White Admiral 95

White Admiral Newsletter 95

Autumn 2016

Suffolk Naturalists’ Society

Contents Editorial

Ben Heather

Autumn Members Evening

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The River Stour 500 Trees Project

Alex Moore da Luz

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Suffolk’s Fab 40 Adventures

Emma Dixon

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Book Review - ‘...Breckland Pleistocene geology in the 1930s…’

Caroline Markham

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Pete Case

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Hawk Honey

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A few minutes with a wild Stoat

Martin Hancock

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The Pleasures and Perils of a Garden Pond

Richard Stewart

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Colin Hawes

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Neil Sherman

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Rasik Bhadresa

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Neil Mahler

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Richard Fisk

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Introducing ‘People Ponds and Water’ SNS/SBIS Recording Bursary Review

The hidden world of symbiotic yeasts in the lives of stag beetles - Part 1 The Suffolk Moth Group’s Record Breaking Night Death in the Afternoon Another new fungus to look out for The Lowestoft Field Club

ISSN 0959-8537 Published by the Suffolk Naturalists’ Society c/o Ipswich Museum, High Street, Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 3QH Registered Charity No. 206084 © Suffolk Naturalists’ Society

Cover Photo: Long-tailed tit by Steve Roach

Suffolk The

Naturalists’ Society

Newsletter 95 - Autumn 2016

Welcome to the Autumn issue of the White Admiral newsletter. Thanks, as always, must go to all those who contributed copy for this issue, there is a wide range of subjects covered this time, from the health benefits of an outdoor life to an exciting new citizen science project from the Freshwater Habitats Trust, that is coming to Suffolk soon.

The turn-around for this newsletter has been pretty tight but I hope that it gets to you in time to give you notice of the Autumn members evening that is happening on the 10th November (see page 2) at Cedars Hotel, Stowmarket. We have several confirmed speakers for this evening, including Martin Sanford and Edward Jackson, along with the return of the autumn quiz. We hope to see many of you there.

At our last council meeting the SNS co-opted two people onto council. Tony Prichard was retained on council as a co-opted member and we welcomed Juliet Hawkins back to the council. The notion of recruiting a new publicity secretary was discussed at this meeting, as a priority, and if you would like more information about this position please get in touch via the details below.

Finally, please can I draw your attention to the second item on page 2. We are now offering the ability to purchase gift membership via the SNS website. All levels of membership are offered and a certificate can be provided for you to present your gift with. See page 2 for more information.

Editor: Ben Heather Suffolk Biodiversity Information Service, c/o Ipswich Museum, High Street, Ipswich, IP1 3QH ben.heather@suffolk.gov.uk White Admiral 95

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Autumn Members Evening 10th November 2016 | 7pm for 7:30pm Start Cedars Hotel, Needham Road, Stowmarket IP14 2AJ

Talks confirmed:      

Martin Sanford - County Wildlife Site Re-survey Project Edward Jackson - A Review of the Recording Bursary Gen Broad - Barrel Jellyfish in Suffolk Adrian Chalkley - Freshwater Invertebrate Update The Autumn SNS Quiz Updates from other County Recorders

Drinks available from the pay bar on arrival and half-time refreshment break provided (tea and coffee).

SNS Gift Membership - Now Available!

Stuck for Christmas present ideas this year? You can now buy a gift membership for someone via the SNS website.

SNS can provide you with a certificate that you can give to the person you are buying membership for.

All current levels of membership are available to purchase via secure online card payment via PayPal. More information can be found on the SNS website at http://www.sns.org.uk/pages/gift.shtml .

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The River Stour 500 Trees Project The river Stour, Brett and Box are set to benefit from a wide range of environmental improvements through the planting of 500 riverside trees. The Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Stour Valley Project (DVSVP) in partnership with the Environment Agency have been

awarded £3,500 from Essex & Suffolk Water, through their ‘Branch Out Fund’, to enable the project to go ahead. The response from landowners has been terrific with over 40 coming forward to request trees. Tree planting will go ahead this winter after careful selection of the most appropriate sites.

The catchment-scale project will be focussing on a stretch of the River Stour upstream of Stratford St. Mary towards Sudbury, the River Brett downstream of Lavenham and the River Box downstream from Little Waldingfield. A diverse mix of 16 native broadleaved tree species will be planted including Black Poplar, Field Maple, Common Alder, Hazel and Common Hawthorn amongst others.

Landscape, wildlife, water quality and flood risk alleviation benefits are among the advantages to be gained from the scheme. The results of the DVSVP’s Water Framework Directive Walkover Surveys (completed in 2015) have shown that the target areas suffer from high levels of inadequate tree shading (less than 30%). This is detrimental to fish and other riverine species, particularly in the summer months when river

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temperatures are rising to levels that are stressful for them. The planting of riparian trees will help to benefit the ecology of the River Stour and its tributaries in numerous ways and add to the quality of the nationally protected AONB. It will help to increase levels of leaf litter and woody debris which are so important in terms of providing energy to the flow of the river and increasing the diversity of habitats. The planting

of trees will also help to improve water quality by contributing to the reduction of sediment and pollutants from entering the river.

In those locations that require it, river banks will be fenced off to protect newly planted trees from grazing. This will bring added benefits such as enabling bankside vegetation to naturally regenerate and help prevent the negative impacts of poaching.

The Benefits of Riparian Trees The planting of trees and fencing off sections of river bank (leading to natural regeneration of plants) will provide buffer zones on our three target rivers. Trees influence the flow of water and help to reduce topsoil erosion by catching precipitation with their leaf canopies. This lessens the force of storms and slows down water runoff which in turn ensures groundwater supplies are continually being replenished. In addition, tree roots remove nutrients that are harmful to water quality and ecology. Riparian buffer strips help to slow water runoff, trap sediment and enhance infiltration within the buffer. Buffers also trap fertilisers, pesticides, pathogens, heavy metals and they also cut down on the blowing of soil in areas with strong winds.

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Riparian buffer strips are a source of food, nesting cover and shelter for many species of native fauna.

They help to provide connecting corridors that enable wildlife to move safely from one habitat to another. Broadleaved riparian trees input huge amounts of energy each autumn in the form of falling leaves. Various invertebrate species use the leaf litter as food.

