Summertime

 And the living is easy?

It is the end of July.  Last night it rained here, a satisfying drench for the parched land, though far from enough.  Today is cloudy, and there may be more water to fall, though it is impossible to second guess the vagaries of this summer.

We haven't had real rain for weeks - possibly months, I haven't been counting.  It could be worse, perhaps.  Not everything is dead:

And this Chiffchaff found some caterpillars to feed to its young:

But this baby Stonechat is going to find its youth cut out with endless searching for grubs:

In the hedgerows there are already signs of autumn.  Hazel nuts begin to ripen:

Crab apples are showing colour on their skins:

The blackberries that have not already shrivelled to nothing are ready to pick:

And sloes are almost ready for the gin:

I shouldn't anthropomorphise but this Sedge Warbler has a worried look....  It knows things aren't right:

And this Yellowhammer pleads for at least a little bit of bread (with no cheese) from a dead twig:

While these Sparrows risk sleepless nights by shredding the unripe elderberries:

It may be all right for Goldfinches - they like thistle down!

But even that may be in short supply after the recent fires:

Which were mercifully controlled by the local brigades (without air support):

But which have exposed the mindless littering of those who come in their droves here to 'enjoy nature!'

It is a wasteland:

Beautiful walks destroyed in the drop of a spark:

Yes, life will go on, perhaps.  This young Robin may grow up to have young of its own:

This Turtle Dove may return next summer to a green and pleasant land:

The plague of Ladybirds, which reminds me of 1976, may not reappear for another 45 years.... perhaps?

The declining populations of butterflies may somehow turn a corner, though, judging by my very recent visit to Holt Country Park, where trees are withering, their leaves crisp and falling, everything is parched to probable death:

African skies are now commonplace:

And high above me a seagull listlessly chases a Buzzard in circles (two dots in the bottom centre), neither of them bothering to scavenge as there is precious little life to eat:

Though they both missed this mole, unable to bury itself in the rock hard ground where no worms survive:

At home our cats wilt in the heat, wasting water needlessly:

And Amanda sleeps uncomfortably on, fortunately unaware of the state we have brought ourselves to:

In my beginning is my end. In succession

Houses rise and fall, crumble, are extended,

Are removed, destroyed, restored, or in their place

Is an open field, or a factory, or a by-pass.

Old stone to new building, old timber to new fires,

Old fires to ashes, and ashes to the earth

Which is already flesh, fur and faeces,

Bone of man and beast, cornstalk and leaf.

T S Eliot

East Coker

Big Butterfly Count

Ode to Psyche

Silver-washed Fritillary

In Greek folklore the soul was pictured as a butterfly. In classical mythology Psyche (which is Greek for Soul) was a princess of outstanding beauty who aroused Venus’ jealousy and Cupid’s love. Psyche was portrayed as having butterfly wings and Aristotle gave the butterfly the name psyche. Many cultures relate butterflies to the human soul. 

Peacock

Butterflies are an important part of our culture, for various reasons. The Russian Ballerina, Anna Pavlova, said this:  When a small child, I thought that success spelled happiness. I was wrong, happiness is like a butterfly which appears and delights us for one brief moment, but soon flits away. 

Chalkhill Blue (m)

Dolly Parton, not known as a Ballerina, had this to say:

Love is like a butterfly

As soft and gentle as a sigh 

The multicolored moods of love are like its satin wings 

Love makes your heart feel strange inside 

It flutters like soft wings in flight 

Love is like a butterfly, a rare and gentle thing 

Green Hairstreak

And John Keats, not generally known as a Ballerina nor as a Bluegrass singer, offered this in his Ode to Psyche:

O latest born and loveliest vision far

Of all Olympus' faded hierarchy! 

Fairer than Phoebe's sapphire-region'd star, 

Or Vesper, amorous glow-worm of the sky;

Which, as it was his first attempt at Ode-ing, just goes to show that the more you practise the better you get.....

And also that anyone can have an opinion about butterflies - and it won't make a blind bit of difference.....

Gatekeeper

  

So, I hear you complain, why bang on about them? Well, today is the first day of The Big Butterfly Count, which is a nationwide citizen science survey aimed at helping us assess the health of our environment. It was launched in 2010 and has rapidly become the world's biggest survey of butterflies. Over 107,000 citizen scientists took part in 2021, submitting 152,039 counts of butterflies and day-flying moths from across the UK.

According to Butterfly Conservation, We count butterflies because not only are they beautiful creatures to be around but they are also extremely important. They are vital parts of the ecosystem as both pollinators and components of the food chain. However, they are under threat. Numbers of butterflies and moths in the UK have decreased significantly since the 1970s. This is a warning that cannot be ignored.

Butterfly declines are also an early warning for other wildlife losses. Butterflies are key biodiversity indicators for scientists as they react very quickly to changes in their environment. Therefore, if their numbers are falling, then nature is in trouble. So tracking numbers of butterflies is crucial in the fight to conserve our natural world. That's why taking part in this massive citizen science enterprise is of great importance not just for our butterflies but for the wider environment and biodiversity in general.

