Velvet Shank Likes the Cold
We include Geology in our interests.
I should like to put on record that I was wakened at about 1.00am on 23rd September 2002 by the earthquake in the Midlands.
P.W. Glassborow, Woodhouse Eaves, Church Road, Elmswell, Suffolk
Last year we were given a few plastic sacks of logs by a friend who had had them lying about for quite a time. When we emptied the sacks we found not just a lot of wood, some very crumbly, but also a whole lot of stag beetle larvae at various stages of development. There were about 20 of them, some very fat and obviously near pupation. We made a hole in the artichoke patch and buried them with wood and sawdust.
The other excitement was a grass snake rolled up in a coil like a garden hose. It appeared to be dead as it didn’t move when we approached and its body had several medium sized bulges. We left it lying on the compost heap and went back to work. To our surprise, when we went back after an hour or two we found the snake had gone and there were 4 or 5 whitish eggs where it had been. The eggs had soft shells and were out in the open on top of the compost heap. Sadly, by next morning, they had all been attacked by red spiders. But later in the summer we found two shed snake skins in the garden, so the egg-laying snake probably survived.
Usch Spettigue, Harkstead
Velvet Shank Likes the ColdIt seems that the common winter hardy fungus Velvet Shank Flammulina velutipes, has been more abundant than normal this past winter. During the heavy snowfall of 31st January to 2nd February I have personally recorded this species in more sites than normal this year in northeast Suffolk. It has been recorded on Hazel Corylus avellana at Somerleyton, Elder Sambucus nigra at Kessingland and, by far the best collection this year was on Elm Ulmus sp. at Gunton Wood Lowestoft. Here some very good groups were seen growing from the dead wood.
It is of course known to tolerate being frozen which I believe helps the fungus to produce more spores.
Has anyone else noticed more than normal this last winter?
Colin A Jacobs, Lowestoft
A helpful suggestion perhaps: what about a small index for all the recorders so that people like me do not have to scrabble about looking up emails or addresses for lepidoptera recorders or stag beetle surveys; anything to make it easier for the general naturalists to get records to the correct person. I have been a bit dubious at times in the past of records sent to SBRC getting to the recorders and that is probably because of pressure of work. It may have already been done but a page in the magazine that could be removed for reference plus a page on the web would be immensely helpful. Now you will tell me there is a page on the web site and I haven't found it. I am a bit old fashioned and still like something in front of me. Although I am a bit of a dinosaur when it comes to computers a lot of our members may not have access or are even older than me!
Peter Ling
Sheila Jennings (White Admiral 52 ) mentions watching a blackbird eat an adult newt, probably a smooth newt and asks if this is common. Many birds eat amphibians. Wrens, robins and blackbirds will take tadpoles of frogs, toads and newts. Probably only the blackbird can manage adult smooth newts that grow to 11 cm long but are soft bodied, thin and quite easily mangled and swallowed. Some may have seen kingfishers feeding on newts in garden ponds and old swimming pools. Herons too can take newts of all kinds, although from my observations I suspect that the chemical released from Great Crested Newt skin can make them sick and disgorge their stomach in some circumstances. Owls too are frequent feeders on adult frogs and toads especially on damp, still moonlit nights, when encounters are most likely. Last year I found common frogspawn and remains of an adult female frog spread 5 metres up on the top of a wildlife observation tower in my garden. I suspect tawny owls were responsible as they were very active the night before. If any one has any other observations of bird predation on amphibians or reptiles, please let me know.
Tom Langton t.langt@virgin.net or c/o SNS
An interesting liverwortWhilst looking for bryophytes around Ipswich golf course with Neil Sherman on Thursday 6th February, I found a liverwort that at first I could not identify. It was growing amongst the moss Mnium hornum on a rotting stump in wet willow carr and turned out to be Trichocolea tomentella (see photograph). This is very rare in Eastern England, the only previous record from Suffolk being 'swampy woodland, Cavenham Heath' in 1948. It was recorded in Essex in 1952 but is not known from Norfolk nor Cambridgeshire. Other noteworthy liverworts seen on this day included Frullania dilata, Metzgeria fruticulosa and Radula complanata.
Richard Fisk Bryophytes recorder
In January, East Anglia saw the biggest invasion of waxwings since 1996. Scattered reports of the colourful birds came from across the region. Suffolk sightings were reported from Copdock, Haverhill and Laxfield.
Did anyone see them in other parts of the county? If so, please send your records to the Suffolk Biological Records Centre, c/o Ipswich Museum, High Street, Ipswich IP1 3QH.
Colin Hawes
Tom Langton
We stopped supplying zip files of the magazine for download, with issue 53.
This is because the service was very infrequently used and it saves space on the server.
If you miss downloading however please e-mail me, Adrian Chalkley
I will decide whether there is sufficient demand for an alternative method.