Colin Hawes
3 Silver Leys, Bentley
Ipswich, Suffolk, IP9 2BS, England
As we head towards the 21st century it seems that Ipswich Borough Council is about to abandon its natural history heritage. The town's museum service has recently been the subject of a cost-cutting review process which threatens not only the Suffolk Biological Records Centre (SBRC) but also the natural history collections.
Natural history collections are an irreplaceable part of our scientific and cultural heritage as much as are Roman remains or Egyptian relics. Likewise they are a scientific and educational resource.
Further cuts in museum staff and abandonment of other traditional roles form the main points of the review. Such cuts will have far-reaching effects as has been pointed out before (White Admiral 31 : 1-3).
Reference collections, record data bases and, importantly, the specialist staff to oversee them are essential in the process of providing a comprehensive educational service as well as in servicing conservation initiatives.
Does Ipswich Borough Council know what valuable resources it has at its High Street site? It seems not, otherwise it would be proudly publicising its remarkable assets and achievements instead of trying to consign its heritage to history.
Your views on these issues are welcomed. Additionally you are urged to make your views known to Ipswich Borough Council.
Monitoring key species and noting population change is all part of the work undertaken by the SBRC. However, this cannot be achieved without records. Records are required, for example, in order for wildlife sites to be managed effectively - including those within the Borough! Stan Dumican writes about Recording on SWT Reserves in this issue..
Thanks are due to Stan and all White Admiral contributors for again providing a wide range of topics for the newsletter. The Society is also indebted to David Hosking for permission to use his remarkable photograph of the Water Vole (climbing a tree in his garden) and for providing it at such short notice. Thanks go also to all those who continue to give their support to the newsletter in other ways : The Robert Stebbings Consultancy Limited, Brenda Arden, Anne Beaufoy and John Kemmett of Simplith Printing Service.
Items for the next issue of White Admiral, including photographs and drawings, are eagerly awaited. All contributions should be addressed to 'The Editor' and arrive not later than 7th October 1999. Contributors are reminded that, where possible, material should be submitted on computer disk accompanied by printed copy (see p.21)
Many of us keep nature diaries or natural history journals; records of the past that we can look back through to note the place and timing of the seasonal events : the arrival of the first swallow, butterflies observed on an afternoon walk or records made at a field meeting. But how many of us remember to record the weather alongside our natural history observations?
Charting the daily detail of temperature and other weather features is an important part of natural history recording. Weather affects plants and animals. 'Low cloud, persistent rain. Still raining 9pm' or 'A warm day, with thin, low cloud cover' adds significant data to a record.
In many parts of Suffolk, March was a mild month with maximum temperatures exceeding the average on many days. Spring-like weather began on March 12th and went on for over a week. The rest of the month gave a mixture of cold and warm days. Following a winter which was notable for its mildness, spring plant growth was advanced by 3-4 weeks. Very roughly, plant growth begins when the temperature climbs above 6 degrees Celsius (43F). Given sufficient moisture, the higher the temperature over that threshold the faster the plants will grow. Spring sprung early also saw the season progress strongly for insects and birds.
Cold, wet weather during the first two weeks of June had a devastating effect on butterfly numbers and suppressed the emergence of stag beetles.
Records of flowering dates, emergence times, arrival and departure of birds, the so called 'secondary data' are useful in that they give us additional information about the way in which the environment responds to our changing climate. Such data may even give an indication of 'things to come', according to Dr. Michael Majerus who has been studying the overwintering behaviour of the orange ladybird (Halzia 16-guttata). For more than a decade he has observed a striking correlation between the insect's choice of winter refuge and the ensuing weather.
Looking back at some of my own nature diary entries I note the dearth of weather information. If only I had recorded 'a cool, breezy evening' alongside my natural history jotting 'no stag beetles seen' it would have been so much more useful.
Editor
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