Helping to boost insect numbers, in turn, helps to provide a valuable food source for fish (e.g. brown trout and dace), river birds (e.g. g re y w ag tail an d co mmo n sandpiper) and bats. Research carried out by Cardiff University has shown that roughly half of the carbon in river insects originates from vegetation in the surrounding landscape rather than the river itself (i.e. leaves falling or being White Admiral 95

blown into a river). Invertebrates falling into rivers from leaves and branches form up to 90% of the diet of a number of fish species including brown trout.

The tree planting will bring many benefits to walkers. The trees will improve the landscape (in terms of character and visual appearance) as well as providing food and habitats for flagship riverine species such as otters and kingfishers. The project will provide an excellent opportunity to raise awareness amongst both primary and secondary school children of river conservation and the benefits of trees through educational sessions provided by the River Stour Projects Officer and through hands on practical tree planting. Rivers are among

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the most sensitive of all habitats to climate change. Significant reductions in insect numbers can be attributed to the effects of climate change. A growing body of evidence shows that deciduous trees can protect river species from damagingly high temperatures owing to the cooling effect of the shade that they give.

Alex Moore da Luz For further details about the scheme please contact Alex Moore da Luz on 01394 445224 or alex.mooredaluz@suffolk.gov.uk

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Suffolk’s Fab 40 Adventures Suffolk is set to be transformed into 40 shades of green as young and old alike are expected to rise to a challenge launched recently that aims to connect them with the county’s wonder-filled natural environment.

From enjoying an awe-inspiring shooting star on a clear summer’s night to breaking the ice on a winter’s day puddle, and from marvelling at mad March hares on a bright spring morning to the thrilling antler-crashing drama of the autumn’s red deer rut, a total of 40 seasonal adventures have been drawn up as outdoor challenges to be experienced and revelled in over the coming year.

connecting people, especially families, with nature and offering them the wide-ranging benefits to mental and physical wellbeing that activities undertaken in green spaces can bring.

County council cabinet member for environment and public protection Matthew Hicks told launch guests the county’s natural environment had been described in Suffolk’s Nature Strategy as a “key strength” of the county. “It is one of the golden threads holding together what makes this county great,” he said. He cited a survey

Suffolk’s Fab 40 Adventures – ten for each of the four seasons – have been drawn up by a partnership of e nv iro nme n t al , he a l th and education bodies that include Suffolk County Council’s natural and historic environment team, Public Health Suffolk, the county’s ‘Being Well in the Wild’ initiative, the Suffolk Environmental Education Network and Suffolk Wildlife Trust.

The project was launched at I p s w ic h Bo ro ug h Co un c i l’ s Holywells Park in August and was hailed as an innovative way of 6

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conducted by the East Anglian Daily Times last year in which 64% of respondents “put Suffolk’s countryside and nature way out in front in terms of the best things about living in Suffolk”. The rich diversity of the Suffolk countryside and its green spaces in urban areas such as Ipswich’s Holywells Park offered people the chance to “get in touch with nature.” There was a “wealth of evidence to show that those who live close to accessible green spaces are much more likely to meet recommended levels of physical exercise”. Evidence also showed that accessible green spaces, particularly in towns, could

facilitate social contact and give rise to strong neighbourhoods and combat loneliness, particularly in older age groups. “The natural environment isn’t just a ‘nice-tohave’. It’s important to all of us.

It’s a vital component of our health and wellbeing and the ‘natural capital’ of Suffolk is the foundation of many businesses, particularly in the tourism and farming sectors,” said Mr Hicks. “No one will look after what they do not care about and no one will care about what they have not experienced,” he said. Suffolk’s Fab 40 Adventures was “all about encouraging children, with their carers, parents or grandparents to get outdoors and be active and to truly experience what Suffolk has to offer.’

County council cabinet member for health, Tony Goldson, said Suffolk people should be proud of their natural environment, where there was “beauty and variety in equal measure”. “Whatever people’s age or health status, this provides us with a source of great opportunity to make the county healthier, from formal volunteering to enjoying our environment for its own sake,” he said. But despite the benefits such an environment could bring, he added: “Almost half of adults in Suffolk are physically inactive and the health cost of physical

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inactivity in Suffolk is estimated at £14million a year.” He added: “Let’s hope the Fab 40 grows to offer more outdoor adventures for the people of Suffolk in the years to come.”

outdoor activities, distilled from suggestions from more than 400 families.

Visit: https://fab40suffolk.co.uk/.

Emma Dixon

A Suffolk’s Fab 40 Adventures website has gone live and the project is also backed by a wealth of leaflets and postcards. Season by season, Suffolk’s Fab 40 Adventures offer a wide range of

Book Review T.T. Paterson’s contribution to Breckland Pleistocene geology in the 1930s; a tribute and commentary. By Richard West This 32 page article has been published online this summer by the Suffolk Naturalists’ Society. It is a valuable addition to the geology of the Suffolk Breckland, with some 28+ excavations recorded in detail by T T Paterson in the 1930s. Professor Richard West has ‘rescued’ Paterson’s PhD thesis from the Cambridge University Library and reproduced the geological research with his own comments on its relevance to the Pleistocene history of the area.

Two of the sites, Beeches Pit (TL798719) and High Lodge (TL740755) are now SSSIs and one, Cavenham Heath (TL755727) which forms part of the Cavenham 8

alluvial cone, has been designated a RIGS by GeoSuffolk, but most are degraded and their geology is inaccessible now. This makes these records from 80 years ago particularly valuable - they impart important information which is unavailable now. The brick pits in the Elveden and Thetford/Santon Downham areas, for example, chronicle the infilling of Chalk dolines with Pleistocene terrestrial deposits, both wind-blown and glacial. The Lark valley sites record the complex relationship between valley gravels, valley side solifluxion deposits and periglacial patterned ground. The Mildenhall excavations added to the record of White Admiral 95

the Bunter quartzite-rich gravel outliers in that area, extending it northwards to Brandon Fields.

