7 Aug 2025

Thank goodness the grass had been cut

Wednesday 30th July 2025, Betchcott Hill

Betchcott Hill is an area of upland acid grassland acquired by the Shropshire Wildlife Trust, not long ago, following a successful public fund raising appeal. 

Meeting in a large lay-by a mile or so from the site we then shared cars for the final leg of the journey to the site which involves driving along the Portway.

At the start of the Portway we were treated on one of the best road surfaces in Shropshire. 

How easy was this journey going to be? 

All went well until we got to the edge of the site where the lane starts to climb the hill. 

The tarmac ran out!

The last part of this short trip was completed on a gravelly unsurfaced track. 

Fortunately, the track proved reasonably easy to negotiate as we climbed to the parking spot, just off the track at the top of the hill.

Here we were treated to a fabulous view, despite the murk, of Shropshire to the north and east, with The Wrekin centre stage.


Much to the relief of at least a couple of the group it was not raining (as last time they were here they got drenched).

There was not a car park in which to start our exploration but we started where the cars were parked!


We soon moved on.

Initially we were disappointed that the grass had been cut but there were plenty of areas where it had been left. We made for these, where we spread out and did our usual things.

Early finds that were photographed included:

A harvestman, Nemastoma bimaculatum.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A Meadow Ladybird, Rhyzobius litura.

Photograph: David Williams

A larva of a Drinker moth, Euthrix Potatoria.

Photograph: David Williams

And a weevil, Otiorhynchus singularis.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

As a result of parking at the top of the hill everywhere we went was downhill…

And we know what that means …

All routes back to the cars were uphill.

Well, no good worrying about that yet. We continued to plunge downwards.

I was delighted to find that the long wet grass was alive with plenty of the green planthopper, Cicadella viridis. None were photographed so I have re-used this photograph from an earlier visit.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Walking through the long grass was far from easy, as the ground was quite uneven. When taking a step you were never quite sure where your foot would land … on a ridge, in a rut or, even, just where you would expect the ground to be.

Despite the difficulties we continued to plunge downwards, sweeping, beating, suction sampling whilst keeping our balance.

More finds:

A Red Marsh Ladybird, Coccidula rufa;

Photograph: David Williams

A longhorn beetle, Agapanthia villoviridescens;

Photograph: David Williams

And a tortoise beetle, Cassida flaveola, identified by its lack of distinguishing features!

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Along the way a Field pansy, Viola arvensis, was spotted.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A patch of flatter ground was seen in the near distance. This seemed a good place to head for.

So we did.

But on the way we inspected some fence posts and noticed eggs on one of them.

Photograph: David Williams

These are, we believe, eggs of the Drinker moth.

A Red Patched Ladybird, Nephus redtenbacheri, was found.

Photograph: David Williams

Arriving in the flatter area we noticed that a group of trees had been removed. Their remains making a rather sad foreground to that wonderful view.

Photograph: David Williams

Why had the trees been removed?

Yes, they were conifers, but these provide habitats for invertebrates and birds.

Apparently, they posed a threat to ground nesting birds, such as Curlew. Predatory birds, for example Crows, could use the trees as a perch to search out suitable victims. 

Lunch was taken in amongst the remains.

Lunch over, back to work.

Another havestman Mitopus morio was located.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Together with a couple of large spiders:

Araneus diadematus;

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

And Araneus quadratus.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Searching the grassland uncovered an Adonis' Ladybird, Adonia variegata, whose spots (apart from the one around its scutellum) are all positioned on the latter half of its elytra.

Photograph: David Williams

And a rove beetle, Ontholestes tessellaris.

Photograph: David Williams

We started to make our way back up the hill.


But before we got very far we noticed that a few had been delayed, examining the corpses of a fox and a sheep.

The rest of us sat down, relaxed and enjoyed a spell of warm sunshine while they carried out their investigations.

Blow flies are known to seek out carcasses and several were observed. Here are a couple that were photographed.

The first is probably Protophormia terraenovae.

Photograph: John Martin

And the second was Cynomya mortuorum, with its striking yellow face.

Photograph: Liz Roberts

Remembering how difficult it had been to walk down the hill, through the long grass, we took advantage of the situation by making our way up using the areas that had been cut.

We made it!

Photograph: Liz Roberts

My thanks to Shropshire Wildlife Trust for permitting us to do what we enjoy doing and to the photographers for their excellent images.
 
On the journey home we stopped at St. Ruthen's church in Longden.

Why?

So that I could have the opportunity to see a Horseshoe ladybird, Clitostethus arcuatus. The churchyard was visited last year and a large number of these ladybirds were found on the Greater Celandine, so there was a good chance that they would still be present. 

A quick tap of some Greater Celandine dislodged a few of the tiny beetles into a waiting tray. Here is one of them.

Photograph: David Williams

What a bonus.


1 Aug 2025

No mere Mere

Wednesday 23rd July 2025, Aqualate Mere 

I was an absentee on the day and am grateful to Nigel (not the same one as my last stand-in) for the following report.

