REPORTS FROM
SUFFOLK RECORDERS
Reporting in this issue are the following recorders, click in the box
to go straight to your own preference or scroll down to read them all.
Individual recorder's contact details are included in their report but please
click
here to see all contact information for the SNS, including recorders
not reporting here.
Mammals
In June 2006, 34 captive bred dormice
were released into Bradfield Woods
NNR,
owned by Suffolk Wildlife Trust,
as part of a species recovery programme
managed by The People’s Trust for
Endangered Species. This release was
supported by a team of volunteers
carrying out supplementary feeding for
much of the summer. In September and
October we were delighted to find about
a third of the original release animals and
around 38 youngsters in specially made
wooden boxes, which was very
encouraging.
The original release
animals have a ‘pit tag’ which when
scanned reveals a unique bar code, so the
use of a ‘transponder’ into the field has
been very a useful, if not unusual, bit of
kit! In May 2007, we returned to the
wood to see how the dormice had fared
following hibernation. Early on, we
were treated to torpid dormice in the
boxes, which are amazingly November 19, 2011 8:47s. We discovered two
of the original release animals – a male
and female, and ten youngsters from last
year.
The male was already known to
many of us as he had been shown to all
the volunteer helpers on release day and
by September he had abandoned his
selected wife (there is a stud book for
dormice!) and moved 750m to the south
side of the wood to live in isolation and
get fat for hibernation. In October he
weighed a huge 34g and we weren’t sure
how he was going to leave his box to November 19, 2011 8:47s that there
has been successful breeding in year 1
and at least some animals have survived
hibernation. There are very likely others
out there that we have missed, so we are
hoping for successful breeding in year 2.
The reintroduction is deemed fully
successful when there are more adults
than the original number of released
animals, but this is likely to take a few
years.
For further informatioNovember 19, 2011 8:47November 19, 2011 8:47November 19, 2011 8:47November 19, 2011 8:47 holds a Natural England licence
to work with this highly protected species.
Simone Bullion
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Amphibians & Reptiles
Suffolk Amphibian and Reptile Group
(SARG) is planning to produce a
herpetofaunal atlas for the county, to be
published in 2009. A provisional atlas
will be prepared during the winter of
2007-2008 and issued for comments
during 2008. This will give interested
persons an opportunity to contribute to
the atlas. Contributions could include
species records, particularly locations of
where species used to occur, but from
where they may now be absent,
observations of behaviour or local
folklore relevant to amphibians and
reptiles. Additional information will be
reviewed for incorporation into a full
atlas during the winter of 2008/9, aiming
for publication in 2009, twenty years
after the last review of Suffolk’s
amphibians and reptiles (Jones, 1989).
If you have any records,
observations or anecdotes that you think
could be included in the atlas, please
e-mail John Baker or Rosie Brundish via :
or 
or write to
3 Wood View, Sibton, Saxmundham,
Suffolk, IP17 2NH.
Reference:
Jones, M.L. (1989). A survey of the reptilian
and amphibia of Suffolk. Suffolk Natural
History 24: 9-24.
Rosie Norton
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Freshwater Fish
Since the early nineties American signal
crayfish have spread dramatically in some
Suffolk river catchments and in particular
the River Lark, part of the Gt Ouse
catchment in west Suffolk. The Lark
Angling and Preservation Society (LAPS)
first noticed signal crayfish in 1992 in the
section below Lackford downstream to
Cavenheath Heath. In 1999 significant
numbers were being found at Barton
Mills and a trapping policy was
introduced to try to reduce numbers. By
2003, 15-20,000 crayfish were being
removed annually from only 12 traps. A
systematic trapping programme was
commenced in 2004, jointly run by LAPS
and the Brecks Countryside Project with
the assistance of the Environment
Agency. In 2004/5 106.000 and in
2005/6 132,000 crayfish were trapped
from a section of the Lark from Flempton
to West Row. These figures only give an
indication of the very high numbers of
crayfish that must now be present.
