Ants are not everyone’s cup of tea. But county recorder Doreen Wells finds them fascinating and writes about her observations in the latest issue of the Norfolk Natterjack (the free quarterly bulletin for Society members). And Doreen is anxious to hear from other observers. “Your county needs your records,” she writes. For details of how to contact her, see Natterjack.

The great grey shrike has an interesting diet, according to an analysis by Nick Owens of pellets he found on Kelling Heath. It is possible, though not confirmed, that the shrike’s victims may have included a Dartford warbler, one of the pioneer colony on the heath. Rob Coleman tells how he found a clutch of dead wasps on a windowsill – killed by a wasp parasite beetle. And Hans Watson writes about how his garden seems to have a remarkable attraction for shield bugs – nine species so far, and counting.

Ian Johnson, writing about “The Plight of the Humble Bee”, offers many useful suggestions for how we can, with no great effort, make our gardens much more friendly for a whole range of insects – but with a warning, with which gardeners will readily sympathise, that the plants he suggests are “strong growers” and will need to be controlled! These and other articles are, as usual, accompanied by some excellent photographs in the Nats’ Gallery.

Back issues

The following back issues of Natterjack are available for download:

No. 103 November 2008	Natterjack	Nats Gallery
No. 102 August 2008	Natterjack	Nats Gallery
No. 101 May 2008	Natterjack	Nats Gallery
No. 100 February 2008	Natterjack	Nats Gallery