Devil's Dingle et al - by Keith Fowler

“What a brilliant site”

Prelude: A return to Lea Quarry was our next outing. This trip was disrupted by two events. A couple of us were unavailable as we attended an Invertebrate Challenge event at the Rea Valley nature reserve and it rained. However a couple of intrepid explorers set out to empty the pitfall traps and do some vacuum sampling. It was the vacuum that sucked out a couple of “inconspicuous” ladybirds which turned out to be the third record in the county of Scymnus frontalis, a small black beetle with an elongate reddish spot on each of its wing cases.

Act I: The following week “Joy of Invertebrates” descended on Devil’s Dingle. This is the former ash tipping site for Ironbridge Power Station which has now been landscaped and allowed to return to nature. It is a site that the Wrekin Forest Volunteers have visited many times in the past to help with conservation work and to carry out moth trapping. On this occasion we visited to look for invertebrates and take in the general peaceful atmosphere that the site and the views it affords. 

The weather was on its best behaviour and even the cooling towers and chimney of the power station looked good in these conditions.

We were joined for the day by two celebrities – the County Hoverfly (and others) Recorder and the County Aculeates Recorder. The latter also brought three Invertebrate Challenge students. This site has gained some notoriety as being a hotbed of bee and wasp activity and, true to form, a rare species of bee (or it may have been a wasp) was found on the bank just inside the entrance whilst we assembled.

We drove up to and parked by the main pool. We then went our separate ways. The celebrities and their group off in search of their target species, the rest of us spent some time checking out the vegetation around where we had parked our cars (finding a Dock bug) then wandered along the path that borders the south side of the pool.

One speculative sweep of the grass turned up a 16-spot ladybird and whilst a couple of us were looking at this a Bishop’s mitre shieldbug clambered onto my net. Not a good idea. It was potted for a show and tell at lunchtime.

A Green hairstreak butterfly alighted on the Hawthorn blossom next to. Like lightning it was netted for the aforementioned show and tell. But this butterfly was made of sterner stuff. It managed a Houdini like escape from the net as I encouraged it to go into a sensibly sized pot. Oh well, at least I got to see it. We were compensated though by several sightings of Dingy skipper.

Lunch was taken and we were all taken by surprise when a lone Oystercatcher flew across the far bank of the western pool. After lunch we headed for the area at the top of the site where we had two more surprises.

A small isolated gorse bush was checked more in hope than expectation for Gorse shieldbug. And lo and behold one was found, then another, then another, then ..... and more arrived as we watched. It felt as though all the shieldbugs in Telford were heading to this one bush. Why? Mmmm... We then spotted a couple making more Gorse shieldbugs, so all was explained. Spring is in the air.

The next surprise was when a speculative sweep of some rushes in a ditch caught a Denticulate leatherbug. Although a few had been found previously in Shropshire including at this site last year we had not seen one before.

For the final part of the day we returned to the entrance where we found the celebrities and their followers searching the bank. So we joined in. Yet another rarity had been found – sorry to disappoint you but I cannot remember its name! To end a good day we had sight of a Forget-me-not shieldbug.

“What a brilliant site” declared the Great Stick Finder, “You could easily stay a week”. I agree, but we had to go home and the site secured. 

Thanks go to Mary Thornton of Eon for arranging and providing access to this brilliant site.

Act II: Two days later the Wrekin Forest Volunteers carried out their first Wildlife Site Survey of the year at Traps Coppice near Sheinton. As the result of courses, holidays and probably many other reasons only two of us were able to visit the site. But we were rewarded by a couple of treats in an excellent if rather strenuous day.

The site is deciduous woodland on a fairly steep west to north-west facing slope. The entrance was rather inauspicious but we duly noted the flora and pursued a few craneflies. We then had to make a decision: go north or south. We went north. The path took us through rather dreary woodland where the Beech had grown tall and wide casting shade on the ground. The only areas of interest were the margins. Then, through the trees, and UP the slope, we spotted some white flowers. We headed UP. 

We were greeted by a vast swathe of Ramsons in full flower. And flying all around were the Ramsons specialist hoverfly Portevinia maculata. I have never seen so many.

Unfortunately carrying on our northern tack we left the Ramsons behind and trudged through the Beech wilderness until with some relief we came upon the boundary.

We now headed south back to the welcoming whiteness of the Wild garlic. At some point we moved into Oak dominated woodland. There is, however, only so much whiteness one can take before one becomes immune to its charm. O for the sight of a buttercup or dandelion.

In search of insects I wandered off to do a bit of my own thing. I heard a squeal of delight. I rushed over... there were three Early purple orchids in flower. 

The day was looking up. We walked on, a few more orchids, then a few more, then a whole clump of them. In all nearly a hundred Early purple orchids. For someone who had only knowingly seen one before this was all too much so I had to sit down and have lunch.

It was then that I had that moment, that Eureka moment, about 10 yards away (9 metres if you are young) was something yellow. Yes, yes, it was a dandelion. O delight.

Refreshed and uplifted we travelled on. We came to an area where the land levels out and starts to slope to the east. We explored. Another squeal – Herb paris – not just an isolated plant or two but hundreds in several large patches. Herb paris is an odd plant as some flowers have four large leaves and some five – as can be seen in the photograph.

On cloud nine we carried on to the southern end of the site then made our way back to the start finding Sanicle, Wood mellick and other plants along the path finishing with a clump of the parasitic plant Toothwort.

We were met by the wood’s guardian as we were writing up the site visit report. He is keen to preserve if not improve the state of the coppice. One of his plans is to thin out the beech which would be of great benefit.

Another “brilliant” site.

Thank you to the owner, Buildwas Estate, for granting access and the Shropshire Wildlife Trust for making the arrangements for the visit.

Act III: Four years ago I photographed an insect on the trunk of the Scots pine at the summit of Little Hill, which is the pimple to the south of The Wrekin. It turned out to be the hoverfly species Callicera rufa that was known (at that time) only in Scotland as a specialist of Caledonian pine forest. A few days later, following the identification of this species, it was also found on Haughmond Hill.

Each year in May and June I go back to Little Hill to check if it is still there. I do not see it on each of these occasions as it has to be sunny and the males have to be out and about patrolling their territories to have a chance of spotting them. Unfortunately they are not insects that feed on the ground flora, which makes them easier to spot, but use the upper canopy to find their food. So the males have to be around and fighting off all-comers to have any chance of seeing them. 

On my last trip it was warm, the sun was shining, it was almost cloudless, and I was rewarded with the sight of between two and four of the flies, possibly more. So I can record that they have now been present on Little Hill for (at least) four years.

Yet another brilliant sight.