FIELD MEETING REPORTS
Containing this month:
MOTH NIGHT AT WEST STOW COUNTRY PARK, 9TH JUNE 2007 by Tony Pritchard
SUTTON KNOLL AND BUCKANAY FARM - a
day of Crag geology by Roger Dixon
DILEMMAS FOR A NEW GROUP by Neil Mahler
MOTH NIGHT AT WEST STOW COUNTRY PARK, 9TH JUNE 2007
This moth night, a joint field meeting of the Suffolk branch of Butterfly
Conservation and the SNS, has become a regular feature in recent years. The site
offers the chance of seeing some of the interesting species associated with the
Breckland habitats and the event tends to attract significant interest from the public.
Previous meetings have suffered from poor weather conditions, so at times we
struggled to keep members of the public interested as moths only trickled in to the
light. However, in contrast with many other moth nights held in 2007, conditions on
this occasion, although not ideal, were the best in several visits.
Two lights were operated around the visitor centre with a further set of traps out on
the exposed and frequently much colder heath land. Around the lights at the visitor
centre a good number of members and the public were able to see a selection of
moths, including some of the larger and more colourful species. The ones with the
most ‘wow’ factor included Small Elephant Hawk-moth, Cream-spot Tiger, Buff-tip
and Fox Moth. The metallic colouration of the Burnished Brass also raised the
interest of those not very familiar with the species. Less impressive in terms of
garish colours, but a species only found in the Brecks, was the Grey Carpet. This
species, whose larvae feed on Flixweed, has recently been added to the BAP moth
list. It can also be seen during the day when disturbed from taller vegetation.
Most people seemed to go away satisfied with what they had seen. Past experience
shows that those who manage to stay the longest see more of the impressive species
as these seem to take to the wing shortly after the majority of the public leave.
In all we recorded 109 species from the visitor centre and heath land areas - a
respectable total in the generally poor recording season of 2007. The full list of
species recorded was:-
Common Swift, Exoteleia dodecella, Teleiodes vulgella, Teleiopsis diffinis, Aroga
velocella, Mompha raschkiella, Cochylis atricapitana, Pandemis cerasana, Archips
podana, Archips xylosteana, Aphelia paleana, Ditula angustiorana, Aleimma
loeflingiana, Tortrix viridana, Celypha lacunana, Apotomis turbidana, Lobesia
reliquana, Epinotia bilunana, Epinotia demarniana, Epiblema uddmanniana,
Eucosma cana, Rhyacionia pinivorana, Crambus lathoniellus, Agriphila
inquinatella, Scoparia pyralella, Scoparia ambigualis, Parapoynx stratiotata,
Eurrhypara hortulata, Udea olivalis, Aphomia sociella, Myelois circumvoluta,
Pterophorus pentadactyla, Fox Moth, Pebble Hook-tip, Figure of Eighty, Treble
Brown Spot, Riband Wave, Common Carpet, Common Marbled Carpet, Barred
Yellow, Grey Pine Carpet, Broken-barred Carpet, Green Carpet, Sharp-angled
Carpet, Sandy Carpet, Foxglove Pug, Mottled Pug, Common Pug, Shaded Pug,
Small Seraphim, Grey Carpet, Clouded Border, Peacock Moth, Brown Silver-line,
Scorched Wing, Peppered Moth, Mottled Beauty, Pale Oak Beauty, Common White
Wave, Light Emerald, Pine Hawk-moth, Eyed Hawk-moth, Small Elephant Hawkmoth,
Buff-tip, Sallow Kitten, Lobster Moth, Iron Prominent, Swallow Prominent, Marbled Brown, Pale Tussock, Four-dotted Footman, Orange Footman, Cream-spot
Tiger, Clouded Buff, White Ermine, Buff Ermine, Cinnabar, Heart & Dart, Flame,
Flame Shoulder, Large Yellow Underwing, True Lover's Knot, Setaceous Hebrew
Character, Double Square-spot, Shears, White Colon, Light Brocade, Paleshouldered
Brocade, Common Wainscot, Shoulder-striped Wainscot, Brown Rustic,
Angle Shades, Clouded-bordered Brindle, Clouded Brindle, Small Clouded Brindle,
Rustic Shoulder-knot, Marbled Minor, Tawny Marbled Minor, Middle-barred Minor,
Treble Lines, Uncertain, Mottled Rustic, Marbled White Spot, Oak Nycteoline,
Burnished Brass, Beautiful Golden Y, Straw Dot and Snout.
Tony Prichard
GeoSuffolk hosted a joint SNS/Essex Rock & Mineral Society field excursion, led by
Bob Markham and Roger Dixon, on June 17th, 2007 to examine the geology at these
two popular localities. Descriptions of the geology have already been published - see
White Admiral No. 50, pp.31-32 and more recently in the SNS Transactions for 2006
(pp.97-101) and 2007 (pp.12-16), as well as elsewhere in the geological literature.
