White Admiral 98

White Admiral Newsletter 98

Winter 2017/18

Suffolk Naturalists’ Society

Contents

Editorial

Ben Heather

1

New Records of the Small Headed Water Fleas

Adrian Chalkley

2

White Admiral and Silver-washed Fritillary butterflies in Bentley

Colin and Ann Hawes

4

Peter Vincent

6

Drs Nic Bury and Chris Turner

9

Trevor Goodfellow

13

Neil Lister and Emma Black

18

Richard Stewart

21

Emma Black

23

Rasik Bhadresa

25

Rob Parker

26

Howard Mottram

29

Tim Gardiner

31

Crataerina pallida, a rarely recorded common fly The University of Suffolk Butterfly Challenge AONBs ‘Pollinator Patches’ Project Pond Life in 2017 Harpers Hill Grassland County Wildlife Site

The Playful Mustelids Elm – the only host plant for the White-letter Hairstreak The Brecks Earth Heritage Trail Geronimo the Grasshopper SNS Meeting Dates 2018

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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: Ivy Bee by Ben Heather

Suffolk The

Naturalists’ Society

Newsletter 98 - Winter 2017/18 Welcome to this Winter edition of the White Admiral Newsletter. I have to first apologise for the lateness of this issue and hence it turning into a Winter issue rather than an Autumn one. Since the Summer a number of things have changed, the main being that I am no longer working at the Suffolk Biodiversity Information Service (SBIS) at Ipswich Museum.

In the Autumn I was offered and accepted a job in the photographic sector working for a leading stock library of plant and horticultural photography.

After 9 years at SBIS this was a rare opportunity to pursue a career in a hobby of mine and the chance to diversify my C.V. somewhat. So, after much thought, I took the chance for a new start. I would like to thank everyone who has supported me in my time at SBIS and I am very happy that I have been able to hold onto the role of White Admiral editor for the Suffolk Naturalists’ Society, a role I previously undertook in SBIS time.

Going forward please note that I will need to be contacted via a new email address and that my postal address is no longer Ipswich Museum. These details can be found below.

In this issue you can enjoy articles with topics ranging from observations of White Admiral and Silver-washed Fritillary butterfly in Bentley to Pollinator Patches in Suffolk’s AONBs.

Please can I also draw your attention to the Suffolk Naturalists’ Society conference (see central advert). Tickets are now available to purchase! This is always a popular event so don’t forget to reserve your place ASAP. Editor:

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Ben Heather 28 Enville Way Highwoods, Colchester, CO4 9UF. whiteadmiralnewsletter@gmail.com 1

Interesting New Records of the Small Headed Water Fleas Simocephalus vetulus & S. exspinosus The Small Headed Water Flea, Simocephalus vetulus, is probably the commonest water flea found both in Suffolk and possibly in the whole country. I have recorded it from 118 sites across the county ranging from the smallest woodland pond to the largest lake.

A second species, Simocephalus exspinosus also goes by the same common name. Distinguishing between them is easy providing you have a microscope, S. vetulus has an elongated ocellus and S. exspinosus has a round or oblong ocellus. S. exspinosus also occurs in Suffolk, though is less common, recorded from only 24 sites. When identifying, one should also always check for a small comb, found only on the claw of S. exspinosus. There is a third related and much rarer species Simocephalus serrulatus, the Marsh Small Headed Water Flea, which has yet to be found in Suffolk. This has small spines on its enlarged and angular head. All three species belong to the family Daphniidae.

Our Simocephalus species are, as the following records show, seemingly able to tolerate some surprisingly harsh habitats for 2

such small crustaceans, only being between 1 and 2.5 mm in length.

Normally considered to be creatures of freshwaters there are records from Orford Ness in 2012,

by Dr Stuart Warrington of the National Trust, of S. exspinosus living in small pools on the shingle banks at sea level. These pools are at best brackish but at worst quite saline being totally exposed to flying sea spray during winter storms (Orford Ness is the most Easterly site known in the British Isles).

This year, two further intriguing records for our commonest species have also come to my attention.

Richard Chadd of the Environment Agency, using a Bou-Rouche pump, found S. vetulus in water samples pumped from around 1.5 m down in the chalk / sand substrate beneath a Lincolnshire chalk stream. This is the first recorded occurrence of water fleas in the groundwater or hyporheic zone that I am aware of. Since S. vetulus is a free-swimming animal, rather than one of the crawling cladocera, its ability to penetrate and live that far down in the small interstitial spaces between the White Admiral 98

Photo caption: A: Elongated ocellus (simple eye) B: Small head with very small rostrum (the little pointed 'nose') C: The base of this claw is smooth, no comb of spines.

D: Smoothly rounded head with no spines

particles of sand and chalk is very surprising.

