CONTENTS
1) The Larger moths and Butterflies of Essex -a selection of
recent records by Brian Goodey. 5-16
2) A Review of Notable, Bees, Wasps and Ants recently recorded
from Essex by P.R. Harvey. 17-32
3) Notable Spider Records for 1993 by Peter Harvey. 33-38
4) The Fungi of some Essex Churchyards in the vicinity of
Chelmsford 1993-1994 by A.D. Boniface. 39-48
5) Bats in Barns in Hertfordshire and Essex by Patty Briggs. 49-53.
EDITORIAL
This is the first of the new style of 'Essex Naturalist" dealing with papers on a variety
of subjects rather than the single topic "New Series" Naturalist first issued by the club
in 1977. This new style journal will however continue to be numbered sequentially
with the previous series (this is volume 12). The Field Club will still produce
monographs but it is hoped the 'Journal' will become an annual publication since it is
not as expensive to produce as the generally larger monographs. In the future it is
proposed that the Journal will also contain such items as the presidential address,
the report to council, audited accounts for the year and a report of the annual general
meeting.
The journal will be published in April/ May with papers for publication
requiring to be submitted by February of that year. I would also like to include shorter
notes and observations, as well as lengthy papers. The success of the journal will be
dependent on the willingness of Field Club members and recorders to submit
suitable material for publication by the February deadline.
Currently research is being actively undertaken in many areas. The bees
and wasps, largely neglected for many years in the county, are attracting the
attention of several members. Peter Harvey has recently agreed to become the
Hymenoptera recorder for Essex. Prof. Ted Benton has been looking at bumble bees
(Bombus and Psithyrus) and has made some very notable records. Other areas of
current interest include the Black Poplar and Mistletoe surveys mentioned In the
latest newsletter organised by Ken Adams. Ken is also putting the finishing touches
to what I hope will be the next monograph published by the Field Club- the
Charophytes of Essex. Peter Harvey is also looking at several sites "south of the
A13, apart from the chalk quarries at Grays usually written off by naturalist's
because of the dense industrial and residential development. Between Dagenham
and Tilbury he has identified some extremely valuable sites, for example Millwood Pit
and also discovered a number of rare invertebrates new to the county.
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