, my next showed all pebbles had been used.

February, 1971.

Seventeen plants but again no flowers.

March, 1972. Twenty-two plants, four we hope will flower, including parent. By 24th June one flower was just unfolding, showing long strap-like tongue, two more will be a week later, parent plant, failed to develop beyond bud stage, when it turned brown and withered away, due to old age? One flowering plant was growing within three feet of Spanish Catchfly (Silene otites).

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Suffolk Natural History, Vol. 17, Part 1

January, 1973. Eighteen plants counted. Mole pushing up heaps of soil and covering some young plants. Ist July one plant in good bud, but partly collapsed owing to dry weather, but after heavy downpour took on a new lease of life and flowered.

March, 1974. Counted sixteen plants, all looked healthy and a good colour. By the end of May, all plants had dried up owing to severe drought, no measurable amount of rain for three months.

Plenty of snail shells lying about around pebbles.

M G. RUTTERFORD, F.L.S., Drybrook, Undley Road, Lakenheath, Suffolk.

Reference Rutterford, M . G . (1964). T h e Coming of the 'Lizard Orchid to the B r e c k ' . Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 13, 24.

Aderus oculatus PANZ. Aderus oculatus Panz. not pygmaeus Deg., a British species. In my recent paper concerning Dorcatoma chrysomelina Sturm in Suffolk ( S u f f o l k Natural History 16, 392-3) I referred to a specimen of Aderus pygmaeus (Degeer) which had been reared from rotten wood collected in Shrubland Park, Barham. All recent British works on Coleoptera list A. pygmaeus (Deg.) as occurring in this country. When preparing my paper, however, I overlooked the fact that Mr. A. A. Allen has shown (1969, Entomologist's mon. Mag. 105, 163-4) that our species hitherto known by that name is in fact the oculatus of Gyllenhal.

The true pygmaeus of Degeer does not so far appear to have been found in this country.

DAVID R. NASH, Lawford, Essex.

ANTHER S M U T , Ustilago violacea, ON CAMPIONS. Following the publication in 'Suffolk Natural History' of January, 1974, of a short account of the Campions, their local distribution and biology, an interesting letter was received from our Norfolk colleague, Dr. E. A. ('Ted') Ellis, concerning his records of the occurrence of the anther smut {Ustilagoviolacea) among Campions and related species in East Anglia. He reported that he has found that this parasitic fungus is as common among red Campions as among the white, and frequently attacks the pink hybrids.

He has also found the disease, sometimes abundant, among plants of the related Ragged Robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi) and Sea Campion (Silene maritima), and even commonly on the Lesser Stitchwort (Stellaria graminea).

In Norfolk he has identified the disease on the rarer Berry Campion (Cucubalis baccifera) and, at Tuddenham in Suffolk, on the Spanish Catchfly (Silene otites).

Late in 1973 Ted Ellis found a patch of Water Chickweed (Myosoton aquaticum) at Eaton near Norwich to be severely attacked by the same parasitic fungus; this is a new host record for Britain of this particular disease.

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NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS

Dr. Ellis reminds us that the taxonomists have once again revised the nomenclature of the Campions. The Red Campion is again Silene dioica, the White, Silene alba, in the Flora Europea.

Our thanks are due to Ted Ellis for supplying these interesting records and observations.

N O R M A N R. KERR, Wheelwright's Piece, Freston, Ipswich.

W I L D SERVICE TREE. T h e Wild Service Tree, Sorbus torminalis, is the subject of a survey being undertaken by the B.S.B.I. and Monkswood Experimental Station. Records are required, please send to Mr. Roper, South View, Sedlescombe, Battie, Sussex.

WATER SHREW, SQUIRRELS, YELLOW NECKED MOUSE, ROE DEER. WATER SHREW Neomys fodiens brought in by a cat at Weybread (R. W. K. Kefford).

GREY AND RED SQUIRRELS

Sciurus carolinensis and S. vulgaris

seen during 1974.

Grey at Little Bealings (H. J. Lee), Gt. Glemham (Cranbrook), abundant at Blakenham whence reds seem to have disappeared (Mrs. Barton), Rougham 400 killed in 1973, fewer in 1974 (A. E. Vine).

Red at Hollesley (D. C. Smee), Sutton Heath, Dunwich Forest, Minsmere, East Bridge, Bromeswell (H. T. Lee), Kings Forest (A. E. Vine).

YELLOW

NECKED

MOUSE

Apodernus flavicollis Offton

(A.

E.

Vine).

ROE DEER C. capreolus, two in Camps Wood, Milden in December, 1974, and two in Burgate Wood in January, 1975, are both new records for the county. (W. H. Payn, Härtest), T u d denham Heath (A. E. Vine).