Suffolk Wildlife Trust`s Fox Fritillary Meadow

Fox Fritillary Meadow is an ancient floodplain. It is the largest of four remaining sites for the snake's head fritillary in Suffolk, and it was to here that we booked to visit to see these beautiful wild flowers. Visiting Fox Fritillary Meadow is by prior arrangement only, and visitor numbers are restricted, so we booked some 2 months back for this year.

According to Suffolk Wildlife Trust:- The Snake's-head fritillary is a most unusual looking wildflower and the UK's only native fritillary species. When in bloom in spring, this flamboyant wildflower is unmistakable. Its nodding purple and sometimes white flowers have distinctive chequer-board markings resembling a snake’s skin. Before it flowers its presence may be overlooked as the foliage is grass-like, but once in flower it is a spectacular sight, forming a wonderful purple haze across the meadow. The number of local names, including Snake's-head lily, Crowcup, Leper's Bells and Chequered Lily, suggest that this was once a common countryside sight

Its first recorded presence in the wild in England was in 1736 and its origin has been debated by botanists ever since. Opinions still vary. Some say it is native, others that it was introduced by the Romans or escaped from Tudor gardens. Whatever its origin, we do know that in the early 20th century it occurred widely in Suffolk's river valleys.

Unfortunately, this attractive plant has gradually disappeared from the countryside as meadows have been fertilized, ploughed, drained or built upon. As they thrive on land that has never been subjected to intensive agriculture, they are now nationally quite rare. Thankfully, we are lucky to have in Suffolk four semi-natural grasslands where it occurs in the wild - three of these sites are SSSI’s and Suffolk Wildlife Trust reserves. 

The Trust manages these sites traditionally by hay cutting and aftermath grazing by sheep and this careful management maintains the habitat in which the fritillary can flourish. 

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Butterflies - Fermyn Woods Country Park

We chose to go to Fermyn Woods Country Park as it has a reputation of having a large number and variety of butterflies. We booked into a B&B cottage nearby in the village of Sudborough in what appears to be a converted farm building in the back garden of the owners house. It was perfect, and at a really good price. But first, to the woods to see what was about in the afternoon sun!

The whole area around the villages of Sudburough and Lowick, and also Fermyn Woods itself, were once part of the vast Rockingham Forest. It was named after the village of Rockingham, where the castle was a royal retreat. Over the years the forest shrank, and today only a patchwork of the north-eastern forest remains.

The area became a royal hunting ground for King William I after the Norman conquest. The term forest represented an area of legal jurisdiction and remained so until the 19th century.

The forest boundaries were set in 1299, although the boundaries returned to a smaller area as a result of King Charles I's actions. King Charles II took little interest in the forest and gave away or sold much of it.

By 1792 there was no significant royal ownership of the forest area. The Forestry Commission took over the remnants of public woodland in 1923.

On arriving at Fermyn Woods we nearly walked over this lovely creature just in the entrance. It is the caterpillar of the Buff-Tip moth. 

And yes, we did go to the cafe and pay our dues! Apparently, someone used a portable cutter to detach the machine from its moorings. I hope it was empty. 

Many of the images of butterflies I have posted before, but they were what we saw on the day, so here they are as a record. 

A couple of images of a Silver Washed fritillary,

Another image of a Silver Washed fritillary but with its wings closed - wouldn't think it was the same butterfly would you?

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) 

Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus) 

Small White (Pieris rapae) 

Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus) 

And last, but not least, a Six-Spot Burnet (Zygaena trifolii) 

In the village not far from our cottage was church of All Saints. Probably of C12 origins, but mainly C13 with C15 alterations, and then, as appears usual, restored in C19. It is built with squared coursed limestone with Collyweston slate and lead roofs. I couldn't find a huge amount of interesting things about this church which in many ways is overshadowed by its big neighbour in Lowick - St Peter`s. However, it tells a story of people's lives in times past. 

First thing on Tuesday morning we made our way back to Fermyn Woods to see if the early morning would produce more varieties of insects. There wasn't too much different, but it was worth the visit.

The caterpillar of the Cinnabar Moth 

Mating Six-Spot Burnet 

Pupa of a Burnet moth? 

A Harvestman ( Phalangium opilio) - what long legs you have!

The Harvestman is very distinctive with a round, compact body and extremely long legs. Although it looks like a long-legged spider, it isn’t one. It is one of the Opiliones, a group of arachnids closely related to spiders. Unlike the spiders, it has no silk glands so is not able to spin a web. It does not have fangs and does not produce venom. It catches its insect prey by using hooks on the ends of its legs. These arachnids defend themselves by secreting a foul-smelling fluid. If they are caught, they are able to shed a leg to escape. 

From Fermyn Woods we headed to Titchmarsh Nature Reserve via Lowick village.

Although Lowick church has early 14th-century origins, it is mainly late 14th and early 15th century, being built for the Greene family of Drayton House. The list of clergy shows the appointments from Nicholas de Nevil in 1217, so the current building must have been a replacement for an earlier one. Unfortunately the church was locked when we visited so I have images of the exterior. 

The tower is topped with an octagonal lantern, flying buttresses and 12 pinnacles with golden weather vanes. To me, the tower is its crowning glory, as I cannot remember seeing another like it (although there may be somewhere in England) 

An entry in the churchwardens' accounts records "taking down the rood-loft and filling the holes in May 1644. In July 1645 payment was made for the "glazing of the windows when the crucifixion and scandalous pictures were taken down" - good old Puritans! 

The building stands on high ground at the north end of the village and, with the exception of the tower, is faced with rubble. It has plain parapets and flat pitched leaded roofs. Internally all the walls are plastered. There were restorations in 1869 and 1887. 

What about this for a tower! 

The massive door of St Peter`s church Lowick. 

The villages in the area seem to have an abundance of cottages like this one in Lowick. 

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) seen on the path near Lowick Church 

Having left Lowick we drove a short distance to see what Titchmarh nature Reserve was like, as it appears to be by the river Nene and with some lakes formed by old quarrying. The idea being that perhaps we would see some dragonfly. 

Titchmarsh Nature Reserve is a 72.7 hectare Local Nature Reserve and is part of the Upper Nene Valley Gravel Pits Site of Special Scientific Interest. 

The River Nene runs through this site, which also has large areas of open water and grassland. There are nationally important numbers of goosanders, widgeons and gadwalls in winter, and banded demoiselle damselflies nest on nettles along the river bank.

We walked around one of the lakes using part of the Nene Way, and did see, at points, numerous Dragonflies. Photographing them? - well I had no luck with the Sony RX100 I was using, but it was great to see them. The day was, by this time, very hot, when we were expecting it to be more cloudy. Did manage to capture these Common Blue Demoiselle in a mating pose.

Just before we finished our walk we came upon these Common Blue butterflies, again in a mating pose. Must have been the hot day! 

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