New Life

Wednesday 29th May 2024, Telford Town Park

After the previous Wednesday’s downpours that led to the cancellation of the scheduled trip, the weather was better behaved for our outing to Telford Town Park. The day started with a short, light sprinkle, followed about 20 minutes later by a short burst of heavy rain. After this, apart from a few spits and spots, the rain stayed away.

Telford Town Park is a large site close to the centre of Telford. It consists of a collection of habitats including meadow, amenity grassland, wet meadow, woodland, scrub, pools, streams, ditches and areas of archaeological interest. Much of the park is designated as a Local Nature Reserve.

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We parked towards the south of the site close to Grange Pool (where parking is free).

Being a local site for me, I managed to arrive about 15 minutes before the scheduled start to find two others already there and scouring the area around the car park for items of interest.

When the rest of the attendees had arrived and kitted themselves out, we set off for our initial target area, a large meadow. As far as I know it has not been named but it does have an owl box standing proud in one corner, just discernible in the following photograph.

We made rapid progress and as we arrived, having negotiated a rather tricky muddy path to get there, a short burst of heavy rain also arrived.

Some sought shelter under the trees, others just donned waterproofs and toughed it out.

Thankfully, the rain soon stopped, and we got down to “work”.

A very early find and a hope of new life, was a clutch of eggs.

Photograph: David Williams

We knew they were probably shieldbug eggs, but which one's. I should know but I could not place them! Fortunately, use of a smart phone allowed us to determine they were the eggs of a Bronze shieldbug.

Very much adults were this long-horned moth, Nemophora degeerella;

Photograph: Neil Nash

And planthopper, Thamnotettix confinis.

Photograph: John Lyden

The meadow was very wet underfoot. Those of us not wearing wellingtons needed to watch where we placed our feet lest we end up with a boot full of water.

But flourishing above the water level was an orchid.

More signs of new life. This time more advanced than eggs. A couple of moth larvae. I believe they are both Noctuid species but I have not been able to determine which.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Continuing the theme of new life we found the larva of a Cream-spot ladybird.

Photograph: David Williams

New life and the creature that probably created it. A tiny spider, Paidiscura pallens, and its sputnik-shaped egg sac that is larger than the spider!

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

It was lunchtime, but the meadow was far too wet to find a suitable place to have it. We moved on to our second target area, another meadow, much smaller, by Fletcher’s Pool.

This meadow was just as wet as the first, but the ground did rise in one corner. This area was drier and suitable for our lunchtime picnic.

Lunch over, we carried on where we had left off. An early after lunch find was a snipe fly, Chrysopilus cristatus.

Photograph: John Lyden

Back to our theme of new life the nymph of an Oak bush cricket was discovered.

Photograph: David Williams

 

The remaining couple of finds that were photographed were both adults.

Despite its appearance this is a 10-spot ladybird. This species has several different forms and this is, surprise, surprise, the two-spotted one.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A red and black hopper, Cercopis vulnerata.

Photograph: David Williams

We left the meadow and wandered along a very muddy path through some woodland. Passing over, then beside, a stream we noticed some figwort. And on the figwort a couple of weevils were having a staring match.

Photograph: David Williams

This delightfully liveried weevil, Cionus tuberculosus, is associated with figwort, so both were in the right place!

Emerging from the woodland we found ourselves close to the Stirchley Chimney. We spent the rest of the afternoon in that area accompanied by the sound of a powered lawnmower and strimmer. They easily drowned out the noise made by our suction samplers.

Things of interest that we found in the grassland, rougher vegetation, bushes and trees in this area included:

A digger wasp, an Ectemnius species;

Photograph: Neil Nash

A fly, Empis livida;

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Another youngster, this time a Speckled bush cricket;

Photograph: David Williams

A rove beetle, as yet unidentified;

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A Tortoise shieldbug;

Photograph: David Williams

And to complete our collection of new life, an egg sac being carried around by a Nursery-web spider.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

And with that, we went home.

My thanks to Telford and Wrekin Council for granting us permission to play and to the photographers for providing their excellent images for this report.

Rain prevents play!

Wednesday 22nd May 2024. Melverley, Common piece and other fields

The group was due to visit three areas of privately owned land near Melverley that are now being managed with minimal intervention for the benefit of wildlife.

