SNIPPETS

      WA sends congratulations to poet naturalist Alasdair Aston whose book ‘Suffolk Boy’ was shortlisted for the first-ever New Angle Prize for Literature. Alasdair, whose family moved to Stowmarket from Hunstanton when he was eight years old, has found inspiration for many of his poems in childhood memories of life in rural Suffolk. He joined the Suffolk Naturalists’ Society in 1942 at the age of eleven. His poems have won Cambridge University’s prestigious Seatonian Prize eight times.

The New Angle Prize, given by the Ipswich Institute, is a biennial competition open to ‘recently published books of literary merit, associated with or influenced by East Anglia’. The winner was ‘Crow Country’ by Mark Cocker.

      This summer saw Suffolk’s first confirmed recordings of two Emerald Damselflies: the Scarce Emerald Damselfly Lestes dryas and the Willow Emerald Damselfly Lestes (Chalcolestes) viridis. Two Scarce Emerald Damselflies were recorded at Redgrave Fen by Andrew Godfrey in late June and the Willow Emerald, a migrant vagrant was recorded at two sites at the start of August. Will Brame, Eddy Marsh and Justin Zantboer recorded the Willow Emerald at Trimley Marshes on the 1st August and Steve Goddard recorded a sighting on the 2nd at Staverton Lake.

      The Suffolk Naturalists’ Society is a registered charity, number 206084. Details of information supplied to the Commission by the Society can be viewed on the website: www.charity-commission.gov.uk/

      A new soil strategy for England has been published by Defra. Safeguarding our soils can be seen at www.defra.gov.uk/environment/quality/land/soil/documents/soil-strategy.pdf. (phew!)