W h i t e A d m i r a l Newsletter 93 Spring 2016 Suffolk Naturalists’ Society C o n ten t s E di to r ia l Ben Heather 1 Spring Members Evening & AGM 2 W ha t’ s o n? 3 An Invasive Alien – The Asi a n Joan Hardingham 4 H o r net Another Stag Beetle Predator Colin Hawes 7 W i lder ness Tim Gardiner 7 Unexpected visitors - B ra co ni d Martin Cooper 8 w a sp a nd Agonopterix mo th i n the living room! Wild Flower Society Winter Anne K e ll 11 Months Hunt – a follow up Clunch In West Suffolk Roger Dixon 12 New mammal for Suffolk Dr Simone Bullion 16 Hollesley Marshes Lyndsey Record 17 Valerian as a Nectar Source Richard Stewart 20 Almost another BAP Species Neil Mahler 21 Bee hotels, more than just a H a w k H o ney 22 gi mmi ck Two records in one from Kelsale Jerry Bowdrey 24 New Fungus for Suffolk Neil Mahler 25 More What’s on? 26 A year of Suffolk Biological Ben Heather 28 Recording Online ISSN 0959-8537 Published by the Suffolk Naturalists’ Society c/o Ipswich Museum, High Street, Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 3QH Registered Charity No. 206084 © Suffolk Naturalists’ Society Cover Photo: Hollesley Marshes by Aaron Howe (RSPB) using a drone SuffolkThe Naturalists’ Society Newsletter 93 - Spring 2016 I am writing this editorial on the back of what has to be viewed as one of our most successful conferences. ‘Freshwater Revival’ attracted over 175 natural history enthusiasts who were treated to a great variety of talks on the subject of freshwater conservation. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the speakers for delivering so well on the brief but also to all the people who helped make the day the success it was. I spent the whole conference videoing the talks and it is my next job to edit these and get them uploaded to the website. The first presentations from what has become referred to as the virtual part of the conference will be available in the coming weeks. There was an huge amount of information to take in on the day so these videos will certainly help me remember some of the finer points highlighted on the day. We were lucky enough to receive extensive press coverage courtesy of John Grant, of the East Anglian Daily Times, who featured a three part serialised report from the day. These can be read here: http://goo.gl/CBV5Yb http://goo.gl/WlUizW http://goo.gl/SwihQp One of the features of the conference was a preview of the soon to be published Suffolk Dragonflies atlas by Adrian Parr. This book, edited by Adrian Parr and Nicholas Mason, is now available to pre-order on the SNS website for £12 (inc. post & packaging). Editor: Ben Heather Suffolk Biological Records Centre, c/o Ipswich Museum, High Street, Ipswich, IP1 3 Q H [email protected] White Admiral 93 1 Spring Members Evening & AGM 14th April 2016 | 7:30pm Cedars Hotel, Needham Road, Stowmarket IP14 2AJ Ag e n d a : Apologies for absence Minutes of the 86th Annual General Meeting Chairman’s Report – Martin Sanford Treasurers Report – Joan Hardingham Secretary’s Report – G e n B r oa d Any Other Business (The Chairman reserves the right to consider only items submitted in writing 2 weeks before t h e AG M . ) Following the conclusion of formal business and refreshments there will be a series of short presentations on natural history by members and projects funded by SNS. Drinks available from the pay bar on arrival and hal f -time refreshment break provided (tea and c o ffee ). New Suffolk Biological Recording Bursary for FSC Courses The SBRC & SNS have teamed up with the Field Studies Council at Flatford Mill to offer a bursary to support individuals (over 25s ) wishing to attend a selection of FSC courses at Flatford. The bursary will provide up to 100% of the non - residential course fees on the condition of submitting a set amount of records to the SBRC within 3 months of completing the c ou r s e . More information & the courses offered can be found h ere http://goo.gl/Ay7iwB 2 White Admiral 93 W hat’s o n? Save the Date - 2016 Bioblitz Events Tiger Hill Bioblitz - 7 th May Africa Alive Bioblitz - 4th & 5th June Orwell Park Bioblitz, Ipswich - 11th & 12th June Flatford Mill Bioblitz - 23rd J u l y Brandon Country Park Bioblitz - 29th & 30th July More details will follow (when available) on the SNS webs i te. Suffolk Wildlife Trust - Wild Learning Courses Why not make this year the year you engage more with the natural world? By signing up for one of SWT’s ‘Wild Learning’ courses for adults, you can learn more about the work of the Trust and its reserves, get out in the fresh air, meet new friends and learn a new