A hot, exhausting day

Wednesday 13th August 2025, Nant Valley

Nant Valley is a property nestled in a rising valley between Cardington and Middle Hills close to Wall-Under-Heywood.

Our first task was to manoeuvre all the cars into a space by the entrance to the site. 

We thought we had succeeded when a further car arrived!

Fortunately, there was a space further up the track, close to the house where the owners lived.

The first thing we noticed as we emerged from the cars was the heat. It was going to be a hot, and looking at the shape of the valley, an exhausting day. Fortunately, there were plenty of trees on the site which would provide shade to get relief from the sun, when needed.

We started under the shelter of an oak tree close to the cars, then braved the heat to look at the steep-sided meadow that fell away from the track to the house to a stream at the bottom of the valley.

We observed, swept, beat and suction sampled, as the path slowly climbed as we headed up the valley.

Looking to the left there was a large patch of flowers with multiple purply-pink flowers. Straying off the path it was a steep climb to get to the location. Here is what was found.

Photograph: John Martin

This was Apple-mint, which is a lot easier to remember than its rather cumbersome scientific name Mentha spicata x suaveolens = M. x villosa.

Phew!

Having climbed to the location of the plant we could pause to take in the views:

Back down the track;

Down to a pool;

And across the valley.

It was also an opportunity to check out the lunch spot which our hosts had kindly offered us - a furnished room in which we could shelter, rest and take in refreshments.

And we were very grateful for their thoughtfulness...

And drinks...

And freshly picked plums.

Lunch over we made our way down to the pool. Some went directly down, taking the steps down the steepest bit, others took a more gently sloping circuitous route.

I took the circuitous route which, not surprisingly, took a lot longer, especially when dallying and exploring the vegetation on the way. By the time I got to the pool nearly everyone had disappeared!

A couple of the group who had lingered told me that the rest had “headed for the woods” to get into the shade.

It was time for a rest and to examine some specimens I had collected. I was captured by a camera!

Photograph: Nigel Jones

By the time I got back to my feet I was on my own.

Undeterred I continued my expedition by exploring the far side of the valley.

Eventually following the footpath that descended towards where the cars were, I stumbled across most of the rest of the group huddled in the shade of the trees.

Within minutes the whole group had all crowded into this patch of shade!

It was time to go home after a great, but hot and exhausting, day on this excellent site.

Here are photographs of some of the species we came across during the visit.

24-spot ladybird.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Dock bug nymph.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A couple of egg-sacs of the spider Paidiscura pallens. The two white structures are the egg-sacs. The other "growths" are the gall of the wasp Neuroterus quercusbaccarum.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Tortoise shieldbug.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Green shieldbug nymph,

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

And an adult.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Small copper.

Photograph: John Martin

Gatekeeper.

Photograph: John Martin

Oak bush-cricket.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Dicranopalpus ramosus agg., male,

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

And a female.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A fly, Eriothrix rufomaculata.

Photograph: John Martin

Cellar spider.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A plant bug, Lygocoris pabulinus.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Another plant bug, Deraeocoris lutescens.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A fly, Tachina fera.

Photograph: John Martin

And finally, an orb-web spider, Pachygnatha clercki.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

My thanks to the owners for inviting us to visit and do what we enjoy doing. My immense gratitude to the photographers for their excellent images.

South coast adventures

Our major contributor of images continued to travel far and wide. This time to Sussex and Kent. Here is his brief report (edited to include his photgraphs).

Starting at RSPB Pulborough Brooks in Sussex, we failed to find 13-spot Ladybird & Field Cricket nymphs but came away with bonus Woodland Grasshopper …

Photograph: David Williams

and Southern Oak Bush-cricket (the south-east is stuffed full of the latter). 

Photograph: David Williams

Moving on to Kent, the same can be said for Rambur's Pied Shieldbug. Wherever there is Black Horehound, the shieldbug is present. 

Photograph: David Williams

RSPB Dungeness produced Bee-wolves…

Photograph: David Williams

And Marsh Frogs. 

Photograph: David Williams

Elsewhere on Dungeness we eventually found two Tree Crickets by beating the almost impenetrable scrub (one immediately jumped back into it)…

Photograph: David Williams

But failed to find our other targets of Large Conehead & Sickle-bearing Bush-cricket. We beat a couple of the smaller treehopper, Gargara genistae. [For my interest!]

[A bonus photograph from Dungeness – a Hummingbird hawk-moth.]

Photograph: David Williams

Day three saw us at Wye NNR, near Ashford, where we did eventually disturb a couple of Sickle-bearing BCs from the almost equally hostile scrub (on what felt like a near-vertical south-facing slope in 30 degree heat)…

Photograph: David Williams

And also good numbers of Short-winged Earwigs from grass tussocks - a bonus, never previously recorded from the site. 

Photograph: David Williams

Finally, on the way home, we were treated to a bit of impromptu plane-spotting in the traffic near Heathrow, including the attached, which the pilot had apparently miraculously balanced on a streetlight. 

Photograph: David Williams

Amazing bit of skill!