A sunny day in Shrewsbury - 16 April 2014 Margaret Mitchell

The day was the warmest day of the year so far with blue sky, wispy clouds and warm sunshine. Jim, Nigel, Liz, Brian, Les, Steve and myself set off to explore the Rea Brook Valley minus our leader Keith, who was enjoying the sunny skies of Norfolk.  It was ideal conditions for spotting bees and butterflies.  On our first site, intriguingly called ‘Cinema Field and Big Horse’ in Pete Boardman’s briefing notes, we saw peacock, small tortoiseshell, green veined white, small white, orange tip and comma, all within half an hour’s observation.

Jim’s eagle eye spotted Eristalis pertinax, tawny mining bee, bee-fly, Eristalis tenax, buff-tailed bumblebee, red-tailed bumblebee, and the intriguing Syrphus ribesii (being a botanist this is a mystery to me).  Brian added the garden bumblebee to the list. 

Syrphus ribesii (female)

Shieldbugs included the hairy variety, green birch and hawthorn, all spotted by Nigel.  Harlequin ladybirds were found, as well as 14-spot and cream-spot - Nigel managing to tear himself away from spiders to help with the count.                                

Meanwhile Les and I checked out the plant life.  The red dead nettle was profuse in our first site and very attractive, albeit a common plant.  There were several single sprigs of ladies’ smock, creeping and meadow buttercup (just starting to flower), white deadnettle and a few bluebells in bud, but most plants were still young and green.  We puzzled over a grey green plant with long tendrils, which Les has since identified as white bryony.  I hope I can check it out on our next visit to see it in flower, as it looks an attractive plant, a first for me.

White Bryony (Bryonia diocia)

After a lazy coffee break and Liz’s delicious biscuits, thus fortified, we continued on our way to Site B – ‘Small Horse’.  Where does Pete get these names?  There were stands of wild garlic, greater celandine, field speedwell, field woodrush, lesser celandine, lords and ladies, cow parsley, rib and broadleaved plantain and common comfrey – in fact rich in a variety of common plants.

We settled by the brook for lunch and soaked up the sun.  A peacock butterfly came and joined us and settled on the muddy bank, presumably drinking, whilst an enormous pond skater swam frantically round the shallows.

After lunch we continued to Site D – ‘Column Meadow’.  What happened to Site C? Ah, apparently it is on the other side of the brook!  We again saw a variety of bees and butterflies and added rhingia campestris to the list.  Also green and hawthorn shield bugs, the latter being found on bramble!  Brian and Jim caught site of a solitary bee (andrena sp.) and Liz chased and caught our last butterfly, a speckled wood.  Together with brimstone seen earlier in this site, this made a total of 8 butterfly species, not bad for an April survey!

Rhingia campestris

One large plant was a real puzzle and Les helpfully took a photo, but we were unable to track it down in our many reference books.  That is until a week later I saw some bedding plants in Sainsbury’s!  They looked remarkably similar.  Could our mystery plant have been a garden escapee?  A hollyhock perhaps?  We will have to check it out when next we visit the site later in the year.

Turning to return to the car park we paused by a bird cherry tree in blossom, which appeared to be a hot spot for ladybirds, mostly harlequins.  Every branch seemed to have a little colony. What a good way to end a productive and idyllic day’s surveying.

Harlequin ladybirds!