The second record I made myself when surveying the pond on a local soft fruit farm near Kersey. This White Admiral 98

natural pond is used as a reservoir for watering the crops during the Summer, the pond being topped up from a bore hole then automatically pumped to the strawberries, 3

blueberries etc... The bore hole is some 90 feet deep and when I visited, water was being pumped through a metal outlet pipe into the pond. All above ground parts of the initial pumping system are physically separate from the pond itself. The 4 inch outflow pipe was some two feet above the water so when I put my plankton net over the pipe end I could be sure only water from the bore hole pump entered the net. Within my sample were several specimens of Simocephalus vetulus , which unsurprisingly was also one of two species forming the Cladoceran fauna of the pond itself. The other species being the Giant Crawling Water Flea, Eurycercus lamellatus which was not found in the bore hole sample. Again, the ability of

this species to survive underground in Suffolk has not been reported before. The borehole presumably draws water from the Suffolk chalk but whether the water fleas found came from interstices at that depth or from groundwater surrounding the borehole pipework leading to the pump cannot be judged. This new record is being passed on to both Richard Chadd as well as Lee Knight, the National Hypogean Crustacea Recorder, and to Tim Johns, also from the Environment Agency who is part of The Groundwater Animals Project. I await their response with interest.

Adrian Chalkley Founder member of the Cladocera Interest Group. www.cladocera.org.uk

White Admiral and Silver -washed Fritillary butterflies in Bentley 2016 & 2017 White Admiral (Limenitis camilla) •

Old Hall Wood

Our first White Admiral sighting of 2017, on 13 June, was of a single specimen observed in Old Hall Wood (OHW), flying and briefly settling to feed on the nectar of bramble flowers. Peak sightings of 10 and 12 were recorded on 20th and 25th June respectively. Our 4

final sightings in OHW were on 14th July, when two were recorded flying. •

Great Martins Wood

White Admirals have expanded their range to inhabit Great Martins Wood (GMW); a single butterfly was observed there by Ann and Colin Hawes on 16th, White Admiral 98

Left: White Admiral Right: Silver-washed Fritillary by Ben Heather

18th and 20th June, 2016. Each of these sightings was made at the same location along the public footpath.

A single White Admiral was observed on 17th July, 2016 in the garden of Peter and Carolyn Evans, Church Road (TM 113369).

White Admirals were again present in GMW in 2017, mostly observed and recorded flying in ones or twos, from 14th June to 10th July. A peak of six individuals were counted on 2nd July, 2017.

All White Admirals recorded in GMW 2017 were observed along the public footpath.

Ann spotted one White Admiral resting on the roadside hedge at ‘Link Field’, Hazel Shrub (TM 107364), opposite Dodnash Wood, but unfortunately the date of the observation was not recorded. A single White Admiral was photographed by David Howe when it alighted in his garden in Bergholt Road (TM 10753690) on 19th July, 2017.

Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia) •

Old Hall Wood

The Silver-washed Fritillary continues to expand its range and was recorded in Old Hall Wood (OHW), when two were observed

by Ann Hawes on 25th July, 2016.

Its spread to Bentley was White Admiral 98

confirmed in 2017, first by Ann, who observed one specimen in OHW on 20th June, and then by Dr Michae l Bamfo rd, who photographed the butterfly in OHW on 23rd June.

Colin and Ann Hawes 5

Crataerina pallida (Olivier in Latreille, 1812) (Diptera: Hippoboscidae), a rarely recorded common fly.

I am fortunate to have Swifts; Apus apus Linnaeus 1758, breeding in the eaves of the roof.

For the most part, the adults breed successfully and young birds fledge and depart the nest. This was not the case this year for one unfortunate bird, when on the 26th August I found a freshly dead juvenile Swift on the ground below one of the Swifts nesting holes. The young Swift was still downy and appeared to be not fully fledged.

The 26th August seems quite a late date for Swifts to still be in the nest, most of the other Swifts in the area had departed at least ten days earlier. Two adult birds were seen entering the nest site during this period until the 24th August after which they were no longer seen. It appears that for these Swift parents the urge to fly south was greater than the urge to complete the fledging of their youngster which appeared to have been abandoned. We can only assume that starved of food the juvenile Swift was left with no option but to make an ill fated attempt to leave the nesting site.

On inspection of the freshly dead Swift I noticed what was thought to be a Swift Louse Fly Crataerina

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pallida crawling near to the neck of the bird. The fly was collected and after quick examination under the microscope showed that this assumption was correct, and that this fly was indeed C. pallida.

C. pallida belongs to the Hippoboscidae; a family of flies that are obligate, blood-feeding ectoparasites of birds and mammals.

Uniquely in diptera, the females do not lay eggs but nurture larvae internally, singly. When fully developed each larva is released and pupates immediately (Hutson, 1984). The Hippoboscidae contains over 200 species worldwide.

Fourteen species have been recorded from Britain of which eleven occur on birds, these are commonly known as ‘flat-flies’ or louse-flies’, while those on mammals are often called ‘keds’.

In appearance, C. pallida follows the standard arthropod body plan, with a distinct head, thorax, and abdomen. They are large insects, with females being larger than males. (Females average about 7.5 mm in body length and males about 7mm.). The legs are held away from the body when at rest, and this gives C. pallida a characteristic ‘‘spider’’ or ‘‘star-

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like’’ stance. In colouration, the adults are a light grey to dark brown.

This specific species possesses a number of features that aid attachment to its host and reduce the chance of removal through host grooming. The entire body is dorsoventrally flattened, which allows it to burrow with ease right to the base of bird feathers and reach its source of food. The exoskeleton is tough, protecting it from being crushed by the host.

The thorax and abdomen are covered with short sharp black hairs, which are also found on the legs and head, and these presumably get caught on the barbs of feathers and provide points of attachment to the host.