The sites are frequently visited by geological groups because of the classic
sedimentary structures and fossil faunas that can be found.
The party assembled at Sutton Knoll, GeoSuffolk’s flagship site, in good sunny
weather, which held during the day, to be briefed about this historic site. It comprises
an inlier of Coralline Crag (c.3.75 million years old) against which Red Crag (c.2.5
my) is banked up and overlies. The Coralline Crag evidently formed an ‘island’
during Red Crag sea times. The underlying basement is London Clay (c.54 my) and
evidence can be found of pre-glacial proto-Thames deposits (<1my) on the summit
of the knoll. The sections are well exposed at present due to English Nature’s (as
then was) Facelift work and subsequence maintenance by GeoSuffolk members.
During the course of the morning participants were led around the ‘island’ while
the leaders explained and demonstrated the geo-features. The ‘fossil beach’ on the
eastern flank of the ‘island’, with its in situ colonies of Red Crag mussels once
attached to Coralline Crag boulders on the beach, aroused considerable attention.
Mussels can similarly be found on the western flank, but with nearby piddock
colonies bored into the London Clay, and bivalves in their life positions occupying
inter-boulder sand pockets.
After a short lunch break, the group drove to the Buckanay Farm Pit near
Alderton. This Red Crag section is currently well exposed as much crag has been
removed this year, deepening the pit and affording excellent views of the
sedimentary structures. The false bedding, ripple trains, mud drapes and other
structures give clear evidence of the shallow, tidal nature of the Red Crag sea and its
currents.
Mollusc fossils are abundant, giving good collecting, and the occasional shark’s tooth, coral, crab claw and ‘pea urchin’ specimens were also found. Also of note
were the numerous trace fossils, particularly some endogenetic, vertical, thin 5-7cm
burrows, possibly of some small worm or isopod, but characteristic of the Red Crag
in this area.
This was a rewarding day and much enjoyed by those who attended, helped of
course by the dry weather! Thanks are due to the leaders for their patient
explanations, the landowners Messrs G. Quilter and D. Mann for access consent, and
the participants for coming.
Roger Dixon
One of the problems of starting a new group is coming up with a list of sites to visit.
Members put suggestions to Michael Jordan and he came up with a few of his own.
One was Ickworth Park, but none of the members who turned up had been there
before.
Apart from being a long way to travel, it was also well into
November and would be getting dark early (all forays were set
at 2-4pm). Waiting a quarter hour for any late corners, and the
sketch map from the car park kiosk differing substantially
from the OS pathfinder map, and dithering about which site
would be most productive didn't get us off to a good start.
It was also late in the season, and, we later discovered from
reports by fungi groups all over the country, this was one of
the least productive seasons in a very long time for the total
number of fruiting bodies seen.
So
how does one decide where to go once we arrived? Looking around from the
car park I could see plenty of trees but closer inspection showed they were well
spaced out. It would take time to include them all. But then there were the
ornamental trees in the gardens around the house itself. Exciting things could turn up
there.
Perhaps a search of the grasslands for wax cap fungi or late Entoloma spp?
Maybe, but there's a lot of grass. However, the first find was a single bracket type
fungus on an oak branch about 12 feet up, looking like an oyster fungus. I had to be
sure. Luckily a member was able to produce a walking stick from his car, and we
were able to shoot up and dislodge it.
Nearby in some long grass was a nice clump of Trooping Funnel Cap Clitocybe
geotropa - but we were still in the car park…
In the end we settled for a small copse down in a valley but even here it seemed
very dry with very little about except for tiny Mycena spp (pass !) and dried up
Honey Fungus every where, along with a shrivelled up Beef Steak fungus Fistulina
hepatica and Oak Bracket Inonotus dryadeus.
Footpath edges usually turn up interesting things, some say it’s because underground
fungal mycelium comes to a stop when it reaches the compacted soil
and so puts up fruiting bodies, but it could also be that some dogs are trained to do
certain things on the side of paths or certain things get flicked to the side with a stick,
so the soil becomes enriched and up pops your Shaggy Ink Caps or whatever, for
breakfast. Did you know Ink Caps are placed in the genus Coprinus - copra = dung!
Anyway, back in the car park we found some Tripe Fungus Auricularia
mesenterica that was covering some large oak logs forming part of a new play area.
Our group is affiliated to the Association of British Fungal Groups. Recently in
our magazine there has been correspondence on the appearance of poisonous fungi in
play areas or anywhere where the public have access. Two different views have
emerged, one saying ‘dig it up and re-plant it somewhere safe’ and (my view) of
‘leave it alone’. I wonder what SNS members think about this?
All in all it was a poor foray with an embarrassing only 14 species identified.
Neil Mahler Suffolk Fungus Group
(The Suffolk Fungus Group is entirely independent from the Suffolk Naturalists’
Society)
A HAPPY XMAS TO ALL NATURALISTS
