Small Red-eyed Damselfly strengthens its hold in Suffolk. About 2,500 Erythromma viridulum were counted in late July by several observers on a small reservoir near Lowestoft; on 29^th July several hundred were present on the River Gipping and adjacent gravel pits, and on bankside vegetation, between Needham Market and Pipps Ford. The species was first recorded in Britain in Essex in 1999.

    Fen Raft Spider not out of the woods yet. Despite the cessation of water abstraction near to Lopham and Redgrave Fens, the Dolomedes plantarius population is still failing to thrive. This could be due to genetic weakness caused by inbreeding of the small population. An alternative theory suggests the Raft spider is not really a fenland species but was driven there by loss of more suitable habitats nearby.

    Paul Lee reaches the end of his term as SNS Chairperson next April. Thought should be given to his successor. Nominations should be seconded and sent to the Hon Secretary.

    Rag worms implicated in loss of salt marshes. Action byNereis diversiolor has been found to worsen the erosion of mud in salt marshes by tidal action. The worms destabilise the mud by their feeding activities. Forty hectares of salt marsh are lost each year from the coasts of Suffolk, Essex and Kent. (From EADT report of research by Dr Rob Hughes of QueenMaryCollege, University of London.)

    Broad-bordered bee hawk moth. Congratulations to Neil Sherman, SNS member and a busy member of the Suffolk Moth Group, for his enlightening article on the Broad-bordered bee hawk moth, which appeared in Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s Summer 2003 magazine.

    Plantlife website. The Plantlife website has been redesigned to make it easier to navigate and to include some new features. The new Plantlife home page has all the links you need to find out about the different aspects of Plantlife’s work and to take part in their projects.

    Gardening with wildlife in mind – CD Rom. Produced by English Nature and published by the Plant Press this CD was launched at BBC Gardeners World Live in June. It contains information on, and stunning photographs of, some 800 species of plants and animals. The CD will tell you, for example, how you can increase your chances of getting an Orange-tip butterfly in your garden, what plant seeds goldfinches are most likely to eat and much more. The CD is available direct from the Plant Press, 10 Market Street, Lewes, BN7 2NB, or from major computer software retailers and garden centres. Price£9.99 (plus £1.50 p&p if ordered from the Plant Press).

    Garden BirdWatch Book. Due to be published late October/early November 2003, this new 128 page publication presents information on those birds most likely to be encountered in gardens, providing details of their ecology, behaviour and occurrence. Most of the information is new and comes from Garden BirdWatch records, as well as from other British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) studies. Regional maps and seasonal reporting notes are included and a lot more besides. There are also sections on attracting and feeding garden birds, wildlife friendly gardening, nest-boxes, identification tips, bird behaviour and many others. Full colour throughout, it has plenty of photographs to show the range of different plumages associated with adults, juveniles, males and females. Price £9.99 (BTO Garden BirdWatch members £5.99).

    National Biodiversity Network. The National Biodiversity Network (NBN) Species Dictionary is now available for use at www.nhm.ac.uk/nbn. Information about the NBN can be found at www.nbn.org.uk. A useful extension to the NBN’s information is the new digital data on Watsonian vice-county boundaries.

    AONB changes. The Countryside and Rights of Way Act now allows for the creation of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Conservation Boards, whose duties include ‘conserving and enhancing natural beauty’. Local authorities have been drawn in to co-operate and have already, in some cases, jointly established AONB teams that work under the direction of the Conservation Boards. For examples of the ‘new look’ AONBs see www.northwessexdowns.org.uk or www.highweald.org.uk. For an overview of AONBs see www.countryside.gov.uk/aonb/. 

• Highly recommended. Pocket Guide to the Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland. Richard Lewington. British Wildlife Publishing 2003. 144 pp. Colour illustrated. ISBN 0-9531399-1-3. £9.95 paperback.

• Arable Plants – a field guide. Phil Wilson & Miles King. Wildguides (in association with English Nature) 2003. 312 pp. Colour illustrated. ISBN 1-903657-02-4. £15.00 hardback.

• Reptiles and Amphibians Britain & Europe. Collins Field Guide. Nick Arnold. HarperCollins 2002. 288 pp. 49 colour plates. 250 b & w illustrations. 192 maps. ISBN 0-00-219964-5. £19.99 hardback.

• English Nature Trail leaflets. English Nature (EN) has produced a new Cavenham Heath NNR nature trail leaflet. Updated leaflets are also available for Chippenham Fen, Brettenham Heath, Walberswick, Westleton Heath and Benacre NNRs. Copies can be downloaded from the EN website www.english-nature.org.uk or obtained free from their Enquiry Service (Tel: 01733 455000).

• ‘East of Eden’ The SNSConference on 18^th October attracted 250 delegates; £271.00 of SNS publications were sold; 2 new members joined.

• Bittern revival continues. An RSPB/English Nature census of booming bitterns shows an increase from 31 to 43 in 2003.

• Mixed news for BAP mammals. Otters and dormice in Suffolk are increasing their territories but the water vole is still in serious decline, mainly as a result of predation by mink (from Five Year Review of Suffolk Biodiversity Action Plan). There has been a 527% increase in the number of places where otters are found across the UK since the 1991 census. A reintroduction scheme has been particularly successful in East Anglia.

• Big Prize money for Wildflower competition again next year. Bernard Tickner, who sponsors the EADT wildflower competition by donating royalties from Notcutts’ sales of Euphorbia var Redwing, has announced that the prize will be £3000 again next year. This year’s prize was shared among three winners: - Woodland Ways Wildlife Group, Bury St Edmunds, the Great Bentley Conservation Group and the Little Ouse Headwaters Charity.

• Global warming blamed for increase in beetle-related tree deaths. The devastation of Suffolk’s elms by Dutch elm disease is well known. Even more disastrous is the impact of the Mountain Pine beetle, Dendroctonus pondersae on the fragile mountain ecosystem of British Columbia. The beetle burrows into and eats the sapwood of the Lodgepole Pine. It also transmits a blue staining fungus that blocks the vessels, killing the tree and making it economically worthless. Approximately 4.7m of 14 million hectares are affected. A run of warm winters has favoured the survival of the insect which is usually killed by frosts. Dendroctonus is the family Scolytidae, the same as the Elm Bark Beetle. Their elytra (horny forewings) are concave at the hind end for use as shovels when excavating.

© 2003   Suffolk Naturalists' Society