Today was a day with a difference as it was an open day organised by Suffolk Wildlife Trust where the main theme was spiders, of course there were other things to look for if you suffer from arachnophobia as there were guided walks around the reserve that took in wildflowers, butterflies and many species of birds.
At the well stocked visitor centre you were greeted by many of the Trust's dedicated volunteers who kindly gave up their time serving refreshments as well as manning the gazebos where you could taste local produced apple juice, various chutneys etc. The Trust also had a very good educational stand where young and the young at heart could learn more about the Fen and the Trusts activities.
The main part and highlight of the day for me was to be shown where the rare Fen Raft Spider was hiding in the various pools that are located in the fen. On hand was Helen Smith who was the expert and she soon told us where to look for this elusive spider, I was amazed to see this spectacular spider for the first time as I have visited the fen so many times before and this was the first time I had ever seen this wonder of nature and to top it off the spider I saw was a female complete with a large egg sac (see photograph at the top of this blog) apparently once hatched this sac would produce 300 off spring.
Once again I was grateful to my buddy Matt who loaned me his massive 500mm lens and converters to obtain the photograph....
I must also say a big thanks to Bev Blackburn and all the Trusts volunteers for making this day a very enjoyable visit and if you would like to know more about the Trust, its work and its open days please check their website http://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org/
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