Does this rapid and substantial
increase population explosion have an
effect on fish populations and
demography? Anecdotal evidence from
LAPS indicates that fish stocks and
species distribution remain healthy in the
deeper slower section on the river at
Barton Mills but has reduced greatly in
the shallower section upstream from
Barton Mills to Lackford.. There is also
evidence that some species such as Chub
and Perch are gaining larger adult size
due to their ability to predate juvenile
crayfish. The greatest adverse effect is
likely to be on benthic species such as
bullhead and stone loach.
Work conducted on the upper River Great Ouse
(Guan & Wiles 1997) found a negative
correlation between the density of
benthic fish and the presence of signal
crayfish and this is likely to be the same
on the Lark. Signal crayfish can exclude
benthic fish such as bullhead and stone
loach from favoured cover and this may
increase the vulnerability of excluded
fish to predation.
Other effects of
crayfish are likely to be the direct
predation of fish spawn and the increase
in turbidity caused by crayfish burrowing
and the undermining of the riverbank
below water level. This reduction in
water clarity will almost certainly have
an affect on fish by the siltation of
spawning areas, reducing macrophyte
growth that provides cover for juvenile
fish and reducing abundance/diversity of
macro-invertebrates through the loss of
aquatic plant cover.
From the evidence on the Lark it is clear
that signal crayfish are having a direct
effect on fish populations, both positive
and negative, and that the ecology of the
river has changed in the last 10 years.
Trapping is having an impact on crayfish
numbers but due to the large numbers
involved and the ability of this alien
species to re-establish quickly, the river
and its fish species will continue to be
affected.
I would like to acknowledge the help
of LAPS, the Brecks Countryside Project
and Dan Horsley of the Environment
Agency for help in gaining information
for this summary.
Reference
Guan, R & Wiles, P.R. 1997. Ecological
impact of introduced crayfish on benthic
fishes in a British lowland river.Conservation Biology 11 (3), 641-647.
Phil Strachan
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Freshwater Invertebrates
In March, when most of us were
wondering what had happened to the
winter cold, the rains came. Pond levels
were the highest for many years and
rivers were in spate, scouring away
accumulated mud, silt and wearing away
the banks. Yet by April invertebrate and
macrophyte numbers were increasing,
having survived the seemingly
impossible flows in their usual amazing
way. Then of course the sun arrived
bringing the hottest April on record and
Screech Beetles Hygrobia hermanni ( see 'Mating
behaviour in Screech Beetles' by Christine McClure in this edition) and Whirligig Beetles Gyrinus
substriatuswere
seen alreadyNovember 19, 2011 8:47uding Corroxids, Pond Skaters
and Water Crickets Velia caprai were
also producing young. As well as the
common Gerris lacustris, G.
odontogaster and G. najas (seen in Wales
at Easter) were also ‘skating’ in pairs. At
Oulton Broad Stephen Youell found the
infrequently seen Gerris lateralis and the
Nationally Scarce Water Cricket
Microvelia pygmaea.
By the end of April the first hatch of
The Mayfly Ephemera vulgata ) had
already occurred (see photo. Normally they are not
seen until early May. However, this was
a possibly temporary population
dispersing from one river to another and
occurring in a shallow, warm pond.
On the subject of mayflies the very
common Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum could be seen egg laying in the last
week of April. This species is ovoviviparous,
resting 10 to 14 days after mating whilst
the eggs develop inside the female. So
mating was again early and had occurred
in the middle of the month.
At the beginning of May I spent a
fascinating evening watching Great
Crested Newts by torchlight on a local
farm. They were still giving courtship
displays despite the enormous number of
eggs already laid; clearly a good year for
the newts though there was no
frogspawn in my ponds this spring. At
the same pond the Caddis Fly
Holocentropus stagnalis was also
recorded in the middle of hatching.
There are only two previous records of
this species in Suffolk, both prior to
1899.
