Any old iron?

Furber's Scrapyard and Whixall Flood Fields, Wednesday 17th October 2018

What are we doing looking at a scrapyard?

Surely there cannot be anything of interest there. An even if there was, there will be nothing left at this time of the year. If you believe this do not bother reading on.

A couple of years ago Shropshire Wildlife Trust acquired Furber's Scrapyard and several fields that border Whixall Moss, Llangollen Canal and Moss Lane with the long term aim of extending the moss, providing a scrape for wintering birds and providing facilities for visitors such as a bird hide and a small car park.

The scrapyard, being a scrapyard, needed clearing of the accumulated scrap. Most of this has been done and we were granted the opportunity to go take a look.

The site looks barren.

But is it?

The site is surrounded by trees and is a neighbour of Whixall Moss. Even within the area bounded by the trees there are patches of scrubby grassland.

Is it safe?

Only a few items of scrap remain but away from the concrete areas the ground is littered with fragments of car components. And strands of razor wire can be found along the boundary.

It is safe but you must exercise caution when walking about and especially if examining things on the ground.

But what is there to find?

Well, when faced with an area apparently bereft of living things Moth Vac comes to the fore.

What did we find?

This first vacuum sample proved very fruitful.

Adonis ladybird.

Photograph: David Williams

Common striped woodlouse.

Photograph: Susan Loose

 A pair of harvestmen that took advantage of their close proximity. Unlike many species harvestmen mate head to head.

Photograph: David Williams

And something we rarely see even in the "best" grasslands, a Small grass shieldbug

Photograph: David Williams

That's a pretty good start for this "barren" landscape.

After this we moved on to exploring the bordering trees and associated vegetation. There were a lot of alders and many were infested with the blue alder beetle Agelastica alni.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

And the larva of what we think is the alder sawfly Platycampus luridiventris.

Photograph: Susan Loose

Another sawfly larva was spotted although we do not know the species, but the larva is similar to those of the rose sawfly.

Photograph: Susan Loose

The rust gall Puccinia poarum was found on the underside of a colt's-foot leaf.

Photograph: Susan Loose

Another gall was found in some mugwort. This has been caused by the aphid Cryptosyphum artemesiae.

Photograph: Susan Loose

Other insects making use of the vegetation within the site were:

A common carder bee;

Photograph: David Williams

Ichneumon sarcitorius, as its name implies an ichneumon wasp and one that is, apparently, identifiable by mere mortals;

Photograph: David Williams

A caddis fly, sorry but I do not know the species

Photograph: Susan Loose

Finally, an oak eggar caterpillar.

Photograph: David Williams

The photographs above document a selection of what was observed, there was plenty of other species that were found, recorded and released but not photographed.

So, is the site barren?

I think you now know the answer to that question.

Time had marched on and lunch was taken. After lunch we visited four of the fields that the Trust has acquired but only did cursory searches for invertebrates whilst we looked at the sites and considered their potential.

In the last field we met a representative of Natural England who just happened to be there discussing work with fencing contractors. He then spent a while with us discussing the plans for the sites that we had been looking at.

Amongst the species we encountered in the afternoon were:

Two more galls, both on willow species;

Rabdophaga salicis - Photograph: Susan Loose

Pontania bridgmanii - Photograph: Susan Loose

The hoverfly Eristalis tenax;

Photograph: Susan Loose

Two Scathophaga flies who were clearly confused by the Autumnal sunshine;

Photograph: Susan Loose

As were these common froghoppers;

Photograph: Susan Loose

The rather splendid wolf spider Arctosa perita;

Photograph: David Williams

Finally one of my favourite beetles - a water ladybird.

Photograph: David Williams

We enjoyed a good day in an unusual habitat and I hope that we are able to return at a time of the year when there is something about for us to find!

My thanks to the Shropshire Wildlife Trust for giving us permission to visit the scrapyard and fields and to the photographers David Williams, Susan Loose and Nigel Cane-Honeysett for allowing me to use their photographs.

I have one more photograph to share. A fungus - Boletus concretus!

Photograph: Susan Loose