Field Trip 1836 - Swaffham Prior Natural History Society

[NickB]

I know for a fact that UKB Field Trips are more sedate than the following extract from "The Aurelian Legacy".....

"June 16th 1836......went to Reach Chalk Pits and though we were there as soon as 9:00am almost all the petals of the Glaucium were fallen off.
Then we went into a beer shop and took two gallons of beer into Burwell Fen in a boat with Jim Retchy to punt us along and papa fell into a ditch up to his neck,
and Tenny fell out of the boat and into the water, and Hugh also fell into a ditch, but not in consequence of the beer, by no means.
The worthy Patron Mr Power also got bogged which was great fun. We saw a great many Machaons and only caught two or three at the best"

Sounds like they had fun though and probably more success than many members at catching a Swallowtail....

(Swaffham Prior, Reach and Burwell are villages I know well outside Cambridge on the Chalk/Fen edge; all are on old Roman lodes or canals that link them to the river, close to Wicken Fen where a (failed) Swallowtail re-introduction took place in the 1990's. It is interesting to note that Swallowtails were common in that area, as were Large Copper, in 1836! Drainage of that area in the 1850's onwards sent them both into terminal decline. The land is now about 20ft below the water in the lode)

[Matsukaze]

I know for a fact that UKB Field Trips are more sedate than the following extract from "The Aurelian Legacy".....

I wouldn't be too sure of that Nick. Have you had a look at that Purple Empire site?

[NickB]

Have you had a look at that Purple Empire site?

I seem to have been on the wrong trips then