They are particularly prominent on the posterior abdomen. The joints between the legs are shaped like short sharp hooks, and the legs themselves end in three sharp claws that are ideal for attachment. Adult C. pallida have no difficulty in walking upside down across glass or plastic surfaces (Walker & Rotherham, 2010).

As for many Hippoboscid flies, C. pallida has vestigial wings that are borne on the thorax and are not capable of sustaining powered flight, as C. pallida is closely associated with their hosts’ nests, White Admiral 98

and therefore an ability to fly is probably not necessary. The wings have probably not degenerated completely because of their value in providing another type of ‘‘hook’’ to allow attachment to the host.

There is a strong association between the lifecycle of C. pallida and that of the hosts’ breeding season. The swifts arrive to breed in Britain free from this parasite, but the flies soon emerge from pupae in the hosts’ nests. The population of adult flies builds up rapidly towards the time when the young birds start to hatch. By the time the main hatch of young birds occurs the population on the full grown birds is declining, and continues to decline until flies are absent by the time the birds migrate. Pupae remain in diapause until the following spring. (Hutson, 1981).

There appears only to have been one previous documented record of C. pallida in Suffolk, that by Arthur Watchman in 1993 at Monks Eleigh and only two records from Norfolk at Longham near Dereham in 2002 and 2004. Indeed records of this species are scarce; an indication of this is that the NBN Atlas displays only 38 occurrences, widely distributed throughout Britain. Between 70 to 100 per cent of adult Swifts are infested with this parasite 7

(Hutson, 1981, Walker & Rotherham, 2010), and thus while the Swift, although declining in numbers, is still a widespread and common bird in Suffolk, it seems likely that C. pallida is also widespread and common in Suffolk. The difficulty of obtaining

specimens either from live birds or the nest means it is a very under recorded species, therefore it is likely that C. pallida is a common species but rarely recorded.

Peter Vincent

References: Hutson AM. (1981)The population of the louse fly, Crataerina pallida (Diptera, Hippoboscidae) on the European Swift, Apus apus (Aves, Apodidae). Journal of Zoology, 194(7), 305–316.

Hutson AM. (1984) Keds, flat-flies & bat-flies (Hippoboscidae & Nycteribiidae). Handbooks for the identification of the British Insects.

Volume 10 Part 7. Royal Entomological Society.

Walker, M.D and Rotherham, I.D (2010) The Common Swift Louse Fly, Crataerina pallida: An Ideal Species for Studying Host-Parasite Interactions. Journal of Insect Science, Volume 10.

Contributions to White Admiral Anyone can submit copy for the White Admiral newsletter. Articles need not be scientific or written by experts, though these are welcome too. The function of the White Admiral, as a newsletter for the Suffolk Naturalists’ Society and its members, is to publish natural history experiences and observations and certainly to promote further biological recording.

Articles don’t need to be long (there is no minimum length) and we would prefer that pieces do not exceed 2,000 words. We also want to encourage accompanying photos, diagrams and figures to help bring articles to life. A set of photographs may be the basis of a piece in their own right.

For more information contact the editor at the following email address: whiteadmiralnewsletter@gmail.com.

Deadlines for copy are: Feb (Spring issue), June (Summer issue) and Oct (Autumn issue).

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The University of Suffolk Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife, Ecology & Conservation Science Suffolk was one of only two counties in England without a university prior to the establishment of a campus at Ipswich, with its surrounding affiliated colleges at Bury St Edmunds and Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth. The County also has one of the lowest numbers of young adults attending university, making the widening of higher educational participation and delivery of the next generation of graduates to meet local employment needs a key component of the Institutes activities. The University of Suffolk was fully established on 1st August 2016. Prior to this, all degrees obtained during its infancy as University Campus Suffolk, were awarded by jointly by the University of East Anglia and University of Essex. The independ-

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ence has meant we can award our own degrees and have greater autonomy to develop our degree and research subject portfolio.

Currently, the university has around 5000 students with an intention to grow to 7500 - we don’t really want to grow much larger. A smaller student body allows us to deliver more personalised teaching that enables students to develop their full potential in a nurturing environment.

As part of the degree expansion programme, and the university’s commitment to conserving Suffolk wildlife and habitats, Dr Chris Turner in the Life Science Directorate proposed a Bachelor’s degree centred on Wildlife. I joined the university in January of this year and set about helping Chris to

9

develop this concept further. We have met many people from a variety of local, regional and national institutes to discuss our ideas, including Gen, Martin and Ben from the Suffolk Biodiversity Information Service, as well as representatives from Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Essex Wildlife Trust, Essex and Suffolk Rivers Trusts, Eden Rose Coppice Trust, Munto n s, th e En v iro n me n t Agency, Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science to name but a few. Chris also developed strong links with Colchester Zoo and I have links with the Field Studies Council at Flatford Mill. With all this 10

excellent input and knowledge we finally came up with a snappy degree programme title - Wildlife, Ecology and Conservation Science!

You may ask why is it such a long White Admiral 98

tracking methodology will help study local mammal populations and if our current Bioscience students participation in the inspirational Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s hedgehog project last year with Chris, is anything to go by, will be a popular module.

title (the abbreviation is WECS, if that helps)? Well we wanted to try and encapsulate all that the degree will hopefully deliver and nothing shorter quite covered it.