This string of small hills has been called the ‘Skertchly Line’ after S J B Skertchly who proposed in the 1870s that they represent an

eroded valley floor.

Their interpretation continues to exercise present-day researchers. Read it online or download your own copy at https://goo.gl/ZYCk2k

Caroline Markham

Photo above: Disused gravel quarry at Maidscross Hill, Lakenheath photographed in August 2010. This was identified by Paterson as one of the line of gravel outliers in west Suffolk.

Contributions to White Admiral Deadlines for copy are: 1st Feb (Spring issue), 1st June (Summer issue) and 1st Oct (Autumn issue) The opinions expressed in White Admiral are not necessarily those of the Editor or of the Suffolk Naturalists’ Society.

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Introducing ‘People Ponds and Water’

Volunteers on wetland plants training workshop, Brown Moss Flagship Shropshire

Freshwater Habitats Trust is a national organisation dedicated to protecting all freshwater life; in our 28 year history this has often been through research or campaigning but more recently through inspiring or facilitating direct practical action. Our largest current project, ‘People Ponds and Water’ is connecting many thousands of people across England and

Wales with freshwater wildlife, helping them take an active part in protecting it for the future.

Through a mixture of traditional and novel citizen science surveys we are gathering meaningful data that will make a real difference to how we understand and protect freshwater species and habitats.

The project has three distinct elements…

PondNet PondNet is a new national freshwater monitoring network, setting in place regular checks for both widespread pond species e.g. toad and great crested newt, and rare wetland plants or animals like 10

tubular water-dropwort, pillwort or medicinal leech. Throughout England and Wales there are many great projects helping to protect and monitor freshwaters, yet often the data generated isn’t comparaWhite Admiral 95

ble at a national level. PondNet will help us to understand the state of ponds and freshwater species not just now, but into the future. By setting up long-term standardised monitoring we can track changes and reveal trends.

So far, PondNet has generated new records of rare species in many counties, and perhaps unsurprisingly, we have found that once extant populations are no longer there or have dwindled to a critical level.

In Suffolk we will be focusing our attention on getting county-wide coverage for rare species including tubular water-dropwort, greater water parsnip and lesser water plantain. This will mean revisiting as many sites as possible where the species has previously been recorded; firstly to check it is still present, then to assess the strength of the population and record habitat information about the pond. We are working with Suffolk Naturalists’ Society and SBIS who have kindly provided records of these species, they are also helping to promote the project to the recording community.

Finally for PondNet we are interested in overall pond quality.

This can be calculated by surveying macro invertebrates to family level and/or all wetland plants. From this data we can calculate a score which is White Admiral 95

Recording Tubular water-dropwort

compared to a predicted outcome based on geographic location and pond type. In each county we are hoping to survey a few ponds in detail, this requires a greater level of skill and we’re hoping more experienced naturalists can help us. Full details of PSYM (Predictive System for Multimetrics) surveys can be found on our website, along with methodologies for all PondNet surveys.

Since starting the project in early 2015, PondNet has been launched in two thirds of England and Wales with great success. 2017 will see the final roll out of the survey network. In my region of Central England that means launching in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex; over the next 12 months we will be offering training sessions and surveys to volunteers.

There’s something for everyone in PondNet whether you are just beginning or an experienced naturalist, there’s a survey you can help with!

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Flagship Ponds The Flagship Ponds project is helping to protect some of the very best pond sites in England and Wales. Our aim as an organisation is to work strategically, and to build out from the best places.

Flagship Ponds is delivering this by protecting high quality sites for the long term. In reality there are hundreds of potential Flagship sites across the UK, but for now we are working on a subset of 70 for the current project. The Suffolk Flagship Ponds sites are; Redgrave and Lopham Fen, Oulton Marshes, Grove Farm and Dew’s Farm.

Flagship work will; cover gaps in baseline surveys for plants and invertebrates, offer management recommendations and advice to landowners and land managers, undertake practical work, and where appropriate involve local people in the work we are carrying out – this might be hands on practical work, monitoring for specific species, or keeping an eye on these species sites to alter managers to potential problems.

Each site will have a different set of priorities but broadly speaking Clean Water for Wildlife The final component of ‘People Ponds and Water’ is Clean Water for Wildlife, a citizen science project collecting important data about nutrient pollution across all waterbody types; ponds, rivers, streams, ditches etc. We are providing individuals and community groups with simple test kits to detect two common pollutants from the freshwater environment; Nitrate and Phosphate – both of which impact upon freshwater life. Sadly, most water suffers from nutrient pollution, data gathered from this 12

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Clean Water for Wildlife test kits

work will help us to identify and protect the few clean places that are left. If you would like some free Clean Water for Wildlife kits

please make contact to register your interest.

The final year of the project is set to be our busiest yet, East Anglia represents one of the most biodiverse regions of England for Freshwater so there will be lots to do.

Pete Case - Regional Officer for Central England, Freshwater Habitats Trust.

You can keep up to date with the project by following us on Twitter @PondRiverStream or by liking Freshwater Habitats Trust on Facebook. For more information, or to get involved in any of the People Ponds and Water projects, please email pcase@freshwaterhabitats.org. uk or see our website: www.freshwaterhabitats.org.uk

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SNS/SBIS Recording Bursary Review For just over a year now, I’ve had a very keen interest in solitary bees and wasps. Thankfully, county recorder Adrian Knowles has been assisting me with my interest by supplying me with a substantial reference collection and by confirming the identifications I have made from the specimens that I have collected. Often, about 50% of the time, my identifications were wrong, even though I was aided by the first field guide to bees in 80 years (Falk). The problem was I had no one on hand to point out certain features and where I was going wrong. I was informed by a fellow member of BWARS (Bees Wasps & Ants Recording Society) that there was a six day course on solitary bees at Flatford Mill and in the same week, whilst in conversation with Ben Heather at the SNS conference, discovered there was a bursary between SBIS/SNS and the FSC for certain courses and it turned out this course was covered by this bursary. Requirements for the bursary were quite simple: 

Be over 25.



Not in full time education or full time employment if the employers pay the course fee.



For the full bursary (the full

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amount of the non-residential fee), the applicant must submit a given number (40 for this particular course) of records within three months of the course end. 