skill! The courses are specifically for adults and will take place at our five education centres, nature reserves and village halls (so there is bound to be one in your area). Come and learn in a relaxed and fun atmosphere with supportive, knowledgeable tutors. Check out what’s available by browsing our ‘What’s On’ brochure or our website. To book and pay online, visit www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org/ wildlearning or telephone 01473 890089 to book with our friendly reception team. There’s a great variety on offer: wildlife photography at Captain’s Wood for bluebells in April, with more wildlife photography throughout the year including a Fen Raft Spider workshop. Brush up your birding knowledge with a resident & migrant bird ID by song and sight or learn how to look after hedgehogs on our basic and intermediate hedgehog care workshops. New courses at Iken on the Alde estuary include Breeding Bird Census techniques and Saltmarsh Habitat & Plant life. Experience the world of solitary bees, moths or dragonflies, and learn how to identify tumuli & Neolithic flints and watch a flint-knapping demo at Knettishall Heath! www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org/wildlearning White Admiral 93 3 An Invasive Alien – The Asian Hornet Like other bee-keepers I am Environment and Rural Affairs) concerned about the possible outlined plans to tackle the 2000- arrival of the Asian Hornet Vespa odd invasive species already velutina in the UK and the BBKA established in Britain, particularly (British Beekeepers Association) ones which cause significant has asked beekeepers and the expense such as Japanese general public to be on the alert. Knotweed Fallopia japonica which The Asian Hornet was introduced costs £166m a year to control. In accidentally to France from China 2015, the updated Invasive Alien in 2004 with some pottery; it has Species Regulation put greater em- spread across our European phasis on preventing introductions. neighbours and is only a short The plan with the Asian Hornet is Channel hop away. See http:// to rapidly intercept the pest should www.nonnativespecies.org. It is a it appear in Britain. 1000 sentinel voracious predator of Honey Bees apiaries have been set up and the Apis melifera and other insects public are encouraged to report with which it feeds its young. It is sightings. Should it be spotted the a master of ‘hawking’ - picking off National Bee Unit and the Animal bees one at a time; and as ‘our’ and Plant Health Agency has a bees tend to drift lazily into the crack response team, trained in hive on returning home, they are France to locate and destroy the easy prey. nests. In 2008 the Great Britain Non- The 1000 reported sightings of the native Species Strategy from Asian Hornet have all proved false, DEFRA (Department of the this is not surprising as wasp The German Wasp V. germanica The Common Wasp V. vulgaris 4 White Admiral 93 European Hornet – n o t e m o r e European Hornet – n o t e European Hornet yellow on abdomen (Wikipedia b r o w n h e ad commons Sven Teschke, Büdingen ) (eakringbirds.com) species are quite difficult to Median, Tree, Norwegian and identify. There are 10 species of Saxon are larger. To add to the Vespidae or Social Wasps in the confusion the queen, males and UK, though the Paper wasp workers of each species are Polistes dominulus has only a different sizes. The European tenuous foothold. Many species can Hornet Vespa cabro is notably only be told apart by close larger and generally brown and attention to detail: the markings yellow though the colouring is on the face and the hair colour. See similar to the queen Median, this is http://goo.gl/FNtmZi – see photos much smaller. The European on previous page. Hornet’s head is brown with a The yellow and black Vespula yellow face; the thorax velvety wasps: Common, Red, German, brown and the abdomen mainly Austrian and Cuckoo are very yellow. The Asian Hornet is similar, the wasps we are generally smaller, the face is yellow-brown, familiar with. The Dolichovespulas: its head and thorax are black and Asian Hornet Asian Hornet – note yellow Asian Hornet – n o t e feet (Wikipedia Commons, b l ac k h e ad B l u e G in k o ) (Wikipedia Commons Danel Solabarrieta) White Admiral 93 5 The nests may help identification: the Asian Hornet builds a nest with side entrances in trees and shrubs, as does the German Wasp V. germanica but here the entrance is at the base; the European Hornet builds in hollow trees and the common wasp Vespula vulgaris builds under- ground in old mouse nests or in buildings.