My background is in aquatic biology and toxicology, having helped run the Aquatic Resource Management MSc at King’s College London for a number of years prior to moving to Ipswich.

Thus, there will be a watery flavour to the new course. But, it is not just about the aquatic environment. The academic input from Colchester Zoo will cover large mammal conservation. Field White Admiral 98

Justine Oakes, the Sustainability officer at the University and the lead of the new Suffolk Sustainability Institute launching in November 2017, has a wealth of experience in the world of environmental consultancy and a passion for bats; will be joining us for a number of module sessional inputs. We will also be employing additional members to the team in the coming year to kick start the programme and expand our research expertise and education provision.

The aim is to provide a strong scientific education that supports conservation. Thus, the students will be taught early on ecological principles and ecosystems, animal physiological and behaviour and how this knowledge interrelates with habitat biodiversity and conservation. Maybe a surprising module is the one on Molecular Genetics, but this knowledge is needed in the field of conservation g e ne t ic s . I w i l l i ntr o duce freshwater and marine biology and 11

this leads through to modules on fisheries and pollutant pressures on ecosystems, aquatic and terrestrial.

As befitting, a large component of the course will be practical. We have a wonderful opportunity to take full advantage of the diverse habitats that Suffolk has to offer.

This beautiful backdrop provides the canvas from which to explore contemporary conservation issues – it is always easier to pick up knowledge if you experience things first hand. Thus, the link from lecture theatre - to field will be strong. This is where I hope many in the Suffolk Naturalists’ Society can help. The knowledge and enthusiasm you have will help us immensely, because, if one of our students is passionate about orchids or wading birds, or pollinating insects, then hopefully by working with local recorders and experts we can together help

the next generation to develop deep lifelong interests.

The pressures on our countryside are not just local problems, many are symptomatic of issues found nationally and internationally. I strongly belief that that lure of the Suffolk landscape, and the multitude of diverse conservation groups performing outstanding work to address many of these pressures will attract students from all over the country (and maybe internationally).

We look forward to developing the course over the coming years and hopefully to become an integral part of the network of Suffolk biodiversity and its conservation groups. So please take a deep breath and spread the word that Suffolk has a degree programme in Wildlife, Ecology and Conservation Science.

Drs Nic Bury and Chris Turner

More details can be found at: www.uos.ac.uk/wildlife or email n.bury@uos.ac.uk or christopher.turner@uos.ac.uk.

Nic’s research can be viewed at www.burylabs.co.uk

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Butterfly Challenge

Dingy Skipper at the King's Forest

This year I set myself a small challenge: to photograph all the Suffolk butterfly species.

I was keen to get early examples as these would potentially be in good condition.

I allowed myself to cheat and drift over the border to Cambridgeshire to Devil’s Dyke at Newmarket and a couple of other venues close by to capture a few extras.

I helped Bill Stone of the Suffolk butterfly conservation group with a dingy skipper survey in the King’s Forest after finding several green hairstreaks and small heath in the area.

My existing photos did not include the wall brown or brown hairstreak so they were top priority.

I started in Spring by getting the orange-tip, small tortoiseshell, brimstone and peacock in the garden then set out over the next few weeks with trips to Stoke ferry for grizzled skipper (second attempt) and Carlton marshes for the wall brown.

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As the season progressed I thought I had best try to see a swallowtail and so took the easy option and went to RSPB Strumpshaw with some success.

The other trip away was to Brampton wood near Huntingdon where I saw several black hairstreaks, a beautiful species, and a first for me.

13

Black Hairstreak

Green Hairstreak

White-letter hairstreaks and purple hairstreaks are literally a pain in the neck as they are mostly in tree-tops and often don’t fly much at all. I have a local farmer who allows me to monitor his white -letters for him and I also studied every healthy elm that I could find elsewhere. This resulted in several new records including at home in Thurston. The purple emperor could have been a tricky one, but after a few trips to SWT Bonny wood, I found one together with silver-washed fritillaries and white admiral. Ditton Park wood, Wooditton was quite busy with emperors too.

Summer at home was slow to start but ringlet, meadow brown and later, gatekeepers flourished.

Devil’s Dyke Newmarket is a great site on the Suffolk border where marbled white, dingy skipper, dark green fritillary, brown argus, and later, chalkhill blues abound.

Comma, red admiral, small and large white all added to my list and 14

green veined white, painted lady were welcome too.

Purdis heath was a place I had not visited before, so I thought it could present me with silver-studded blue. So, after failing to find them at Westleton common (where I found them last year) I searched successfully at Purdis heath.

I had previously not photographed brown hairstreak, so I was very keen to capture this one and tried a few sites several times without any luck until finally bagging one at White Admiral 98

White Admiral

Silver-studded Blue Pair

Piper’s vale Ipswich.

Marbled white, small copper, small heath and common blue also showed.

One quarry I knew could be difficult would be the grayling.

Some might say that would be easy but not having found any near Thursto n I w as travelling to the coast, and trips were often foiled by poor weather.

While searching for red-veined darters at Hollesley marshes, I stumbled across a couple of grayling, so I was thrilled to get another tick in the box.

Large, small and Essex skippers popped up in a variety of venues as did speckled wood and occasional holly blue, but the dreaded clouded yellow eluded me, so I felt that I failed. When that happens, you White Admiral 98

must move the goal-posts a bit: it’s a migrant.

