Bridges and butterflies in Pipers Vale, Ipswich

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Ipswich is blessed with a number of park areas, including the great Christchurch Park. The Park we visited today is called Piper`s Vale, and is one we had not explored before. To quote Wikipedia - "Pipers Vale is a 19.7 hectare Local Nature Reserve on the southern outskirts of Ipswich in Suffolk It is owned and managed by Ipswich Borough Council. This site on the bank of the River Orwell is part of Orwell Country Park. Its diverse habitats include heath, reedbeds, scrub and alder carr. Over 100 bird species have been recorded, including Redwings, Whimbrels and Bullfinches"
We went with the hope of photographing butterflies, and we were not disappointed.


However, the major object that catches the eye is the magnificent Orwell Bridge, spanning the Orwell River. The Orwell Bridge was opened to road traffic in 1982 and carries the A14 (then A45) over the River Orwell just south of Ipswich in Suffolk, England.
The main span is 190 metres which, at the time of its construction, was the longest prestressed concrete span in use. The total length is 1,287 metres from Wherstead to the site of the former Ipswich Airport. The width is 24 metres with an air draft of 43 metres. Pilings were sunk 40 metres into the river bottom. The main contractor was Stevin Construction B.V. – a Dutch company.
Construction of the bridge commenced in October 1979 and was completed in December 1982. The main span was constructed by using a balanced cantilever technique, casting sections on alternating sides of the pier in a weekly cycle.


It's worth going into the Park just to see the bridge close up. We have travelled over probable hundreds of times, but it was worth getting this view of it. I can see now where people get their Orwell Bridge sunset pictures from!


A view from the river level.


A clump of Vipers Bugloss


The Marbled White is a distinctive and attractive black and white butterfly, unlikely to be mistaken for any other species. In July it flies in areas of unimproved grassland and can occur in large numbers on southern downland. It shows a marked preference for purple flowers such as Wild Marjoram, Field Scabious, thistles, and knapweeds. Adults may be found roosting halfway down tall grass stems. We have seen a lot of butterflies this year that are normally seen in July. Piper`s Vale has a lot of the right sort of habitat for this species, and we saw numerous ones.



This is the Common Blue, wings together and then apart. This particular butterfly was also seen all over certain areas of the park. No sooner had you seen one, than another one caught your eye! A lot of patience was required waiting for one to settle though!


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