Seven Layers

Wednesday 4th Deecember 2024, Rhos Fiddle SWT Reserve

Imagine that you were driving along a quiet country lane through the very sparsely populated upland grasslands of south-west Shropshire, on a cold, misty day, in December, and you happened to notice a group of people in a field waving nets around, carrying trays, sticks and leaf blowers.

What would you think?

…?

It is your imagination at play here, I am not going to suggest what you might think, but I know what I would!

Rhos Fiddle is a large upland grassland/heathland site managed by the Shropshire Wildlife Trust. During our visit earlier this year I noticed large amounts of Polytrichum moss on the site, which attracted me to the idea of a winter visit to see if we could find Snow fleas.

Rather than keep you in suspense, we did not find any.

As it turned out, we found very little else on the day. But we had some fun trying.

However, our meagre findings were crowned by the first record in the county of Phthitia longisetosa, a small fly.

How do you pronounce that name?

We also came across this red hairy mite.

Photograph: Nigel Jones

I think I have got ahead of myself.

Back to the start.

On arrival, as we left the pleasantly warm transport, we were hit by the bitingly cold, damp atmosphere.

We scrambled for appropriate attire to try and retain what body heat we had for as long as possible. I even heard the phrase “wearing electric socks”. 

Are discussions about electric socks (and other items of clothing) going to displace electric bikes in our conversations?

When fully dressed I counted my layers – seven – plus double gloves and two hats.

Would that keep me warm?

Time would tell.

We negotiated the stile and waddled onto the site, aiming for the area where we had found the Polytrichum previously.

Soon the sound of a suction sampler was heard as a rough patch of vegetation was too tempting to resist.

This first sample revealed two micro-ladybirds:

Coccidula rufa;

Photograph: David Williams

And Nephus redtenbacheri.

Photograph: David Williams

Despite our best efforts body temperatures were dropping, and it became necessary to huddle up.

I noticed a gorse with a couple of flowers braving the elements.

Someone observed a moth perched on some heather. It was not going anywhere in the conditions and surrendered willingly to the warmth of a glass tube in the hand, where it was photographed.

Photograph: John Martin

This is Acleris hyemana, a strikingly marked moth providing a flash of colour at a drab time of year.

The site is grazed, as part of its management, by sheep and cattle.

After a while our paths crossed.

Photograph: John Martin

I am not sure who was more curious, the cattle or us.

Judging from the photographs I have received from the group taken during this visit it may well have been us, as a third were of the cattle!

Photograph: David Williams

But maybe some of the cattle were equally curious. As the photographer remarked “The friendly locals were captured with my phone as every time I put my bag down to extract my camera from it, they rushed me!”.

Do they associate camera bags with food?

Here is one of the locals.

Photograph: David Williams

And another.

Photograph: David Williams

Tearing ourselves away from the cattle and concentrating on matters entomological we found the “bendy” beetle, Encephalus complicans.

Photograph: David Williams

Here is the same beetle with its abdomen folded over its back.

Photograph: David Williams

I am not aware that it has a common name, so time to give it one…

How about “the Contortionist”?

We’ll see if it catches on.

It was lunchtime.

A strong breeze had sprung up and it was suggested we shelter from it behind some gorse.

The gorse provided some relief, perhaps, if you were one of the “have-nots” (i.e. do not carry a seat) who sat on the ground, but for the “haves” there was little shelter.

Lunch over we carried on for another hour or so before the chill finally overcame our clothing and we retreated back to the cars.

On the way we spotted a picture-winged fly, Tephritis vespertina.

Photograph: John Martin

But the day was not over as it was known that Tree sparrows and Bramblings had been seen nearby. A splinter group wandered off in search of these.

They were successful in their quest, finding both.

Tree sparrow.

Photograph: John Martin

Brambling.

Photograph: John Martin

And a flower, Red lungwort, for good measure.

Photograph: John Martin

Now, we made our way to our homes.

My thanks to the Shropshire Wildlife Trust for granting us permission to do what we enjoy doing, and to the photographers for their excellent images and allowing me to use them in this report.

A single flower

Wednesday 27th November 2024, Helmeth Hill

First things first.