Now contemplating what challenge to set myself next year without too much travelling, it is very easy to clock up a few thousand miles chasing about, great fun and frustrating at times. A slow start but when the season got going, most common species were in abundance and other scarcer ones like silver-washed fritillaries, white admiral and white-letter hairstreaks seemed to occur more widespread this year. A total of thirty-nine species photographed but still annoyed about that clouded yellow until 21 st of September when I found one at BTO Landguard. A perfect s p e c i m e n , p e rf e c t l y t i m e d .

Although it was challenging to photograph, it was a fine end to my butterfly year.

Trevor Goodfellow

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AONBs ‘Pollinator Patches’ Project The Suffolk/Essex Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) – Suffolk Coast & Heaths and the Dedham Vale AONB and Stour Valley Project – delivered a very successful ‘Scattered Orchard’ Project (SOP) last year, planting 170 traditional fruit and nut trees at 36 sites, and the AONBs were keen to continue working with these communities.

A follow-up project was developed to increase the number and diversity of nectar rich plants beneficial to pollinators, particularly bees.

Some ‘Scattered Orchard’ trees were planted at sites with little floristic diversity, so the planting of nectar rich plants, as part of the ‘Pollinator Patches’ Project, will increase biodiversity and assist with the pollination of the fruit and nut trees. ‘Pollinator Patches’ aimed to plant native bulbs, wildflower plugs/seed and small trees and shrubs to provide beneficial nectar and pollen to pollinators throughout the year.

The scheme involved local communities in the planting and so will continue to bring local people together on a project that will remain for future generations to enjoy.

Learning ‘what, how and why’ We ran a training session for volunteers with Gen Broad, Biodiversity Officer from Suffolk Biodiversity Information Service (SBIS), on wildflower identification and site surveys. These volunteers then visited the sites and identified what habitat was already there, what could be done to improve wildlife value and where the best places were for the pollinator patches. The local communities subsequently planted spring bulbs and wildflower plugs and sowed wildflower seed such as yellow rattle. Small trees and shrubs, such as pussy willow and crab apple, were planted in the winter alongside snowdrops and aconites ‘in the green’.

Photo credit: T. Pick

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Fr e e w i ldf lo w e r se e d a nd snowdrops/aconites ‘in the green’ were given out to people along with advice on establishing these as needed.

The Essex/Suffolk AONBs Team would like to give heartfelt thanks to all the volunteers who gave up their time to help with this project and to the community representatives who worked hard to identify sites, obtain permissions, where needed, and undertake the plantings/sowings.

David Wood, Chair of the Suffolk Coast & Heaths AONB, said:

Information boards were installed to advise what had been planted and why, with posters and flyers distributed locally to raise awareness of what people can do to increase the number of pollinators to their gardens and local ‘wild’ spaces.

A wider audience To promote the idea of ‘pollinator patches’ to a wider audience each AONB held a ‘Pollinator Pop Up’ event in March (at Snape Maltings for Suffolk Coast & Heaths and at the National Trust Bridge Cottage, Flatford for Dedham Vale AONB).

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“It is vital that we do all we can to conserve and improve our finest land scape s. The ‘Pollinator Patches’ Project will make an important contribution to the Suffolk Coast & Heaths AONB landscape. Just as importantly, the project gives local people and AONB volunteers the opportunity to engage in their AONB in a very practical way”.

Nigel Chapman, Chair of the Dedham Vale AONB and Stour Valley Project said: “The ‘Pollinator Patches’ Project is a wonderful initiative, not only will it enhance the landscape and wildlife of the Dedham Vale AONB but it will bring communities together as they plant and nurture their plants and enjoy and

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celebrate the harvest in years to come. A fantastic legacy for the Dedham Vale”.

The ‘Pollinator Patches’ Project has been funded by the Sustainable Development Funds of the Suffolk Coast & Heaths/Dedham Vale Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The ‘Scattered Orchards’ Project has been funded by the Sustainable Development Funds of Suffolk Coast & Heaths/ Dedham Vale Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, plus across the Stour Valley Project Area by the Stour Valley Environment Fund, and in Suffolk Coast & Heaths by the Galloper Wind Farm Fund and the Amenity and Accessibility Fund.

For further details about the scheme please contact Neil Lister on 01394 445218, neil.lister@suffolk.gov.uk or Emma Black on 01394 445219, emma.black@suffolk.gov.uk.

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Pond Life in 2017

Broad-bodied Chaser

In edition 95 of 'White Admiral' I wrote in general terms about the pleasures and perils of our (Westerfield Road, Ipswich) garden pond. This pond is about five foot by three and being precast it hasn't got the shallow areas recommended for wildlife to have easy access and departure. During hot spells it is topped up with water, always from our water butts and never with tap water. These observations cover five and a half months in 2017, starting with: 2nd April: About half of the surface weed was removed using a fork.

Each pile was carefully examined and then left for several days at White Admiral 98

the pond edge, so any creatures could easily return to the water.

Two Frogs, three Common Newts, two damselfly larvae and several Water Snails were found and returned to the water.

10th May: A female Broad-bodied Chaser was observed but not seen egg-laying.

