The noble chafer Gnorimus nobilis is a large metallic beetle which has been rare in Britain for the past century. The species is associated with traditional orchards and wood pasture where it's larvae feed on old, decaying wood within live trees.
In Britain, the species has been rare for the past century and is classified as ‘Vulnerable’, being a Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species. Traditional orchards are designated priority habitats but are increasingly being lost due to modern orchard management techniques or clearing of orchards for development.
Dr. Deborah Harvey of Royal Holloway, University of London has previously run a monitoring scheme for the species alongside the People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES). She is now looking for volunteers for the 2021 season who would be prepared to deploy traps and lures in appropriate habitats and check them regularly in June this year.
If you are interested, please contact Deborah at .
Due to the cancellation of our field programme in 2020, there will unfortunately be none of the usual meeting reports to compile into this year's Bulletin. To make up for this, the Assistant Editor would be happy to receive any reports from members, whether from your house or garden, your local area or further afield in Kent. These can be accounts for specific sites and occasions or observations of notable species. If you are interested in contributing, please get in touch via the website.
For many years, Kent Wildlife Trust has run a Wild About Gardens advice and awards scheme to support and recognise individuals, groups and organisations in maximising the value of their gardens for wild species. Needless to say, for those fortunate enough to have access to them, gardens represent a great opportunity for biological recording and long-term monitoring especially under COVID restrictions.
Below is information regarding this year's activities from the coordinator, Maureen Rainey:
Nature is in trouble. We are suffering loss of biodiversity at an alarming rate, in particular insects. But it is not too late. We can all do something to reverse the trend and these actions, however small, will add up to a huge difference. After all, there are 22 million gardens in the UK and together they cover an area greater than nature reserves.
I work with an award-winning team of volunteers at Kent Wildlife Trust who are eager to encourage people to make their gardens and local green spaces more nature friendly. In 2020 because of Covid 19, we were unable to visit gardens in person, so the volunteers have been giving wildlife friendly gardening advice using digital means.
We noticed similar questions occur on regular basis and, rather than just issuing a standard list of “frequently asked questions”, we have planned a series of short, friendly workshops. These will initially be via Zoom. Each session will be restricted to a maximum of 15 people to give all participants the opportunity to ask questions and take part in discussions. If the sessions are oversubscribed, we will hold a waiting list for repeat sessions, so no one is turned away. It is hoped that, as the year progresses, we will be able to run live sessions from various venues.
We are excited to announce that later in the year some of our volunteers will be opening their gardens and giving practical tips on how to make all types of garden nature friendly. Each event will be focussed on one or two specific topics, such as ponds or wilder lawns, and experienced volunteers will be on hand to deal with questions. The relevant Covid 19 restrictions will be adhered to at each site. Booking will be essential and timed tickets can be obtained via Kent Wildlife Trust’s website from January onwards.
Sat 24 April: Wateringbury garden focussing on ponds, nature friendly vegetable gardening and hedgehog habitats
Sat 16 May: Doddington garden focussing on insects and birds
Sat 5 June: Edenbridge garden focussing on wilder lawns
Sat 26 June: Gravesend garden focussing on pollinators and ponds
Sat 18 July: A repeat of the Doddington garden showing seasonal differences and focussing on insects and birds
If you would like any more information, you can get in touch with me by email: or by phoning 07500111717
Total monthly rainfall: 68.5 millimetres. Maximum daily rainfall: 24 millimetres on 15th November.
Altogether there were 15 days when measurable rain fell, and 21 days with 100% cloud-cover for at least part of the day. There were strong winds on the 1st, 2nd, 14th, and 15th.
Maximum temperature on the warmest days was 16°C on the 1st,7th, and 9th. Maximum temperature on the coldest days was 8°C on the 5th and 30th.
Total monthly rainfall: 156.5 milimetres. Maximum daily rainfall: 31.5 millimetres on 3rd October.
Altogether there were 24 days when measurable rain fell, and 19 days with 100% cloud-cover for at least part of the day.
Maximum temperature on the warmest day was 17°C on October 8th, and on the coldest days was 11°C on the 25th and 28th. There were strong winds throughout the month on October 3rd, 4th, 8th, 20th, 21st, 24th, 27th, and 31st.