The records had to be from a diverse range of taxa and a range of sites from within Suffolk and be submitted to SBIS via Suffolk Biological Recording Online or iRecord.

I was very lucky to get on the course, as it became fully booked quickly, and when July came I checked in to my room in Willy Lott’s house at Flatford. Ian Cheeseborough and his assistant Bex Cartwright from BWARS were tutoring the course and there were 8 attendees. This was the first time A patrolling male A n th idium man ic atum

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that this course was being run, so we were guinea pigs really, but happy guinea pigs to say the least.

The weather was set to be hot that week with the mercury set to reach up to 30ºC at times. This was never a problem as Ian had also brought along a sizeable reference collection too, in case the weather was not good enough to go hunting bees. The course agenda ran along the same lines as the newly published bee guide by Steven Falk, mentioned earlier, and was quite enlightening to say the least.

It was good to get first hand experience from an expert who could point out the many subtleties between the many different species of solitary bee that reside in the Suffolk countryside.

On our days out, whether it was around Flatford Mill, Minsmere or Fingringhoe Wick, we got to see Female A n th o ph o ra bimac ulata comes into land at her nest entrance in the bottom left corner.

various species in their environment, either collecting pollen, nesting or in the case of cuckoo bees, looking for a nest to cleptoparasitise. Yours truly also found a nesting aggregation of Heriades truncorum, a small and rare resin bee, provisioning beetle exit holes in the exterior of one of Flatford’s meeting room buildings.

I also came across my very first Anthidium manicatum, a Wool Carder bee, whose male of the species actually patrols an area of plants to guard them aggressively from any other pollinator, bee, hoverfly or butterfly, so that the female has sole access to the pollen she requires for the nest she is building.

The balance between indoor microscope work and out in the field trips worked well and we were all learning so much that we couldn’t possibly learn from the book alone. My own skills seemed to improve greatly as my previous ID skills of 50% increased to around 95% with Ian and Bex confirming my identifications as I made them. By the end of the course, a week later, there were many sad faces as we wished the course was longer - always a sign of a good course and something that is run of the mill at Flatford.

There were many highlights during the course which included finding a

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nesting aggregation of Anthophora bimaculata and (although not a bee) a spider-hunting wasp, dragging its paralysed prey (a spider) over eight metres of rough terrain.

When the course was over I had to fulfil my requirements of collecting 40 records to receive the full bursary. I collected specimens from several areas around the Suffolk

countryside including: Lackford Lakes, Flixton pits (with p e rm issio n), Purd is He ath, Westleton Heath and around my home village of Horham. The specimens were carefully and diligently pinned (I do not enjoy taking specimens, but understand

that it is required to confirm their existence in particular areas and also some are so small, an ID cannot be made from a live specimen. So when I take a specimen, I make sure it is pinned in such a way that every amazing detail of the creature can be observed and admired, I owe the insect that much for taking its life).

Then, as soon as my wife tuned into Eastenders on the TV, I was out of the room and into my office to identify my pinned specimens caught earlier. I can say that I feel much more confident now with the skills I have learnt from this course and I hope that when Adrian

Above left: Male He riade s trunc o rum chills on ragwort flower head.

Above centre: Po mpilidae s p with paralysed prey.

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Bee Class of 2016. L to R: Andrew Green, Charlie Bell, Dave Goddard, Glenn ?, Janice Vincett, Ian Cheeseborough, Clare Boyes, Bex Cartwright, Tom David, Hawk Honey. Š Bex Cartwright.

returns my specimens, my success rate will have showed marked improvement. It took me just over a month to obtain my 40 records and instead of entering each one separately as they came, I waited until all 40 had been collected. I then spent 30 mins easily submitting all my records via the SBIS recording page (through the website’s ability to enter a list of records for a particular site made on a set date) and this links directly to iRecord. Although I have yet to have my latest records determined by Adrian, I know that if there are any errors, I can go back and re-edit that particular record online as and when it is needed without any hassle whatsoever.

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The FSC are running several courses on this bursary covering different groups and it is primarily aimed at getting more people out there recording. I fully recommend that you grab this chance whilst you can. The FSC at Flatford has some great tutors and facilities and the skills you will learn will not only benefit yourself, in becoming better in your field, but will benefit our countryside and that which dwells within it. As more of us record we will get a better idea of what is out there and in the process of discovering the odd rarity, we can then help to protect the habitats in which they live.

Hawk Honey

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A few minutes with a wild Stoat ( M ustela erminea) During the last 20 years or so I have been ‘re-wilding’ some former inte nsiv e ly cultiv ated land adjacent to my house in order to attract a diverse range of flora and fauna. One animal I was keen to encourage was the Stoat. The newly created hedgerows provided good habitat and when clearing an old rockery, my wife suggested that we build a small bothy, reminiscent of the cleit used on St Kilda where Soay Sheep originate and of which we have a small flock.

Normally, you can only expect a fleeting glimpse of a Stoat as it rushes about its daily business. It is a secretive animal preferring the

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cover of hedgerows and walls to avoid predators and rarely ventures into the open. It is active both day and night and distinguishable from the weasel by the black tip to its tail.

The creation of the habitat has now paid off. Last year I saw a Stoat running around an old chicken house. Quickly grabbing my camera, I watched its antics for a few minutes, positioned myself appropriately and waited. Probably the most surprising encounter was when it bounded round a hurdle and we both looked at each other (photo below).

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The picture on the right shows a strategic look out positioning on the corner of the chicken house.

This year the appearance was on the cleit. The Stoat seemed to be delving into the rocks picking something out and leaping off into the hedgerow. This was in September, so too late to be carrying its young (kits) to a safer place. Closer observation revealed it was carrying pieces of rabbit.

Stoats can ‘surplus kill’ and will stash food safely away for future use. These trips numbered about six at which point it then decided to majestically rest on the stone plinth in the sun.

What you might notice is the white mark on the nose from last year and this year. Unless there is an individual genetic trait, this could be the same animal. Stoats have a very short lifespan, said to be 4 to 6 years in the wild, hopefully this one will be around for a while.