16th May: five Frogs were in the pond but once again there was no frogspawn. This has now occurred for several years and I suspect some have crossed the road to our neighbour's pond, installed a few years ago and larger than ours.

18th May: The first damselfly was seen, a Large Red, using a stick to 21

climb out of the pond and up to the top edge.

23rd May: Eight Frogs were seen but still no frogspawn. This compares to a maximum of eighteen last year and this total of eight was the maximum for 2017.

Single pairs of both Azure and Large Red damselflies were observed egg-laying.

25th May: The first ever garden Mayfly was seen this evening but well away from the pond.

28th May: The egg-laying pairs have now risen to three Azure and one Large Red. 29th May: A dead Common Newt was in the pond, with no signs of predation. Today a Shield Bug fell into the water and was devoured by a mass of Pond Skaters, which use their front legs to grasp prey.

2nd June: A Large Red damselfly was seen halfway down a Frog's throat. This is unusual because mating pairs often lay eggs close to these Frogs without any reaction.

13th June: A new record for the pond, with six pairs of Azure and three pairs of Large Red, making a total of eighteen.

14th June: Both male and female Broad-bodied Chasers were seen, the female over the pond and probably egg-laying, since this has been recorded previously.

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15th June: This period of dry and hot weather has brought a Hornet to the pond, seen on three occasions drinking water. Closer observation revealed it was in fact storing globules of water along its abdomen, then flying away, fast and direct out of the garden, always in the same direction. Was it returning to its nest to give the water to dehydrated young?

16th June: Probably the same Hornet was found struggling in the water, attracting both Frogs and Pond Skaters, though none attacked. Using a twig, I was able to rescue it and once clear of the water it remained on vegetation and had a thorough drying and cleaning session. A telephone call interrupted my observations and it had gone when I returned.

17th June: Five pairs of Azure plus two singles, and three pairs of Large Red and one single brought the total to nineteen damselflies, an incredible sight in such a small pond.

21st June: A Robin was bathing in the pond, despite the presence of a water bowl nearby. Most birds seem to be able to drink and bathe safely and in the many years we have lived here there has been just one fatality. This regrettably was a Goldcrest, probably drowned because of its small and rounded size.

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25th June: A young Wren was bathing in the pond, easily identified by its spotted plumage.

A Song Thrush, rare now in the garden, was bathing in the nearby water bowl.

27th June: I counted at least thirty Pond Skaters. These are often attracted to the ripples caused when more water is tipped into the pond.

6th August: My wife Marie found a torpid Common newt when she was clearing out some invasive Osteospurmums. It was about twelve feet from the pond. This gave a total of 126 days between

our first and last 2017 sightings though it wasn't certain as to when the first one entered the pool or the last one left.

17th August: A female Common Darter was observed yesterday and today it was egg-laying at the same time as a newly emerged female Common Darter was drying out on top of a nearby Laurel bush. This means that four species now breed in the pond: Azure and Large Red damselflies, plus Broad-bodied Chaser and Common Darter dragonflies.

Richard Stewart

Harpers Hill Grassland County Wildlife Site Ever wondered what the patch of grassland is as you go up Harpers Hill between the A134 and the

lay-by, to the east of the main road on the right? Well it’s a Suffolk County Council County Wildlife Site (CWS)!

CWSs play a key role in the conservation of Suffolk’s biodiversity. Suffolk has over 900 County Wildlife Sites, amounting to 19,200 hectares and covering 5% of the county. County Wildlife Site designation is non-statutory, but it recognises the high value of a site for wildlife. Many sites are of county, and often regional or White Admiral 98

national, importance. They are often designated because they support characteristic or threatened species or habitats. Sites may be privately or publicly owned and vary in size and shape from small meadows, green lanes, dykes and hedges to much l a r ge r a r e a s o f a n ci e n t woodlands, heathland, greens, commons and marsh. For more information on CWSs visit the Suffolk Biodiversity Information Service website http:// www.suffolkbis.org.uk/suffolksites/cws.

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Harpers Hill CWS & Volunteers

The site at Harpers Hill, consists of a small area of habitats diverse grassland, bordered by a ditch and dense hedge of brambles along the roadside.

Despite its small size, 0.6ha, the site supports a very good range of flowering plants; a total of ninety -five species have been recorded here. This includes many common wild flowers, for example wild carrot, agrimony and common centaury. The site was noted for a sizeable population of bee orchids (approximately fifty spikes were found in 1988). And, although a comprehensive butterfly survey has not been carried out, it is clear from casual observations that the site supports a good range of invertebrates, particularly butterflies and moths, grasshoppers, and ants. The grassy areas contain several anthills which are an unusual feature associated with unimproved grassland.

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The appropriate management and protection of these sites for wildlife is important as wildlife habitats can deteriorate if neglected or managed in an unfavourable way. The Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and Stour Valley Project volunteers undertake a cut and rake every autumn removing all the arisings. This ensures no extra fertility is added to the grassland which if left would increase the soil fertility and encourage the more vigorous grasses and wildflowers to grow.

To access the site, turn into the layby and opposite the houses you will see a sign and path into the site. It’s a lovely place to visit and watch nature. There’s also some fruit trees and blackberries which you can pick for your autumn pies and jams.

