“Silent Summer”*, an important review of the state of wildlife in Britain and Ireland published in May this year, includes chapters reporting on the status of specific groups (e.g. “Land and freshwater molluscs” by Ian Killeen) where the increasing impact of introduced species is a particular emphasis. In April I noticed for the first time an adult specimen of Hygromia cinctella in my Bedfordshire garden. This was the first record locally of this introduced species, despite our previous hard winter in the U.K. It’s not surprising that there are several articles in this magazine which relate to the discovery of alien species from both marine and non-marine environments.
It is always satisfying to be able to include aids to identification in the magazine and I would highly recommend Ben Rowson’s image of upper shore crevice fauna, included on page 17 as part of the Marine Recorder’s report.
Once again, thanks are due to all who have sent in interesting contributions. I continue to value input on a wide range of subjects from members in the UK and Ireland and internationally, as this adds an essential wider context and interest. Latest copy submission date (dependant upon space available) for the next issue is 30th September.
Peter Topley
*Norman Maclean Ed., CUP, ISBN 978-0-521-51966-3