By mid-May leeches Theromyzon
tessulatum in my garden stream were
already brooding eggs/young. It will be
interesting to see how the rest of the
season develops; early breeding could
well result in multiple broods for some
invertebrate species, depending on
weather, especially rainfall, in June, July
and August
Adrian Chalkley
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Lepidoptera - Butterflies
After the golden autumn of 2006, Red
Admirals continued to fly on bright days
right through December. The last of the
year was seen on New Year’s Eve, and
the first of 2007 on New Year’s Day. It
hardly seemed like winter at all, with
December the warmest 
since 1988, and
January the warmest since 1916.
At Landguard, a freshly-emerged
Small White beat the earliest-ever record
for Suffolk on 21st February, and
remained on site for four days.
The 43 Camberwell Beauties
seen in Suffolk last year were generally
not expected to survive the winter.
Entomological folklore says that these
natives of Scandinavia find British
winters too moist and mild, and that they
succumb to fungal diseases in
hibernation. It is estimated that no more
than 10% survived after the migrations
of past years. Because they had moved
westwards through Suffolk it seemed
unlikely that any would be seen in 2007,
and yet, early March brought word of a
sighting at Hove in East Sussex, quickly
followed by one along a forest ride near
West Stow on 11th March, and another
near Hartest the following day. The latter
turned up in a polytunnel; the butterfly
seems to have a special knack for finding
such places, often getting into
conservatories. Two more were seen in
Norfolk in the next couple of days, and
on 16th March another was reported from
the grounds of the West Suffolk College,
just 300m from my home in Bury St
Edmunds. Needless to say, it was no
longer around when I looked the
following day.
An abrupt change of weather came
with a northerly wind over 18th /21st
March, and readers will remember the
frequent snow and hail showers.
However, the Camberwell Beauties were
not grounded forever, with Suffolk’s
fourth in Brimlin Wood near Hintlesham
on 25th March, and another in Norfolk on
27th. Just today, 9th April, our fifth put in
an appearance at River Hundred near
Snape. What chance any of these were
females mated before hibernation? What
chance that there are enough survivors to
meet and mate to breed in Suffolk this
season?
Interestingly enough, there is one
record to prove that this has happened before. In 1876 (yes, 130 years ago) one
was found clinging to a post on the
Aldeburgh Park Estate. It had just
emerged, for the wings were limp, and
partially expanded. These subsequently
developed perfectly, and the specimen
went into the collection of Mr H.
Wightman of Aldeburgh. Originally
published in 1870 by Nicholas Hele, this
record was revived by Mendel, 1997.
A number of trees have been noted
as suitable larval host plants, but Sallow
or Goat Willow (Salix spp) is the most
frequently used. So, what chance some
Suffolk observer will spot a Camberwell
Beauty amongst the catkins, and see egglaying
in progress? By the time you read
this, the opportunity will have passed!
There were more surprises to follow.
At Portland Bill, Dorset, a Large
Tortoiseshell had been seen on 1st March,
with another a few days later. 27th March
was a fine day in Suffolk, and one was
seen in Bulls Wood, sitting on a sallow
catkin. I got there 24 hours later, but the
Large Tortoiseshell had moved on.
Another turned up in Mildenhall and was
photographed on 4th April. In recent
years, Large Tortoiseshells have put in
occasional appearances in Suffolk,
generally early in the year, but without
any detectable geographic pattern,
leading to the supposition that these
might have been bred and released.
Alternatively, these rare migrants were
overlooked last autumn, and have
hibernated here. The two sightings for
2007 bring the total to six since 1995.
I write this on 9th April, wondering
what other surprises are yet to come.
Reference
Mendel H. 1997. Camberwell Beauty
Nymphalis antiopa L. (Lep.
Nymphalidae): First recorded
breeding in Britain? Entomologists’ Record 109 p.285.