According to the information board at the entrance to Aqualate Mere:-

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

“Aqualate Mere is the largest of the West Midland meres; glacial lakes that formed some 10,000 years ago during the last Ice Age. Another Ice Age feature preserved here is underneath the strip of woodland to the North of the Mere. This is an esker – a ridge of sands and gravels deposited by a meltwater river that ran underneath the ice sheet……….

The Mere and its supporting reedbeds support a heronry and important populations of wintering wildfowl”.

So no mere Mere then and hence the tile of this report.

This was another daring foray into foreign lands – this time not darkest Wales but the ever sunny (allegedly) Staffordshire although when we arrived it was all a bit Graham (a weather condition first described by a famous meteorologist called Urkey). The trip was made all the more daunting by the absence of our fearless leader.

Umpteen (minus one) JoW ologists slowly gathered in the car park and proceeded to unpack the boot of their cars. Some, famously, taking much longer than others which was just as well as one member of JoW turned up late, perhaps forgetting the difference in the time zones. No names no pack drill as the saying goes or, more probably, went but one word will suffice – molluscs ! At least we now numbered umpteen.

The time-honoured ritual of surveying the car park before entering the site was then practiced

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

but, eventually, we passed through the gates into the actual site.

Imagine my surprise when, instead of immediately encountering the legendary Staffordshire Hoard (Stoke City supporters ?)  I had anticipated, I practically bumped into my next-door neighbour, a keen birdwatcher, who was leaving the site having spent a few chilly early morning hours apparently not watching any interesting birds. His surprise was, I think, greater than mine as he was faced with the full umpteen bearing all sorts of unlikely looking collecting equipment. His companion appeared completely bemused.

The JoW group then ungrouped with the speed of a group of things which ungroups rapidly and proceeded to sweep, beat, vacuum and grub about and soon found items of interest (well to us at least).

14-spot ladybird, Propylea quatuordecimpunctata

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A planthopper, Cicadella viridis

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Dock bug, Coreus marginatus

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Acorn weevil, Curculio glandium

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Four spot orb weaver, Araneus quadratus

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A money spider, Microlinyphia pusilla

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Smaller groups coagulated at intervals to swap specimens or photos of specimens or identifications of specimens submitted to a rather splendid smartphone app called Obsidentify which is startlingly accurate most of the time but bizarrely inaccurate on occasions. To our surprise, three things which we firmly believed to be a weevil, a beetle and a caterpillar all turned out to be Asian hornets. (Photos not included to protect the guilty).

We slowly moved further into the site sampling different habitats

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

and continuing to find interesting species.

Green shieldbug, Palomena prasina

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Hairy shieldbug, Dolycoris baccarum

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Oak bush cricket, Meconema thalassinum

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Meadow grasshopper, Pseudochorthippus parallelus

Photograph: David Williams

A mirid bug, Mecomma ambulans

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A darkling beetle, Nalassus laevioctostriatus

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A nursery wed spider with her nursery web, Pisaura mirabilis

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Our botanist/birdist/general all-round knowledgist managed to get as far as the bird hide and enquired of a distant group (a vesta?) of swans whether they had seen my next-door neighbour earlier but they remained mute !

More creatures were retrieved and subjected to various indignities to reveal their identities.

A cereal leaf beetle, Oulema duftschmidi/melanopus

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A soldier fly, Four-barred major, Oxycera rara

Photograph: David Williams

A weevil, Rhinoncus perpendicularis

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

And, finally, after a number of people (remember zero is a number although the Romans never knew) have clamoured for its return, the Weevil of the Week is back !!

Neocoenorrhinus germanicus

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Eventually the group ran out of steam if not battery power and, after one last vac, returned to the cars and journeyed home where the work, for some, begins as many specimens need to be examined under a microscope to identify the species.

One such specimen, of a fairy fly; which is actually a tiny wasp is shown below. It is 0.7mm and, as yet, unidentified.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Since Nigel sent me his report I have received more photographs from the day.

Starting with what would have been a county first for Shropshire had we not been in Staffordshire. However, we think it may be a first for that county too. 

A wasp with boxing gloves for front claws, Lestiphorus bicinctus. (Not one of my favourite animals as it preys on planthoppers! Thankfully, from my point of view, it is quite scarce.)

Photograph: Clare Boyes

Roesel’s Bush-cricket

Photograph: David Williams

Nymph of a Tortoise Shieldbug

Photograph: David Williams

Long-winged Conehead

Photograph: David Williams

Short-winged Conehead

Photograph: David Williams

Adonis’ Ladybird

Photograph: David Williams

Common Earwig and Forest Bug

Photograph: David Williams

Parent Bugs

Photograph: David Williams

Larva of a carrion beetle

Photograph: David Williams

Slender Groundhopper

Photograph: David Williams

My thanks to Natural England for permitting us to do what we enjoy doing, to Nigel for providing the report in my absence and to the photographers for their excellent images.