What was also interesting was the Stoat did the so-called ‘death dance’ several times. This has been interpreted as being a ploy to mesmerise prey such as rabbits before quickly killing them with a bite to the back of the neck. In this case though there were no rabbits in sight. Another possibility to these gymnastic convulsions is that it is due to a condition known as skrjabingylosis – brought about by White Admiral 95

parasitic nematode worms burrowing into the skull. Sounds painful and disorientating.

In terms of predatory power, Stoats rival any of the big cats – gram for gram they are much stronger than any lion! Their teeth are highly specialized for an almost exclusively carnivorous diet, mostly rabbits.

Stoats are well adapted to pursuing small prey in their burrows where they will often make a den after eating the occupants and make a bed out of their fur. Territories can contain several dens and temporary resting places. Stoats are extremely agile, very good climbers as well as strong swimmers.

Interestingly, the Stoat’s reliance on rabbits as its main prey is documented by the fact that the Stoat po pulatio n nosedived 19

Resting in the sun

following myxomatosis in the 1950s. This was particularly noted by comprehensive gamekeeper records kept on one large Suffolk estate.

Persecution of Stoats by man has always been prevalent, but unlike their mustelid cousins, the Polecat and Pine Marten, they were never eradicated from most of Britain.

One answer to this may lie in their breeding strategy.

Whilst they only have one litter a year, there are between 6 to 12 kits. Stoats deploy delayed implantation, and mating takes place in April to July straight after the litter is born.

What is fascinating is that the females are sexually mature at 2 to 3 weeks old, while still deaf, blind and hairless and these are usually mated by the adult males before they are weaned. So, effectively 20

you already have a high number of the following year’s litters already in the bag with every young female already pregnant, fecundity at its best.

The Death Dance

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Stoats are not rare but the habitats they favour are declining.

Grassland, woodland and hedgerows and associated wildlife corridors are all under threat.

Rodenticides as they pass up the food chain can also have a detrimental effect. Another key danger to Stoats is starvation in

winter, though I suspect that climate change with its attendant warmer and wetter winters will benefit survival rates, as it will for other mustelids.

Martin Hancock Chair Suffolk Mammal Group

Key References: The Natural History of Weasels and Stoats. Ecology, Behavior and Management.

Second Edition. Carolyn M. King and Roger A Powell. Oxford University Press, ISBN 13 978-0-19-530056-7 Stoats & Weasels, Polecats & Martens. Paddy Sleeman. Whittet Books.

ISBN 0-905483-75-8 Stoats and Weasels, Robbie McDonald and Stephen Harris. The Mammal Society.

ISBN 0-906282-61-6

The Pleasures and Perils of a Garden Pond At all of the houses we have lived in we have had a pond in the back garden. The one we have enjoyed for over twenty years, in our garden at Westerfield Road, Ipswich, is small, just five feet by three, with a maximum depth of just fourteen inches. It was there when we moved in, a pre-formed structure lacking all the ledges and different depths recommended for a good wildlife pond. However, just one bird has been found dead in the water, though this was a Goldcrest (only an occasional visitor). The pond is close to our White Admiral 95

kitchen window and we keep a pair of close-focus binoculars nearby.

Next to the pond is one of nine water bowls but many birds still prefer drinking and bathing in the actual pond, using the plentiful weed to support them. Recently we watched amused as a young Magpie tried to learn this trick but undoubtedly the 2016 visitor of the year was a young female Sparrowhawk. Some years ago a male Sparrowhawk regularly used a large water tray right at the end of our garden but this female was just ten feet away. This female was 21

Left: Mating Azure Damselflies. Right: Banded Demoiselle. Photos by Anne -Marie Stewart

soaking and splashing with wings fully outstretched, but with those bright eyes watching in our direction, which it knew was the likely source of danger. It was so close that we could see spot marking on the plumage, indicating that it was a juvenile. The Sparrowhawk had to carefully keep clear of potentially entangling fishing line, stretched across the pond at various angles, its purpose being to deter amorous Mallards in spring and a young heron which I disturbed early one morning as it was about to spear another Frog.

Both Frogs and Newts visit the pond, the latter occasionally seen in their earlier eft stage and we have also witnessed courtship and egg-laying. In fact a newt featured in the most unusual pond rescue.

We saw one lying on the surface and on capturing it discovered a Water Snail fast in its mouth. This we removed and then placed it on 22

my wife’s warm hand, where it eventually recovered and was put back into the water, where it soon disappeared under the weed. In fact, Newts are often first seen when I haul out piles of weed early in spring. I carefully search through for any life, especially Water Snails, and always leave the pile close to the water for several days. Frogs are plentiful, up to nineteen at one time in 2016, but no frog spawn has been seen for several years. They often are in the pond with just their eyes and top of the head visible yet seldom catch any damselflies, even when mating pairs get close.

Two species of damselfly, the Azure and Large Red, have their whole life cycle in our pond and the best 2016 total, on one day, was fourteen, comprising four pairs of Azure, two pairs of Large Red, and two still colourless after emergence. Any falling into the pond White Admiral 95

attract the attention of the many Water Skaters, which end up in a tangled pile on top of the victim.

Emerging damselflies also face other threats before they can fly off, and one year a particularly acrobatic Robin was adept at picking them off as they climbed up out of the water. Now a few helpful sticks have been added.

The emerging damselflies also settle on the abundant vegetation around the pond and sometimes on our hands and clothes. In addition, we have had visits from Broadbodied Chaser and Common

Darter, both egg-laying in the pond, plus Migrant, Southern and Brown Hawker, and the occasional Blue-tailed damselfly. These damselflies are perhaps the greatest of our many pond pleasures and in 2015 we had two visits from one of our favourite insects, the Banded Demoiselle. This was a male and it was presumably attracted by the pond as their preferred habitat, running water, is some distance from our house.

Richard Stewart

The hidden world of symbiotic yeasts in the lives of stag beetles Part 1 Three species of stag beetle occur in Britain: the stag beetle Lucanus cervus, the lesser stag beetle Dorcus parallelipipedus and the rhinoceros, or horned stag beetle Sinodendron cylindricum. A fourth species Platycerus caraboides was once present but is now extinct here.

