Double First

Wednesday 29th June 2022, Fir Tree Farm

Photograph: David Williams

The site at Fir Tree Farm is three fields that have been acquired by the National Trust who are trying to return them to flower rich meadows as part of their Stepping Stones project. The fields nestle at the foot of the western flank of the Long Mynd. Two of the fields are to the south of the farm buildings and the third is to the north, about 200 yards from the other two.

The title of this piece does not refer to an academic achievement but two firsts that have occurred within the group.

The first “first” occurred when a member of the group made an early visit to the site as she was unable to join us on the day. For good measure she took her family with her to share the joy. They visited the largest field with is the one to the north.

As an aperitif here are some of the things they found:

A weevil, Sitona cylindricollis;

Photograph: Emm Cane-Honeysett

A Poplar hawkmoth larva;

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A bee that, as yet, remains unidentified;

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Another moth larva, this time what I believe to be a Knot grass (I trust someone will correct me if I am wrong);

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A fully grown moth, which is probably Agyresthia conjugella;

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Another weevil, Glocianus punctiger;

Photograph: Emm Cane-Honeysett

A barkfly, Graphopsocus cruciatus, which is very easy to identify from its distinctive wing pattern;

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

And a horsefly, Haematopota pluvialis, waiting to pounce on a victim.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Would it still be there when the rest of the group came a few days later?

And so to the “main” course.

We parked in the corner of the southern-most meadow, getting a free clean from the vegetation as it brushed against the undersides of the cars.

As the photograph shows it was bright and sunny when we arrived, with the Long Mynd looking down on us in the background.

We stayed at the bottom of the meadow for a long time looking for whatever took our interest in the meadow’s vegetation and the lush hedge that shielded it from the road.

And yes, the cleg, Haematopota pluvialis, WAS still waiting!

OK.

It was probably not the same fly!

It was three days later. The first was in the north meadow and this was in the one furthest south. But please give me some licence to fantasise in the reports,

Searching this area was very rewarding as we found quite a number of insects inhabiting the grasses and hedgerow including:

A soldier beetle that I do not recall seeing before, Cantharis flavilabris;

Photograph: David Williams

And a 14-spot ladybird larva.

Photograph: David Williams

One of the delights of this time of year is seeing the early instar nymphs of Dock bugs with their huge antennae that seem out of proportion to the rest of their body making them look as though they should topple over at each attempt to move.

Photograph: David Williams

Like children, they soon grow up.

Turning our attention briefly to the sky we saw a Red kite gliding by.

Photograph: David Williams

Far more graceful than the manmade gliders taking off at regular intervals on the hill above us.

Back to the ground, keen eyesight spotted the worker of Bombus monticola, the bilberry bumble bee, foraging on a yellow rattle flower.

Photograph: David Williams

A field maple was amongst the trees within the hedgerow. Many of its leaves were covered in red pimples.

These are galls caused by the mite, Aceria myriadeuam.

I have mentioned how it was “bright and sunny” when we arrived.

Well …

The use of “was” is intentional!

As the sky now looked like this.

Photograph: David Williams

And that grey shadow of rain was heading our way swiftly.

We sought shelter under some larger trees.

The rain soon passed but we hung about the area.

Firstly, finding invertebrates in the vegetation that surround the trees including:

A tortoise beetle, Cassida vibex.

And then for lunch, in the long grass.

Lunch over, it started to rain again.

Hiding from the rain we checked a vacuum sample taken as we sought shelter and found the hairy nymph of a Hairy shieldbug, Dolycoris baccarum.

Photograph: David Williams

Again the rain soon stopped and the sun reappeared.

We were drawn to a ditch between the two southern meadows that housed what looked like Monkeyflower.

But closer inspection showed that it was probably a hybrid monkey flower.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

Time was marching on and as we had still not visited the northern meadow we made a dash for the cars (more a determined stroll really), and drove the short distance to the car parking area by the farm buildings.

We spent about an hour in the northern meadow which, probably, did not do justice to the site, but a lot of what we found was also seen in the meadows visited earlier. A couple of additional species successfully photographed were:

A Forest bug nymph;

Photograph: David Williams

And a Meadow brown butterfly, feeding.

I am sure you will be happy to know that it did not rain again.

The Wednesday Weevil of the Week is the lovely Graptus triguttatus. It is bristly and has a distinctive Greek-mask-like pattern on it’s back. Its rostrum is very skinny for a ‘broad-nosed’ weevil.

Photograph: Emm Cane-Honeysett

Wednesday 6th July 2022, Bell Coppice

This was a joint outing with the Wyre Forest Study Group who were able to arrange for us to visit Bell Coppice, a privately owned site to the west of the Wyre Forest. 

The site is and ancient oak woodland with four flower-rich meadows. Three of the meadows which are situated at the south end of the site are flower-rich, one of which is a hay meadow with aftermath grazing by cattle, and the other two are gazed by cattle in the autumn and winter. 

I was unable to attend this outing so I cannot contribute anything to the report. However I have been sent a synopsis of the day which is paraphrased below.

The morning was spent in the flower meadows at the southern end of the site. Lunch was taken near the site entrance after which the group moved on to the meadow at the far end of the site ("Far Meadow"). This was followed by going along the disused railway line that forms the northern boundary before a march through the woods back to the cars. 

An early find was the second “first”.

A bee-fly that has not been recorded (as far as I know) in the county before.

Villa cingulata.

Photograph: John Bingham

This species has been resident in Worcestershire for a short while having spread recently from the chalklands found in the Chiltern and Cotswold Hills. It has now crossed the boundary into Shropshire.

One fly was seen early in the day in the first meadow but later, in Far Meadow, a number of individuals were seen. 

Other finds that were photographed were:

A Nut weevil, Curculio nucum with its extraordinary rostrum;

Photograph: Emm Cane-Honeysett

A Labyrinth spider, Agelena labyrinthica;

Photograph: Neil Nash

A Speckled bush cricket nymph;

Photograph: David Williams

A Spiked shieldbug nymph;

Photograph: David Williams

A Zelotes sp. spider and egg sac;

Photograph: Neil Nash

A Marbled white butterfly;

Photograph: David Williams

A Dark green fritillary;

Photograph: David Willaims

And a Southern hawker.

Photograph: David Williams

The general impression of the site was that the finds were a little disappointing, the vacuum sampler in particular not really producing anything of great note. But, nevertheless a good day in a nice place. 

And to finish the Wednesday Weevil of the Week is the hunched Orbitis cyanae.

Photograph: David Williams

My thanks to the National Trust and the owner of Bell Coppice for giving us permission to do what we enjoy doing, and to the Wyre Forest Study Group for arranging access to Bell Coppice. My great appreciation to the photographers for providing their excellent images.