Whilst most of us lucky enough not to have to go to work may have peeped out of the curtains early in the morning, seen the rain coming down heavily and decided to have a lie-in and stay dry, half a dozen of us met undeterred at one of the access points to Rough Park.
The rain had abated by then but everything was soggy. Sweep nets were out of the question as one sweep would result in a useless very wet net. Eyes, beating trays, and towels were the order of the day, though spiderman insisted on taking spidervac.
The short path that we took from the cars to the park was bordered by a line of trees including oak and acers. Eyes came in useful here as we inspected leaves for galls, leaf-mines and, of course, the egg-sac of the sputnik spider - Paidiscura pallens.
Oak is the host for many gall causing insects. Amongst those we found were silk button galls on leaves caused by the gall wasp Neuroterus numismalis.
 |
| Photograph: Jim Cresswell |
 |
| Photograph: Jim Cresswell |
A couple of the group dived into the trees and emerged a few minutes later clasping a huge mushroom -
This is Boletus radicans. If you bruise the gills they turn blue. As you can see from the following photograph this was tried many times (some may have been natural damage)!
Eventually we made the entrance to the site and made our way along the path through the grassland that is Rough Park.
The grass and trees were still very wet from the rain so spidervac was fired up. Whilst some of us inspected the catch from this device others used their eyes and cameras.
 |
| Dingy footman - Photograph: Bob Kemp |
 |
| 16-spot ladybird - Photograph: Bob Kemp |
 |
| Deraeocoris ruber on knapweed - Photograph: Bob Kemp |
 |
| Rutpela maculata |
 |
| Shaded broad-bar - Photograph: Jim Cresswell |
 |
| Small skipper - Photograph: Jim Cresswell |
 |
| Hairy shieldbug nymph - Photograph: Bob Kemp |
Some sit to eat lunch, some stand and some wander about. One wanderer found a nymph of a bronze shield bug on a bramble leaf
Lunch over we headed into Dale Coppice. The path plunged downwards. We came across several trees covered in fungus resounding in the evocative names Dryad's saddle, lumpy bracket and dusky bracket.
Lumpy bracket is lumpy but it is often covered in a green algae as it is here
On through the coppice we meandered until we came to a lane. Following the lane along the edge of the wood we came across the newest habit to grab our interest.
Vegetation in the middle of the road! Someone has to do it.
Our travels through the county take us along many minor roads where lack of regular traffic and the accumulation of soil allows grass and other plants to grow in the middle. Often there is just a hint of green but sometime there is short grass and very occasionally longer grass and other vegetation. As we drive along these roads our thoughts wander to "What lives there?" Well, there is only one way to find out and that is to look.
This was our first try. Spidervac was employed on the above patch and several others. We had results! Spiders (not sure which species they were) and a ground bug Drymus brunneus. I have know added this habitat type into my records! I look forward to more opportunities to investigate. If you know of this habit near you let me know.
Pressing on we followed the lane to its end, then a path which opened out onto Rough Park. Looking around this area we found the labyrinth spider Agelina labyrinthica
 |
| Photograph: Bob Kemp |
 |
| Photograph: Bob Kemp |
The rains stopped. We made our way into the patch of heathland in the middle of Dale Coppice.
 |
| Photograph: Bob Kemp |
 |
| Photograph: David Williams |
A snail-killing fly, Coremacera marginata, was spotted and photographed.
 |
| Photograph: Bob Kemp |
 |
| Photograph: David Williams |
 |
| Photograph: David Williams |
 |
| Photograph: David Williams |
We clambered out of the heathland the way we came and as we were crossing the grassland to get to the path our orthopterist with much younger ears than most of us - and a bat detector - announced that he could hear Roesel's Bush-cricket.
"Shall I try sweeping for it?" asked the Great Stick Finder (see "A Forgetful Day" - 7 May 2014).
"Yes."
So he swept.
He did not find the bush-cricket but he did find this
 |
| Photograph: David Williams |
It can be found in the Wyre Forest but apart from one record from Dolgoch Quarry a couple of years ago it has never been found (to my knowledge) anywhere else. It has now cropped up in Telford. It must be elsewhere, so please keep a look out for it.
By the way the sun was shining by the end of our outing.
My thanks to Severn Gorge Countryside Trust for permission to survey in Dale Coppice, the photographers Bob Kemp, Jim Cresswell and David Williams for allowing me to share their photographs and those who braved the weather to make this another memorable day.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please feel free to comment on this post...