Our scheduled visit to Long Covert, Dudmaston on 20th November was cancelled as the snow that fell on the previous day would have made the conditions too hazardous, even for us. The decision was vindicated when more snow fell overnight making the conditions even worse.

So, raring to go after this enforced lay-off we journeyed towards Helmeth Hill, which lies to the east of Church Stretton and is a neighbour of Caer Caradoc and Hope Bowdler Hill.

A dank, hazy, dismal day greeted us as we parked in a lay-by close to the path that led to the hill. The lay-by is normally quite busy, as it is used by walkers of the hills round about, but on this day it was almost unoccupied as the walkers reacted to the weather and stayed away.

When we arrived an outcrop of rock on Hope Bowdler was barely visible. But as we got ourselves ready it had cleared a little.

There is a short, rising walk from the lay-by to Helmeth Hill. This was taken at a decent pace, for us, with most people resisting the temptation to check the hedgerows and other vegetation on the way.

Crossing a field from the path we then struggled over a very high stile into the woodland that cloaks the hill.

We were welcomed!

At least we knew we were in the correct place!

And we set about our “work”.

A patch of Polytrichum was spotted and sampled but did not yield a Snow flea. (No other Polytrichum was found during the day, so our search for the first of the season goes on.)

We did however find our favourite wasp.

Callitula pyrrhogaster.

Photograph: John Martin

Delving deeper into the wood we located a Hawthorn shieldbug in a holly.

And tucked away in a crevice in some tree bark was a hibernating Common wasp.

Photograph: Neil Nash

Finding invertebrates proved to be very difficult. It was through our use of suctions samplers that we found most of what we did.

One such find was the beetle, Tetratoma desmarestii.

Photograph: John Martin

The paths within the woodland appear to consist of a circular path around the circumference of the hill and one that takes you over the summit. We had progressed to a decision point – round or up?

We chose up, following the path, that would lead to the top.

As we rose the woodland seemed to thin out a little and there was more space for the ground flora to develop.

Just off the path we noticed a Common earthball.

Photograph: John Martin

And a slime mould.

Photograph: Neil Nash

The path paused in its relentless rise for a few yards and we took advantage of a small clearing to settle down to lunch. As we lunched the clouds started to break up and we were treated the occasional burst of sunlight and the little warmth it generated.

Lunch over we continued our ascent.

We noticed that many of the trees in this area were multi-stemmed, possibly as a result of coppicing many years earlier.

At some stage during the day we found this beetle, Phosphuga atrata, trying to ignore the outside world.

Photograph: Neil Nash

At last we reached the summit.

Some decided to have a sit down to recover from the effort!

Others ventured over the other side.

I continued along the path for a while to where I could get a reasonable view of Caer Caradoc.

As I returned I noticed a single flower putting on a brave face in the adverse conditions, a Red campion.

When I reached the group at the summit, I found that they had not been idle, discovering a tiny beetle under some bark, a Rhizophagus species.

Photograph: John Martin

And a couple of spotted snake millipedes, Blaniulus guttulatus.

Photograph: John Martin

The cold was now penetrating our many layers so we decided to return from whence we had come, making the descent in considerably less time than it had taken for the ascent.

But for good measure a final suction sample was taken.

As the sun was now blazing down from a cloudless sky, the sample was taken into the neighbouring field for inspection, to absorb the solar energy the sun was providing (which was very little, but every little helps).

Having satisfied ourselves that there was nothing further to find in the tray we continued, out of the field, down the track and back to the cars.

Looking back from the lay-by to outcrop of rock on Hope Bowdler it was clear how the conditions had changed over the day.

My thanks to the Woodland Trust for granting us permission to do what we enjoy doing, and to the photographers for their excellent images and allowing me to use them in this report.

Where is everybody?

Wednesday 13th November 2024, Rectory Wood and Field

After the relatively dull weather we had been experiencing so far in November we were greeted by the sun. But this was accompanied by a very cool breeze.

Lots of extra layers were donned!

Rectory Wood and Field is close to the centre of Church Stretton. The grassland and woodland are set on banks rising to meet the Long Mynd. The site includes a stream and pools. The wood contains mainly mature native broadleaf species, with supplementary mixed planting.