Rob Parker
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Coleoptera - Beetles
As a result of internal problems caused
by the proposed merger between Ipswich
and Colchester Museums, I was unable
to complete my paper for last autumn’s
Transactions because I was denied
access by the then Collections Manager
to our founder’s coleoptera collection at
Ipswich Museum. Fortunately, the
situation is now resolved and I am once
again able to study and check Morley’s
material and I will be adding quite a
number of new species to our county list
in this year’s Transactions.
Among these are Acrotrichis
rosskotheni Sundt, A. dispar (Matthews)
and Baeocrara variolosa Mulsant, all of
which belong to the Ptiliidae. The beetles
of this family are all minute, mostly
between 1 and 0.5 mm, and include the
smallest beetle known to science,
Nanosella fungi Motschulsky (0.25 mm)
which is found in North America.
Popularly known as Feather-wing
Beetles because of the unusual and intricate structure of the flight wings
which have a long fringe of hairs on their
borders, they occur in rotten wood, dung,
plant detritus etc. and feed chiefly on
fungal spores. The drawing is of one of
our commonest species and shows well
the long slender whorls of hairs at the
apex of each antennal segment which are
found in all ptiliids.
Acrotrichis fascicularis (Herbst) (left; & detached flight wing (right)
David Nash
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Flora
First I’d like to thank to all those who
have sent in photos for possible inclusion
in the new Flora. There have been some
superb pictures submitted, do keep them
coming. I am particularly interested in
illustrating plants in their Suffolk habitats
and would welcome more pictures of
classic Suffolk localities. As well as
Suffolk rarities like Fritillaries or Crested
Cow-wheat I want some pictures of
typical ancient woodland flora, boulder
clay grassland, verges with sulphur
clover, coastal sand dunes, species-rich
hedgerows etc.
I have been hard at work writing the
species accounts and have done about
two thirds of the 2,500 taxa to be
covered. We will not have enough space
to map every species but will concentrate
on those that have interesting
distributions or are changing over time.
Although the main recording work
has now finished I will be adding any
interesting new species records received
in 2007. There are still new plants
turning up: Bob Ellis recently added a
new hybrid sedge to the Suffolk list,
Carex × boenninghausiana - a hybrid
between C. remota and paniculata found
on the edge of Fritton Lake.
Martin Sanford
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Lichens
The present survey of the county has
been in progress, seriously, since the end
of 1978, though other recorders made
significant finds during the first three
quarters of the last century, and a
previous “flora”, if one can use such a
word for lichens, was written at the end
of the eighteenth century. During this
recent survey, many changes have taken
place, with ephemeral substrates such as
trees and fences altering and sometimes
disappearing altogether. With the
production of a new flora, I am looking
for mature fences which are well covered
with lichens – sites that take a very long
time to form, but so easily get torn down
and replaced with new wood. If you think
you have a fence like this, I should like to
hear from you. I can be contacted on
01728 832817.
Chris Hitch
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Bryophytes
With few recorders in the county,
coverage for the new flora is well behind
that of the higher plants. I have records
from some 700 of the 1089 tetrads in the
county and in the past year or so I have
concentrated on those that were poorly
recorded. The average number of taxa
per tetrad is now 47. There is a
concentration of tetrads recorded in the
NE of the county, where I live, but the
rest of the county is evenly, if more
thinly covered. The map below shows
the number of taxa recorded in the tetrads
visited since 1980.
New and interesting records
continue to turn up. February turned out
to be quite an exciting month with the
moss Zygodon rupestris, new to VC25,
on an old apple tree at Martin’s Meadow
NR at Monewden. In Tunstall forest the
liverwort Fossombronia incurva on a
damp track was not just a new county
record but also the first from East Anglia.
On the same day but in a different tetrad
in Tunstall Forest I found the liverworts
Metzgeria temperata and Nowellia
curvifolia both rare in the county and in
Eastern England. Other interesting
records have been the mosses
Orthotrichum striatum in Rendlesham
forest and Plagiothecium latebricola at
Sizewell.
Richard Fisk
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Transactions out soon in 2012 with conference talks 