Emma Black, Countryside Projects Officer, Dedham Vale AONB and Stour Valley Project White Admiral 98

The Playful Mustelids In early July, we were on our way back home from a lovely day in Aldeburgh. A walk along the beach and fish and chips from the famed Aldeburgh chippy in the warm sun facing a North Sea breeze had fulfilled all the right ingredients for a happy heart. We usually like to go back home via Snape on the B1069, the scenic route, thus avoiding the ferocious A12. On this occasion, we also decided to turn off the A1094 on a little used byroad into Snape, Priory Road, which we affectionately refer to as the ‘sandy road’ for obvious reasons.

We were driving fairly slowly when suddenly not more than 50 yards ahead of us we became privy to natural theatre, a pair of light brown bodies at play in the middle of the road. We slowed right down, switched off the engine and rolled down the hill as far as we dared

1 Our first encounter

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and stopped, windows.

sliding

open

the

The two sle nde r yo ung ish performers (photo 1) continued with the frolicking - chasing each other, fighting and tumbling, jumping and galloping, turning back and hiding in the roadside verge and out again on the road as fast as their short legs with furry feet would carry them. The longish tails, some 10 cm long, with the distinctive black tips of Mustela erminea bristled with excitement (photo 2). And the black and slightly protruding round eyes, shone with enthusiasm. I got my camera trained on the road and through the screen managed to take a few ‘mediocre’ shots. The sandy brown pelage above flipped over every so often to reveal the ventral creamy white. The almost choreographed playfulness of what appeared to be siblings without a

2 Tail all a bristle

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3 Gallop with an arched back

care in the world was wonderful to watch. No harm was intended, just a joy of connecting, of bonding with each other. We witnessed all sorts of movements – a bounding gait, close to ground fleeing with a straight body and fast leg movements and rapid galloping with an arched back (photo 3). A couple of times the more mischievous and energetic one stood up like a periscope almost begging the other one ‘Dear Prudence, won’t you come out to play?’

4 Leaving the scene

Like their prey, we sat there mesmerised by their wild cavorting dances. Occasionally we heard shrieks. Was this a practice run for when they were adults? Some ten delightfully long minutes later they disappeared from sight into the bank on the left (photo 4). We waited for a further five – the entertainment was over. We got out of the car to give them a standing ovation. Luckily cars had stayed away all the time we had blocked the road! It was definitely time for tea and cake.

Rasik Bhadresa

Elm – the only host plant for the White -letter Hairstreak When Dutch Elm Disease (DED) struck Britain’s Elm trees, pessimists said it would be the death knell for the White-letter Hairstreak (WLH). Forty years later, the species has suffered setbacks in many areas, but is by no means lost. In Suffolk, we still have plenty of elm, although we 26

have lost a lot of mature English elms and mature Wych elms, the latter being the variety favoured by the WLH. Fortunately, the Huntingdon variety, widespread in East Anglia, has fared better than other varieties, and the butterfly has adapted to lay eggs on the sucker growth which often sprouts White Admiral 98

healthily from the root system of dying trees. Thus, the butterfly has lived on, despite the countryside being littered with the stillstanding corpses of dead elms.

A good deal of work has been going on in UK, France and Spain to find disease-resistant strains of elm, and to propagate these in order to replace the elms in our countryside. There have been successes at several levels, and Butterfly Conservation has been working to get some promising varieties planted to provide the necessary host trees for future generations of the WLH. Two different varieties of elm have been planted in Suffolk recently as a long-term conservation measure:

Ulmus laevis, the European White Elm is not genetically resistant to DED, but it benefits from being unappealing to the elm bark beetle. The adult beetles spread the spores of DED when the females lay their eggs into the bark of most elms. However, they avoid this variety, which grows well in most of Europe, where it supports colonies of WLH. Until now, it has not been planted much in UK.

Ulmus minor “Ademuz”, a variety of Field Elm, has been cultivated in Spain as a strain genetically resistant to DED, and these are now available commercially.

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Several Branches of Butterfly Conservation, notably Hampshire, have been growing both the above varieties in places where mature elms have fallen to DED, with the aim of restoring elms to their countryside, and providing suitable habitat for the recovery of their WLH colonies.

Two years ago, Andrew Brookes of the Hampshire Branch sent freshly harvested seed of Ulmus laevis to other Branches interested in a similar conservation measure. I received an envelope of seed (free, with compliments) and sowed some at home. I used very little, but passed some on to interested Committee members, and we engaged the interest of the Parks Departments at St Edmundsbury and Ipswich Borough Councils.

As a result, we finished up with small amounts growing with members, and two parallel ventures on a larger scale. At St Edmundsbury’s Nowton Park Nursery about 50 young plants were grown in a propagation tunnel by a project employing youngsters with learning difficulties. At Ipswich’s Chantry Park, the charity ‘ActiveLives’ grew about 20 for us. This very generous cooperation, at no cost to Butterfly Conservation, nurtured seedlings through the winter of 2015/16, kept

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them moist and fertilized, potted them up and reached the winter of 2016/17 with plants ready to be planted out in suitable locations.

The shortest, home grown specimens, were about a metre high whereas the strongest had reached head height in the nurseries.

In the meantime, Andrew Brookes had obtained some commercially grown “Ademuz” from Spain, and one batch of a dozen was purchased by Suffolk Branch, at a cost of £9 each plant. These were delivered in January 2017,

conveniently ready for planting at the same time as the locally propagated White Elms.

