SUMMER 2005 Editorial

Summer seemed to take a long time to arrive this year but now it’s here with a vengeance. As I write this in the third week of June many shallow-rooted trees and hedgerow plants are showing signs of stress from water shortage, with leaves falling already. Hornets seem to be more numerous than usual in this part of Suffolk, somehow enhancing the Mediterranean ambience.

The summer edition of the newsletter is usually slimmer than others and this one is no exception. I presume that contributors are busy in the field. Nevertheless, I hope that readers will enjoy a high standard and mixture of articles.  Two items in particular catch my eye. I hope that the Summer of Insects drawing and photography competition will inspire youngsters to even greater heights than last year’s brilliant entries. Also we have a new feature – Weatherfront – observation and records of Suffolk’s weather from Andrew Toomey.

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I am pleased to introduce the Ancient House Dustbin Mouse whose photograph is below.

We keep a sack of peanuts for the birds and a bag of pelleted dog food in an old-fashioned metal dustbin in the garden. This little fellow visited the bin regularly through the winter, tucking in to the peanuts and shredding the sack in the process. What impressed us was his athleticism. When disturbed he ran round and round the inside of the bin, getting closer to the rim with each circuit, until he was near enough to launch himself into the air and make a safe escape. At one stage a juvenile who took a while to perfect the exit routine accompanied him.

He is of course a wood mouse Apodemus sylvaticus, apparently the third most numerous wild mammal in Britain, with a population estimated at 38 million. Note the cream coloured shirtfront, large eyes for nocturnal vision and big ears to listen out for the owls. We developed an irrational fondness for the little beastie and excused his messy eating habits. There may be 37,999,999 others but he’s special to us.

      David Walker: Editor