The discovery of a female-specific mycangium and its associated symbiotic yeast in the stag beetle Lucanus cervus, and the yeast’s ability to utilise the sugars xylose and glucose led to collaboration with Dr Masahiko Tanahashi in Japan, who kindly identified the yeast as closely related to Pichia White Admiral 95

(now Scheffersomyces ) stipitis (White Admiral 85, erratum White Admiral 86). Almost all yeasts, including Sheffersomyces species, are able to utilise glucose. Of particular interest, however, is the xylose-utilising ability of the symbiotic yeast referred to above.

First isolated from wood, xylose is the main building block for the plant cell-wall hemicellulose, xylan.

Predicting that D. parallelipipedus and S. cylindricum might also possess a female-specific mycangium, males and females of each species were dissected. A female-specific mycangium was found in both 23

Above Left: Photo 1 - Dissected female stag beetle Luc an us ce rvus seen from the dorsal side (wing cases removed).

Above Right: Fig. 1 - Drawing illustrating the dorsal view of the mycangium and other organs in a female stag beetle Luc an us ce rvus (see Photo 1). A: Mycangium, B: Gut, C: Oviduct, D: Dissection pin

Fig. 2 (left): Diagram of a vertical section through the midline of the rear end of a female stag beetle Lucanus cervus, (wing cases removed) showing the relative positions of the mycangium, gut and oviduct (not to scale). A: Mycangium, B: Gut, C: Oviduct, T: Tergite, S: Sternite

species and had the same developmental origin as that of L. cervus (Fig. 1). Again collaborating with Dr Tanahashi, specimens of the two species were sent to him for further investigation, which showed yeasts present in the mycangium of both. DNA analysis of the yeasts revealed a single yeast species ( Scheffersomyces stipitis) in the mycangium of D. parallelipipedus, which could also utilise xylose, while two yeast species were identified from the

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mycangium of S. cylindricum, one of which appeared to be an undescribed species, and the other a Sugiyamaella sp. The larval gut of S. cylindricum contained three yeasts, two Sugiyamaella strains and Scheffersomyces insectosa. All five S. cylindricum yeasts could utilise xylose. No yeasts were found in the gut of adult beetles.

Stag beetle larvae feed predomin an t ly o n bro a d le a f w o o d (hardwood). Wood is known to be one of the most difficult organic materials to digest; its cell walls contain high levels of cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin.

Hardwood hemicelluloses consist

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Top left to bottom right: Lesser stag beetle female ( D o rc us p a r a l l e l i p i p e d u s ) , Le s se r s t a g b e e t l e male (D o rc us paralle lipipe dus ), R h in o c e r o s be e t le m a l e (S i n o d e n d r o n c y l i n d r i c u m ) , R h i n oc e r o s b ee t l e f e m a l e ( S i n o d e n d r o n c y l i n d r i c u m ) , S t a g b ee t l e male (Luc an us c e rvus ), Stag beetle female (Luc an us ce rvus ).

predominantly of xylan, the breakdown of which produces xylose. The presence of xyloseutilising yeasts in the larval gut strongly suggests that stag beetle larvae benefit nutritionally from their yeast symbionts.

Colin Hawes

References: Tanahashi, M. & Fremlin, M. The mystery of the lesser stag beetle Dorcus parallelipipedus (L.) (Coleoptera: Lucanidae mycangium yeasts. Bulletin of the Amateur Entomologists’ Society. 72: 146-152.

Tanahashi, M. & Hawes, C. J. (2016). The presence of a mycangium in European Sinodendron cylindricum (Coleoptera: Lucanidae) and associated yeast symbionts.

Journal of Insect Science 16 (1) 164; 1-10. doi:10.1093/jisesa/iew054 White Admiral 95

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The Suffolk Moth Group’s Record Breaking Night

Toadflax pug - All Photos by Neil Sherman

W i t h g o o d mo t h tr a p p i n g conditions forecast, warm and humid with cloud cover, a meeting was hastily arranged on the 16th July 2016 to survey along Chalk Lane in the Kings Forest. We did try to trap this site at the same time last year but it was rained off.

The promising conditions tempted out a good number of people, with 9 moth hunters attending. 11 traps were deployed among the good breck grassland habitat along the forest rides. First in were lots of flying ants, so we kept a distance away from the traps to start with.

A few Nightjar ( Caprimulgus europaeus) entertained us giving great views over the trapping area at this time too.

Moths soon started pouring in and this theme continued throughout the night till daybreak. This was 26

one of those ‘classic’ summer nights you always hope for but are so rare in a British summer! After such a poor year, so far, it was a great lift to see so many moths about. Early summer species mixed in with later summer species, a reflection on the stopstart moth season this year. This meant a big list was amassed – unofficially at the moment it stands at 308 species in my notebook but there could be more to add as some may have been missed. This is higher than the group’s Barnham Cross Common total from a few years ago that was just under 300 species of moth.

With such a large list there were many highlights, so I’ll list just a few. Moth of the night for us was the single Horehound plume Wheeleria spilodactylus, a very White Admiral 95

Marbled clover

rare Suffolk species, new to most people attending, found on Tony’s shirt whilst checking one of the traps! Others included: Marbled clover Heliothis viriplaca (target moth for the night, a rare species nationally, but resident in the Breck region and on the Suffolk coast), Red-necked footman Atolmis rubricollis (once a migratory species in the county but now resident in some areas), Brown scallop Philereme vetulata (a local species in Suffolk), Royal mantle Catarhoe cuculata (a few, a moth found mainly in the breckland in Suffolk), Clouded magpie Abraxas sylvata, Fern Horisme tersata, Archips oporana (scarce, found in the Brecks and Sandlings), Assara terebrella (a few, a rare Suffolk moth only found at a few locations), Blackneck Lygephila pastinum (a few), Capperia britanniodactyla (another moth found in the Brecks and Sandlings only in Suffolk, feeds on Wood sage), Anania verbascalis (another scarce Wood sage feeding White Admiral 95

Royal mantle

species), Wood carpet Epirrhoe rivata, Ptycholomoides aeriferanus (a scarce Suffolk species found near Larch, the food plant), Kent black arches Meganola albula (good inland record, mainly a coastal/Sandlings species), Satin beauty Deileptenia ribeata (a scarce species found in conifer forests on the coast and in the Brecks), Pretty chalk carpet Melanthia procellata, Suspected Parastichtis suspecta and Toadflax pug Eupithecia linariata. I’ve also got probable specimens of Basil thyme case bearer Coleophora tricolor and Caloptilia hemidactylella, both rare species in Suffolk that await final determination in the winter. Not only were there large numbers of moths but there was also a huge number of beetles coming to the lights as well, some of which made their way inside people’s clothing as well as hiding under the traps!