Small White

The Butterfly Conservation website tells us that butterflies are highly sensitive indicators of the health of the environment and play crucial roles in the food chain as well as being pollinators of plants.

• The UK has 58 species of butterflies – 56 resident species of butterflies and two regular migrants – the Painted Lady and Clouded Yellow.

Clouded Yellow

• The State of the UK’s Butterflies 2015 report found that 76% of the UK’s resident and regular migrant butterflies declined in abundance, occurrence or both over the last four decades.

Small Tortoiseshell

The report concludes:  Butterflies are culturally important [too], as demonstrated by their frequent appearances in art and literature through the ages. Their beauty and graceful movement are pleasing to the human eye and their metamorphosis, from caterpillar to butterfly, is widely used as a cultural symbol of spiritual growth, progress and making a new start. 

Perhaps the Conservative party could bear this in mind?

Brimstone

Butterflies conjure up images of sunshine, the warmth and colour of flowery meadows, and summer gardens teaming with life. Sadly, four butterflies became extinct during the last 150 years and three-quarters of British butterflies are in decline.

Comma

Habitats have been destroyed on a massive scale, and now patterns of climate and weather are shifting unpredictably in response to pollution of the atmosphere but the disappearance of these beautiful creatures is more serious than just a loss of colour in the countryside. 

Conserving butterflies will improve our whole environment for wildlife and enrich the lives of people now and in the future.

Red Admiral

I have been out and about with my camera recently in the Norfolk countryside (with the exception of three of these photos they were all taken not far from my current home this year: the Clouded Yellow, the Small Tortoiseshell and the Brimstone were taken in Hertfordshire before we moved).  It's a delight to follow these jerkily flighted insects in their short lives, and it is great when they pause for a moment to recharge their solar batteries.

Chalkhill Blue

Just the other day I was at Warham Camp, near Holkham, photographing these little blue fellows (above) when two enthusiasts came past hurriedly, calling excitedly out Clouded Yellow! and inviting me to follow.  I didn't manage to see that one, but their enjoyment of the chase was infectious. 

Chalkhill Blue

I have no pretensions to be a lepidopterist, nor an expert, but I take an interest in my surroundings and in the health of the world about us all.

Meadow Brown and Ringlet

I recently visited Foxley Wood, a Norfolk Wildlife Trust reserve, on the trail of the White Admiral.  On the way I caught site of large Silverwashed Fritillaries, Commas, and this little one:

Speckled Wood

And then, fleetingly, I caught sight of my target, flashing amongst the leaves.  He didn't pose, and I struggled to focus, but in the end I captured something of his soul:

White Admiral

And then, just for good measure, he turned and showed his underside as well.....

Smartypants

So, today was the first day of Big Butterfly Count, and I checked my garden this morning in the sunshine for fifteen minutes, counting several Small Whites, a Gatekeeper, two Peacocks, a Small Tortoiseshell and a Comma.

I shall have fifteen minute counts in different locations in the next weeks (it is open until August 7th) and log the findings on the App on my phone.

Join me!  

https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org

Small Skipper

These little, short-lived but beautiful creatures may seem fragile, and insignificant, but don't underestimate the shadow they can cast......

Now I'm just off to see my Psychiatrist....

With thanks to Adrian M. Riley for his invaluable book, British and Irish Butterflies, 

(available from www.bramblebybooks.co.uk)

and for his help in identifying some variants.

An open letter to the Health Secretary

In the woods.....

Sajid Javid MP,
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care,
House of Commons,
London,
SW1A OAA

 

30 June 2022

 

Dear Mr Javid,

 

I am writing to you concerning an issue which is adversely affecting my wife’s (and indirectly my) health.  In advance I apologise for the length of this, but I feel it necessary to present you with the full story, partly because we will not be alone in this.

 

My wife, Amanda, who is now 68 years old, was diagnosed with dementia over ten years ago. Initially the diagnosis was early onset Alzheimer’s disease, and she was prescribed Donepezil for a year.  I was not convinced by this diagnosis, however, and so, after extensive further testing, a brain scan, and the involvement of a neurologist, the diagnosis was corrected to Frontotemporal Dementia (Semantic Variant) a rare form of dementia which has an approximate life expectancy of twice that of Alzheimer’s, and for which there is no cure nor officially authorised medication.

 

For several years she has been seen by Professor Jonathan Schott, Professor of Neurology at the Dementia Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology and Honorary consultant neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square.  Professor Schott has maintained contact with me as Amanda’s husband and principal carer (with LPA) over the years, though Amanda is no longer capable of attending his clinic nor of understanding nor communicating as the disease has robbed her entirely of speech.

 

For the record we moved from Hertfordshire to Norfolk in January 2021, partly to give us more space to accommodate our daughters and other carers who may need to stay overnight.  Since the move Amanda’s condition has deteriorated (for example she is now entirely dependent on myself or carers for everything, from washing and dressing - she is doubly incontinent - to eating and drinking and going out for walks).  Since that move, we have had involvement from our new GP surgery, as well as Older Peoples Memory Assessment Team at Chatterton House, Adult Community Mental Health Service West and South Norfolk, who, in February 2021, recommended trialling Memantine Hydrochloride, which she now takes at 20mg a day, which may have helped keep her calmer as she was very disturbed by our move.  We have also had help from Adult Social Services, and have been visited by NHS Occupational Therapists who have provided some devices which help with Amanda’s security in the house.