Planting decisions resulted in a mix of public and private sites, spread between West and East Suffolk, as follows. They were planted by volunteers in groups of about 3, usually close to an existing WLH colony or in a place where the species had flown in the past. Most went into the ground in February/early March, protected from browsing by tree guards and stakes.

European White Elm: West Suffolk (53 in total): • 4 by stream at Tayfen Meadows, Bury St Edmunds.

• 6 on private land near Thurston.

• 1 on private land at Fornham.

• 33 at Bury St Edmunds, beside Lark, planted 2 Mar 2017.

• 9 awaiting planting, St Eds Council land, beside Lark.

East • 3 • 3 • 3 • 3 • 3 • 3 • 3

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Suffolk/Ipswich (21 in total): Alexandra Park.

Chantry Park.

Christchurch Park.

Landseer Park.

Holywells Park.

Waldringfield (planting deferred).

Stutton (Private land).

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Disease resistant Field Elm ‘Ademuz’ (12 in total): A courier brought the plants on 14 Jan 2017, well wrapped and with plenty of moisture around the roots. The tallest were just over a metre. Most were planted promptly, close to a known White-letter hairstreak colony.

• 3 Near Aldeburgh, (Trudie ’s garden, Private).

• 3 at Newmarket Plantation, Cavenham (Private).

• 3 in Holywells Park, behind Susie Mellor memorial bench.

• 3 for Waldringfield (awaiting planting).

Now we must wait and see; obviously it is going to be a few years before any of these trees are big enough to support a Whiteletter Hairstreak colony. Two of the sites lie on existing butterfly transects, which should assist

future monitoring. Let’s hope it turns out to have been a useful act of conservation – both for the elms and the White-letter Hairstreak.

Rob Parker

The Brecks Earth Heritage Trail The Breaking New Ground Landscape Partnership was supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund over the last 3 years and one of the outputs is a pair of publications; a pocket sized fold-up leaflet and an A4 sized booklet containing greater detail (both shown over page).

They are both wonderfully informative and colourful guides to 18 safe and accessible Breckland sites, 10 of which are in the Suffolk. Although called a “Trail”, the sites are independent of one White Admiral 98

another and can be visited individually and in any order.

There are no prescriptive routes at the sites, it is left to the visitor to explore as much and whatever appeals at the time.

The theme throughout shows the vital links between the: •

underlying geology

•

landscape sculpting processes

•

characteristics of the covering Breckland soils

•

resulting vegetation 29

•

animal life that is supported

•

how primitive to modern mankind has made best use of these.

The accounts in the booklet are especially well illustrated in this respect with maps, block diagrams, sections, artistic interpretations and numerous photographs. This makes easy but fascinating in depth reading that can be taken into the field. You can download the publications as PDF files from the website at : http//:www.breakingnewground.or g.uk/earthheritagetrail/ 30

The “Trail” is also supported by a smartphone app for iPhone and Android versions.

The “Trail” was designed by Tim Holt-Wilson. Other collaborators included the artist Beverly Curl.

Those familiar with some of the GeoSuffolk inspired information boards in Suffolk may recognise her paintings, such as the Woolly Mammoths on the cover of the Booklet. Our own botanical guru, Martin Sanford, also provided assistance.

Howard Mottram, GeoSuffolk White Admiral 98

Geronimo the grasshopper has been published by the Essex Field Club. The second book in the Insect Adventures series of children’s stories tells the tale of Geronimo the grasshopper, as he learns to jump higher and goes on an exciting adventure when he leaves his heathland home. Will he return in time to win the Mould Medal in the Heathland Games? The book was published by the Essex Field Club in July 2017 and has a foreword by Jimmy Doherty. The illustrations are by Andrea Ellis of Unequi Science & Creativity with words by Tim Gardiner. To buy the White Admiral 98

book (£5.99 + £1.50 UK p&p) visit: http:// timsinsectadventures.blogspot.co.u k/p/Geronimo-grasshopper.html.

The books in the Insect Adventures series are designed to appeal to children between the ages 5-8 who are able to read alone, or they can be read by parents at bedtime. The stories are split into eight easy to read chapters and introduce children to the lives of insects and how they adapt and survive in the wild.

Tim Gardiner

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SNS Meeting Dates 2018

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S a t 2 4 th F e b C o n f e r e n c e ( W h e r s t e a d P a r k )

W e d 1 1 th A p r i l A G M a n d S p r i n g M e m b e r s e v e n i n g (Cedars Hotel, Stowmarket)

W e d 2 1 st N o v A u t u m n M e m b e r s e v e n i n g ( C e d a r s H o t e l , Stowmarket)

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Red Deer photographed near Westleton Heath in the rutting season (Autumn 2017) whilst on an RSPB Minsmere ‘Deer Safari’ by Ben Heather 32

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

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

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

Chipperfield Bursary - Studies involving butterflies or moths.

Cranbrook Bursary - Studies involving mammals or birds.

Rivis Bursary - Studies of the county's flora.

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

Nash Bursary - Studies involving beetles.

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

Criteria:

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

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

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

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

Suffolk Biological Recording Bursary.

See a list of the supported FSC courses supported here: http://www.sns.org.uk/pages/bursary -f.shtml

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