Wednesday 21st May 2025, Pasford Farm.
This outing was a return to Pasford Farm on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border.
We last visited in July 2022, so this outing was long overdue!
The site is an arable farm (mostly in Staffordshire), with an extensive area of grassland, some woodland, a stream and a pool (mostly in Shropshire) set aside with the intention of improving biodiversity.
We were met by our enthusiastic host who told us about all the changes they had made recently including a newly dug “canal”.
The site is quite large, we started at more or less the mid point, checking out the vegetation at the sides of a bridge that spanned the stream. We noticed a large mayfly, Ephemera danica on the vegetation.
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| Photograph: John Martin |
Then came the usual question…
Which way are we going?
We went north (towards the recently created canal), starting in a grassland field bordering the stream we had just crossed.
An early victim of the suction samplers was a Woundwort Shieldbug.
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| Photograph: David Williams |
The small shieldbug was returned from whence it came.
Another innocent captured by the influx of air into a net bag was a beetle identified as Oulema obscura.
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| Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett |
These were followed soon afterwards by an observation of one of our most striking froghoppers, Cercopis vulnerata, sometimes referred to as the “Red and Black Froghopper.
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| Photograph: David Williams |
The edge of the stream and the damper conditions around it became the focus of attention.
A pair of Slender Groundhoppers were busy doing what comes naturally.
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| Photograph: David Williams |
I am not sure what sort of habitat our next photographer’s model was found in, but it looks similar.
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| Photograph: David Williams |
This lovely creature is a Green-socks Peacock beetle, the “circles” on its back reminding us of the circles on a male Peacock’s tail.
Our last observation before leaving this area was the weevil Phyllobius piri.
Moving further north we passed out of this initial field into a long field in a valley.
The canal had been dug in this field. Here is a photograph of its southern end.
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| Photograph: David Williams |
As you can see in the photograph the vegetation has yet to establish itself, but a wildflower mix had been sown around it, which provided a swathe of colour and blooms.
Included in this mix were Fodder Vetch.
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| Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett |
Hungarian Vetch.
And Trifolium incarnatum subsp. incarnatum, known, more conveniently, as Crimson Clover.
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| Photograph: John Martin |
Looking at the area around the canal we found:
A Large Skipper taking advantage of the clover;
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| Photograph: John Martin |
A nymph of a Roesel’s Bush Cricket;
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| Photograph: David Williams |
And a small lacebug, Tingis ampliata.
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| Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett |
For lunch we retired to a platform in the nearby woods that was furnished with chairs, a heater (not required) and a table made from an old cable or rope drum laid on its side. However, to reach the platform we had to cross the stream on a bridge that was the width of a wooden railway sleeper! Fortunately, there was a tape strung across which we were able to hold and help with balance.
Despite cameras being at the ready, no-one fell in, leaving the paparazzi disappointed.
Out host arrived with drinks and flapjack, which were greatly appreciated.
During lunch we were entertained by a number of damselflies doing damselfly-y things at the edge of the stream.
Thanks to patient stalking by the photographer, he was able to photograph them for our benefit.
A Beautiful Demoiselle.
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| Photograph: David Williams |
A female Banded Demoiselle.
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| Photograph: David Williams |
And a male Baded Demoiselle.
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| Photograph: David Williams |
As we made our way back to the northern field, we noticed the clouds gathering to the south.
Not long afterwards the clouds had moved overhead and were looking more threatening.
We carried on!
A striking spider was located, Larinoides cornutus.
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| Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett |
Looking up there was a Kestrel doing its distinctive Kestrel hovering.
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| Photograph: John Martin |
Closer to the ground were the micro-moth Glyphipterix simpliciella...
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| Photograph: John Martin |
And the ground beetle Anchomeus dorsalis.
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| Photograph: John Martin |
The occasional roll of thunder was heard in the distance.
We ignored it and carried on.
Looking down on the scene ...
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| Photograph: John Martin |
You may have noticed a small knot of dedicated entomologists hard at work!
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| Photograph: John Martin |
Another spider was found. A Nursery web spider, Pisaura mirabilis, carrying its eggsac.
Nearby we spotted a larva of a 7-spot ladybird.
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| Photograph: David Williams |
We wandered on, the thunder seemed to fade away…
Had we avoided the storm?
A juvenile Stonechat made its presence known.
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| Photograph: John Martin |
As we meandered along the elongate canal edge we observed a Common Blue butterfly.
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| Photograph: David Williams |
At last we reached the end of the canal. Here it opened out into a small pool.
The smooth surface of the pool was soon disturbed by expanding circular ripples as drops from the sky hit the water.
Yes, it was raining.
Tempting as it was to stand there and enjoy getting wet for the first time in a few months, we retired to the shelter of some nearby trees.
It soon eased and we continued on our way.
Eventually some of us reached the end of this field, passing large patches of buttercups.
Having got to the end what else was there to do, except return to the start.
And that is what we did, spotting an adult Field Grasshopper on the way.
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| Photograph: David Williams |
And a Painted Lady.
My thanks to the owners of Pasford Farm for granting us permission to enjoy ourselves and providing lunchtime refreshments. My gratitude to the photographers for providing their excellent images for this report.
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