 

However, and, after that preamble, this is the heart of the matter, Amanda has developed a tendency to get up and walk about at night, taking a risk in going downstairs as many as six times a night.  Generally, I am able to help her and to give her a drink of water and take her to the toilet, but on occasions she has fallen out of bed, or on the stairs, and quite often she gets stuck at the top of the stairs if I am not there.  Sleep disturbance is common among people with dementia and the impact for patients and their families is significant, and there are no easy solutions.

 

The effect of this is that she is not getting enough rest, but this is also having a negative effect on my ability to care for her.

 

In order to calm her and to help her settle at night, she was prescribed Risperidone (0.25 mg), an antipsychotic which is used to treat Schizophrenia, Mania, and aggression in people with Alzheimer’s dementia.  

 

As an additional attempt to get her to sleep better she was prescribed Melatonin (Mylan) 2 mg prolonged-release tablets. The active ingredient of these tablets is melatonin which belongs to a natural group of hormones produced by the body.  This hormone synchronizes the body’s biological day-and-night rhythm.  Although Amanda would still wake during the night (usually either because of incontinence or because of thirst) the effect of this prescription seemed entirely positive with no noticeable side effects.

 

However, when I requested a renewed prescription, this was denied, apparently because it should only be prescribed in hospitals(?) I questioned this but was told that there is some controlling body within the NHS, possibly within Norfolk, which will not allow the prescription of Melatonin by GP practices.  

 

The result of this was that the only viable alternative was deemed to be the Z drugs, such as Zolpidem and Zopiclone.  And so, we started to give her one or two Zopiclone 3.75 mg tablets at night.  This is a hypnotic or sleeping tablet.  What I did not know was that this drug should not be taken with antipsychotics such as Risperidone, one of the recognised side effects of which is signs of a stroke, such as a sudden weakness or numbness in the face, arms or legs, especially on one side.  Amanda did indeed appear to be affected in this way (though she cannot articulate her feelings) and one morning in May I had to call an ambulance as I feared she might have had a stroke.  After discussions with various medical professionals on that occasion we agreed to stop giving her Risperidone and she recovered from that incident. In the meantime, it seemed that after a few days of taking Zopiclone it may have accumulated in her body, and the recognised side-effects of reduced alertness, dizziness, confusion, loss of co-ordination, muscle weakness, restlessness, accompanied by several incidents in which she fell, all appeared to be present (though again there is no way of consulting Amanda about her feelings as she is incapable of communication).

 

We have stopped the Risperidone.  We have since stopped Zopiclone.  We are not allowed to have a prescription for Melatonin.  And apparently there are no other viable alternatives.

 

So, what I am writing to you about is to enquire as to why we cannot have Melatonin on the NHS?  It is available over the counter in the United States and Australia, and it is available online in this country.  Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone produced by the pineal gland and is structurally related to serotonin. Physiologically, melatonin secretion increases soon after the onset of darkness, peaks at 2-4 am and diminishes during the second half of the night. Melatonin is associated with the control of circadian rhythms and entrainment to the light-dark cycle. It is also associated with a hypnotic effect and increased propensity for sleep.

 

However, I note that there has been a case in the Court of Appeal concerning the production of Melatonin, as a company called Neurim Pharmaceuticals is the registered proprietor of EP 1 441 702 (the Patent), which expires on 12 August 2022.  Could it possibly be that the NHS is caught up in the business affairs of Mylan and Neurim, and that as a result my wife and many others are being denied a relatively harmless pharmaceutical product?

 

I appreciate that even if Melatonin were to be prescribed for Amanda, it may not be suitable for long-term use, and I also know that it is not a magic bullet which will enable me to sleep undisturbed throughout every night.  But Amanda is dying and I am endeavouring to keep her in her home for as long as I can protect and care for her.  Strong sleeping pills known as ‘Z-drugs’ are linked with an increased risk of falls, fractures and stroke among people with dementia – according to research from the University of East Anglia, involving the University of Exeter.  Prof Chris Fox, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School, said: As many as 90 per cent of people with dementia suffer sleep disturbances and it has a big impact on their mental and physical health, as well as that of their carers.  To date there are no proven effective treatments available, however people with dementia are often prescribed Z-drugs (zopiclone, zaleplon, and zolpidem).  But a new study reveals that stronger doses of these drugs are linked with an increased risk of adverse effects.

 

And, as described above, Risperidone is not the answer either.

 

So, please could you look into this issue?  Perhaps with the expiry of Neurim’s patent in August other companies will be able to produce melatonin tablets at reduced costs and perhaps then GPs will be able to prescribe it, or perhaps even it will become available over the counter in Pharmacies?  It would be good to have a little light thrown on this and to feel that the miserable world of sufferers from dementia and their families and carers is not being ignored or made more difficult by business concerns.

 

Thank you for your attention, 

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

 

Richard Gibbs

 

cc: James Wild MP, Professor Jonathan Schott, Heacham Group Practice, Chatterton House