On entering the site the first thing I noticed was that there were very few areas that could be described as level. It was going to be an exhausting day!

Photograph: David William

A large sycamore close to the entrance was the first part of the site to attract our attention.

An Orange ladybird was found.

Photograph: David Williams

Then a large patch of scrub surrounding a few small trees became the focus of our activity.

I noticed later the attraction of this area was a bench!

The bench was the centre of attention and envy for a while as some members of the group were sent out on forays into nearby vegetation and others waited for the results of the forays to be revealed.

Findings during these expeditions from the bench were:

A “lonely” slime mould (probably);

Photograph: Neil Nash

A micro-moth, Caloptilia rufipennella;

Photograph: John Martin

And a psudoscorpion, Neobisium carcinoides.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

After a while the lure of the seat diminished, and we moved on, down the grassland towards the entrance to the woodland, checking the grassland/woodland edge vegetation on the way.

One small group “broke away” and wandered down to the bottom of the hill and explored the vegetation in that area, locating:

A Cream-spot ladybird;

Photograph: Graham Wenman

And an Angle shades moth larva.

Photograph: Graham Wenman

Entering the wood, we were shielded from the cold breeze, and, although we were also in shade, it seemed a good spot for lunch.

But, before lunch could be taken, we just had to apply the suction sampler to a patch of Polytrichum moss that had been found.

Regrettably no Snow fleas were spotted.

Yes folks, its Snow Flea time again. 

We are hoping for more success this year.

The moss did not yield anything of great significance, and we settled down to lunch, with a good view of the hillsides opposite, including Helmeth Hill, which we will be visiting, weather permitting, soon.

Refreshed we followed the path through the woodland.

Very, very slowly.

During our snail-like progress we spotted a harvestman, Opilio canestrinii.

Photograph: David Williams

Pausing in a warm sunlit spot, we noticed several flies on leaves in a tree taking advantage of the sun and warmth.

After a while I decided to move on. 

I took a path to the left. 

I wandered along this path for quite a while ...

Then realised that no-one had followed the supposed leader!

Where was everyone else!?

Then I heard voices …

On a lower path.

When it became clear that the paths were not leading to the same place, I used modern technology (a mobile phone) to make contact.

Only to find that, although a couple had wandered deeper into the wood, most of the group had not moved from the sunlit spot.

I returned to the sunny spot …

But they had all gone …

Except one ...

Who told me that the others had returned to the grassland!

The two of us made our way back to the grassland (using different routes), where we met some of the others hunched over trays.

Slowly over the next quarter of an hour or so we magically reassembled in this area.

Whilst they were away the woodland wanderers had found another micro-moth, Psychoides filicivora.

Photograph: John Martin

And some ferns which had been planted in a fernery within the wood:

Dryopteris cycadina;

Photograph: John Martin

And Polystichum polyblepharum.

Photograph: John Martin

Having reassembled and exchanged pleasantries, a small group made another breakaway, to visit a site where earth star mushrooms had been seen.

Meanwhile, the rest us remained in the grassland and continued our searches of the vegetation around us.

Finds during this time included:

A rather dapper Lesser dung fly, Sphaerocera manilis - Lessser dung flies are usually very small and featureless;

Photograph: Nigel Jones

A micro-ladybird, Nephus redtenbacheri;

Photograph: David Williams

A fungus, Xylaria longipes, known as Dead moll’s fingers;

Photograph: Neil Nash

Another fungus, Ascocoryne sarcoides, known as Purple jellydisc;

Photograph: Neil Nash

A Hawthorn shieldbug;

Photograph: Neil Nash

A Buff footman moth larva;

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

And a log, which was host to Eyelash fungi and a slime mould.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Eventually, after the breakaway group rejoined, we decided to call it a day and head back to the cars and home.

By the way, the attraction drawing people away from the main event was this.

Photograph: John Martin

A collection of earthstar fungi, probably Geastrum triplex, which was found close to the site. 

My thanks to Church Stretton Council for granting us permission to do what we enjoy doing, and to the photographers for their excellent images and allowing me to use them in this report.