Neil Sherman

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Top Right: Photo 1 - Small tortoiseshell (A g lais urtic ae ) on B uddle ja

Death in the Afternoon One sunny afternoon in August, we sat in the garden to enjoy our tea.

Our spreading, three-metre high, Buddleja w as an e nticing landscape for insects with its blooming white cymes hanging down at the end of tall pithy twigs.

Colourful butterflies, a number of small tortoiseshells and red admirals, a couple of commas and a painted lady were actively engaged. We were thoroughly engrossed in observing, through our binoculars, their enterprising and effortless movements, their nectar-sucking proboscises coiling in and out of the white tubular corollas as they moved from one flower to the next. The orange rings at the mouths of the centimetre-long corolla cylinders no doubt acted as guides. Here and there, large bumble bees, oblivious of their surroundings, appeared to have glued themselves into the honey-scented white flowers for good. Tiny movements in slow motion demonstrated drunken stupor. Bees crawled over the flowers and hoverflies zigzagged through the branches.

All of a sudden the dynamic changed, and the harmony was perturbed. At first one and then two more strong hunters, with wings orangey and transparent, 28

very narrow waists and tigerystriped abdomens started to circle, like Vespa scooters in Rome, the tall bush looking for targets. There was palpable uneasiness as the butterflies appeared to be pulled between the attraction of the rich nectariferous flowers and the peril they were suddenly under. The dangerous-looking buzzing intruders, 25 millimetres long, had some foiled attempts as butterflies fluttered from one inflorescence to another trying to avoid the marauders. But the threat did not recede, it became more intent.

Suddenly one of them alighted onto a small tortoiseshell grabbing its head and thorax tightly with its legs. The hunter’s abdomen pressed and curled down onto the end of the butterfly’s abdomen as if to sting and all of a sudden, they tumbled down together onto the ground, the hunter on top, the White Admiral 95

Left: Photo 2 - Hornet hanging by the claw while dining Right: Photo 3 - Hornet devouring the small tortoiseshell

dying butterfly’s wings still fluttering. However, in less than ten seconds, the wings abruptly stopped moving, rendering the small tortoiseshell lifeless. In no time at all, to avoid being in the open, the hornet carried the quarry a metre up to the nearest bush, a mock orange (Philadelphus), to relish it. It hung precariously on the edge of a leaf by the claw of its right leg (see photo 2) while it gorged on the victim. Having

crushed the head between its mandibles, it started on the thorax.

Suddenly a dismembered forewing dropped off the dead butterfly and then another before the hornet turned to devour the abdomen and the rest of the thorax (see photo 3).

The unwanted rear wings fluttered down in the breeze as the satiated hunter finished off the meal before flying off again. ‘Telle est la vie’.

Rasik Bhadresa

Another new fungus to look out for In October 2012, an unusual fungus from Morden Cemetery, Surrey, was passed on to Geoffrey Kibby, the editor of Field White Admiral 95

Mycology, for an identification.

Geoff was able to narrow it down to the rather tricky genus of Melanoleuca but was stuck on 29

assigning it to species as it matched nothing in the available literature.

Eventually, the material was passed on to Martyn Ainsworth, at Kew, who agreed molecular analysis was needed and so the material was handed to Laura Martinez-Suz, also at Kew, who managed to extract the necessary molecular (ITS) sequence but this only told them it matched nothing in the literature already held at Kew. Luckily, Martyn was able to send on the sequence to Vladimir Antonin, a specialist on the genus Melanoleuca, who was about to give a talk on European species of Melanoleuca at Madeira. Together with his colleague M. Tomsovsky, they were able to confirm it was a newly described species called M. castaneofusca Contu.

M. castaneofusca was first described from Sardinia by a Marco Contu in 1998, growing on sandy soil close to cacti.

More recently, there have been two more finds in the UK from Kensington Gardens and also Victoria Park in London - both habitats, very different to the sandy areas in Sardinia, but last year Tony Brown, from Pakefield, near Lowestoft, found an unusual fungus from nearby Corton - not too far from the beach.

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Photo by Tony Brown

With the help of Facebook, Geoffrey Kibby spotted the photograph and asked Tony to send the specimen to Kew where the experts there were able to confirm this was yet another record for M. castaneofusca.

It is highly likely this new introduction will be spreading all over southern and eastern England before long.

Whist we are on the subject of ‘sand loving’ species, Yvonne Leonard recently came across 4 fruiting bodies of Battarrea phalloides (Sandy Stiltball) growing in her very own garden no less, close to the beginning of the runway at RAF Mildenhall (see photo on back cover). The sandy soil was typical habitat, but on this occasion the White Admiral 95

fungi were growing on the side of the hedgerow away from the roadside and not visible from the footpath and this in turn makes me wonder how many sites like this are overlooked because the house or land owner do not recognise this rare and protected fungus?

Thankfully, both Mr & Mrs Leonard are retired Breckland plant specialists with Natural England and Yvonne had discovered another site before (Icklingham) where the Sandy Stiltball had occurred.

There is no reason why this fungus shouldn’t continue to occur in Yvonne’s garden for many years to come, but fungi are very unpredictable - a Sandy Stiltball site I discovered at Yoxford 3 years ago has not produced any fruiting bodies for the past 2 years and the more rare a species is, the less chance there is of being able to disturb it to learn more of its precise habitat requirements.

