2 minute read
Pakenham Wood
Pakenham Wood Friday 6th July 2012
Rob Parker
Never before have we held a Butterfly Conservation field meeting on a day when the met office forecast ‘a month’s rain in a day ’ .
So it was remarkable that 10 optimistic enthusiasts turned up in wet weather gear for an excursion that was never likely to find any Silver-washed Fritillaries. I predicted that at best we might see a few Ringlets.
We were glad of the hospitality of the porch at Pakenham church for our dry briefing before setting out for the wood. The main objective of the walk was to show people the best publicly accessible points to see the resident White Admirals and the recently arrived Silver-washed Fritillaries that we hope will also become residents. We began with a circuit of the public footpath around the wood and the short cut across to the heart of the wood. At this point, the main ride through the private part of the wood meets the footpath in the largest clearing, where sunlight can enter (but not during our visit) and fall on a mass of bramble blossom and a thicket of flowering thistles. This is the sheltered playground of the Silver-washed, and a good spot for the honeysuckle that dangles from some of the tall oaks.
As we walked in the pounding rain, we recalled the ongoing contest for the least productive butterfly field meeting. There was Richard Stewart’s walk along the Lavenham railway line - with nothing but a single Speckled Wood, then the Dingy Skipper hunt in the King’s Forest (also well attended despite the pounding rain) when nothing at all set the unbeatable zero points, and the probability that we were about to equal that record. However, by the time we got to the eastern end of the wood - a good viewing opportunity from the public footpath - a roosting Ringlet was spotted, followed by several more, and then one in flight. We kept count, just to see whether the butterfly : observer ratio would break even, and finished the walk at 15 Ringlets to 10 observers.
Everyone had at least had the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the habitat and plan for their return visits. What is more, we had all had a good time, despite our wet feet.
Four stalwarts went on after a picnic (church porch again) for a look at the closed landfill site at Lackford. By then, the rain had eased slightly, but it was an inspection of the flora amongst the conservation grassland rather than a real butterfly survey. Two Meadow Browns on this artificial hillside showed that it merits another visit in better weather.
Bedraggled enthusiasts at Pakenham photo by Jo Sweetman