Neil Mahler

Reference:

Melanoleuca castaneofusca new to Britain. Field Mycology 17 (3) July 2016

The Lowestoft Field Club The Lowestoft and North Suffolk Field Naturalists’ Club was formed on 9th March 1946 with nineteen members. The Club celebrated its 70th anniversary with a dinner at the Park Hotel, Oulton, on 26th April this year which was attended by nineteen members and guests.

Membership of the Club reached 84 in 1950 and remained at around that level for many years, peaking at 115 in 1976. Since then there has been a gradual decline and in recent years has remained at around 25 to 30.



At its formation, the purpose of the Club was stated as:



White Admiral 95





To carry out active field work in the study of various branches of natural history around Lowestoft and in the north-eastern area of the County of Suffolk.

To ensure that accurate observations and notes of sufficient value made during such studies are duly recorded in the appropriate places.

To circulate items of interest amongst the members of the Club for the mutual encouragement and enjoyment of all.

To give all possible support to matters of wildlife preservation 31

generally and in particular to those affecting the area covered by the Club.  To encourage, help and train in the study of natural history, any young person wishing to take up studies with the Club and who is considered suitable for such work.

It was also stated that:  Members must be actively engaged in field work, reside in and/or do such work within the Club’s area, be willing to cooperate, and be over sixteen years of age.  The area is at present from Breydon Water on the north, to Aldeburgh on the south and Harleston on the west.  Membership subscription is five shillings per annum (minimum). 

Associates between fourteen and sixteen years of age are admitted without payment.

The objective of the Club today has not really changed but there is some relaxation with regard to the wording in the original objectives.

The area as defined above was, I think, probably the extent that could be reached by bicycle in a day, although occasional coach trips were organised. Today most of us have cars and we do venture further afield.

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The annual subscription today is £5.50, in real terms, around half what it was in 1946.

With the emphasis on field work we continue to organise outdoor meetings throughout the year, monthly at weekends and on alternate Wednesdays through the summer months. We also hold indoor meetings during the winter, formal meetings with a speaker, alternating with informal meetings at which members talk about their recent field observations and discuss topics of natural history in general.

An annual report is produced to reflect members’ interests and observations. Early reports were mainly concerned with birds but today these are less dominant. Although small, our present membership includes knowledgeable botanists, mycologists, entomologists and ornithologists. A biannual bulletin is produced in early January and June that summarises the Club’s activities during the preceding six months.

If anyone is interested in joining the Lowestoft Field Club please contact our treasurer Mr C Romer, 76 Cranesbill Road, Pakefield, Lowestoft, NR33 7EE. (chris.fieldclub@btinternet.com).

Richard Fisk

White Admiral 95

Suffolk Naturalists’ Society Bursaries The Suffolk Naturalists’ Society offers six bursaries, of up to £500 each, annually. Larger projects may be eligible for grants of over £500 – please contact SNS for further information.

Activities eligible for funding include: travel and subsistence for field work, visits to scientific institutions, scientific equipment, identification guide books or other items relevant to the study.

Morley Bursary - Studies involving insects (or other invertebrates) other than butterflies and moths.

Chipperfield Bursary - Studies involving butterflies or moths.

Cranbrook Bursary - Studies involving mammals or birds.

Rivis Bursary - Studies of the county's flora.

Simpson Bursary - In memory of Francis Simpson. The bursary will be awarded for a botanical study where possible.

Nash Bursary - Studies involving beetles.

Applications should be set in the context of a research question i.e. a clear statement of what the problem is and how the applicant plans to tackle it.

Criteria:

1. Projects should include a large element of original work and further knowledge of Suffolk’s flora, fauna or geology.

2. A written account of the project is required within 12 months of receipt of a bursary. This should be in a form suitable for publication in one of the Society's journals: Suffolk Natural History, Suffolk Birds or White Admiral.

3. Suffolk Naturalists' Society should be acknowledged in all publicity associated with the project and in any publications emanating from the project.

Applications may be made at any time. Please apply to SNS for an application form or visit our website for more details www.sns.org.uk/ pages/bursary.shtml.

Order your copy of the Dragonfly Atlas here: www.sns.org.uk/pages/Dragonflies.shtml Or in person at Ipswich Museum

Suffolk The

Naturalists’ Society w w w. s n s . o r g . u k

B a t t a r r e a p h a l l o i d e s b y N ei l Ma h l e r

The Suffolk Naturalists’ Society, founded in 1929 by Claude Morley (1874 -1951), pioneered the study and recording of the County’s flora, fauna and geology. It is the seed bed from which have grown other important wildlife organisations in Suffolk, such as Suffolk Wildlife Trust (SWT) and Suffolk Ornithologists’ Group (SOG).

Recording the natural history of Suffolk is still the Society’s primary objective. Members’ observations go to specialist recorders and then on to the Suffolk Biological Records Centre at Ipswich Museum to provide a basis for detailed distribution maps and subsequent analysis with benefits to environmental protection.

Funds held by the Society allow it to offer substantial grants for wildlife studies.

Annually, SNS publishes its transactions Suffolk Natural History, containing studies on the County’s wildlife, and the County bird report, Suffolk Birds (compiled by SOG). The newsletter White Admiral, with comment and observations, appears three times a year.

SNS organises two members’ evenings a year and a conference every two years. Field meetings are held throughout the year often in conjunction with other specialist organisations.

Subscriptions: Individual members £15.00; Family membership £17.00; Student Membership £10.00; Corporate membership £17.00.

Members receive the three publications above.

Joint membership with the Suffolk Ornithologists’ Group: Individual members £30.00; Family membership £35.00. Joint members receive, in addition to the above, the SOG newsletter The Harrier.

As defined by the Constitution of this Society its objectives shall be: 2.1 To study and record the fauna, flora and geology of the County 2.2 To publish a Transactions and Proceedings and a Bird Report. These shall be free to members except those whose annual subscriptions are in arrears contact: 2.3 To liaise with other natural history societies and conservation bodies in the County 2.4 To promote interest in natural history and the activities of the Society.

For more details about the Suffolk Naturalists’ Society contact: Hon. Secretary, Suffolk Naturalists’ Society, c/o Ipswich Museum, High Street, Ipswich, IP1 3QH. Telephone 01473 400251 enquiry@sns.org.uk