Regrettably the weather had other plans.

The forecast of rain to fall all day led to this outing being postponed.

Thanks to the Shropshire Spider Group it has been rescheduled for Sunday 21st July. Fingers crossed that the weather will be kinder.

In the absence of a report of the outing I share with you below the many photographs that have come my way over the past week or so.

Friday 17th May 2024, Eardington Quarry

An evening of moth trapping was held at the quarry. Here are a few of the species that were observed:

A larva of a Blair’s shoulder-knot;

Photograph: David Williams

Great crested newts;

Photograph: David Williams

Photograph: David Williams

A woodlouse, Platyarthrus hoffmannseggii; this small woodlouse is found in association with ants and is known as the Ant Woodlouse;

Photograph: David Williams

A Palmate newt;

Photograph: David Williams

A Glow-worm larva;

Photograph: David Williams

A Puss moth;

Photograph: David Williams

An Eyed hawk-moth;

Photograph: David Williams

Another hawk-moth, this time a Poplar hawk-moth;

Photograph: David Williams

A Buff-tip;

Photograph: David Williams

And a Lobster moth.

Photograph: David Williams

Sunday 19th May 2024, King’s Dyke Nature Reserve

King’s Dyke Nature Reserve is a private nature reserve just east of Peterborough. The photographer went there to find a ground-hopper that is not found, yet, in Shropshire. Whilst searching for this elusive insect he observed few other creatures of interest.

A hairy dragonfly.

Photograph: David Williams

A Scarce chaser.

Photograph: David Williams

A Slender-horned leatherbug.

Photograph: David Williams

A Marsh harrier.

Photograph: David Williams

Our photographer was looking for Cepero’s ground-hopper, a species that I had never heard of until he showed me one in Manchester Museum a few weeks ago.

Unfortunately, it looks very similar to a much more commonly found ground-hopper, Slender ground-hopper. 

And the Slender ground-hopper was very common on this site and he had to check over a hundred for minor features that distinguish the two.

Out of all the ground-hoppers he checked he found ONE Cepero’s!

Here it is.

Photograph: David Williams

Wednesday 22nd May 2024, Crossways

The photographer found this rarely reported hoverfly inside his house, Brachypalpus laphriformis.

Photograph: John Lyden

Friday 24th May 2024, Crossways

As a reward for doing the household chores the photographer noticed this sawfly, Hoplocampa alpina.

Photograph: John Lyden

This is the first time that this sawfly has been recorded in the county.

Friday 24th May 2024, Madeley

A slow-worm was discovered when opening a bag of home produced compost.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Saturday 25th May 2024, Little Hill

A walk to the summit of Little Hill was not rewarded with the sight of Callicera rufa. The tree trunk on which at least one male has been found at this time of year was, disappointingly, devoid of hoverflies. I had to be content with this Rhagium bifasciata that took a fancy to my waterproof.

Saturday 25th May 2024, Madeley

Several similar flies were seen in the garden with a long proboscis and feathery legs. Unfortunately, it has not been possible to decide which species the flies were other than a member of the Empis genus.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Monday 27th May 2024, Swellshill

On a generally damp and disappointing Bank Holiday Monday a couple of us were able to find a good deal of sunshine near to Stroud. The only down-side was the rather stiff breeze that was difficult to find shelter from.

Swellshill is an area of grassland on a steep south-ish facing slope, close to Rodborough Common. It is generally a good site for butterflies.

However, our early successes were a couple of shieldbugs.

Bishop’s Mitre.

And from one of the Juniper bushes a Juniper shieldbug.

And then we started to find butterflies and moths.

A Common blue.

A Forester moth (or it may be a Cistus forester, they are difficult to separate).

A Dingy skipper. This was by far the most common species we saw.

A Brown argus

My thanks the photographers for providing their images for this report.

Guess what’s for dinner

Wednesday 15th May 2024, Hodnet Old Railway Laine

Hodnet Old Railway Line is a mile or so long nature reserve owned by Shropshire County Council that follows the route of the defunct Wellington to Market Drayton line. It features an embankment and a cutting whose vegetation provides a home for Glow-worms. It runs from Station Road in Hodnet to Wollerton, ending opposite Wollerton Old Hall. A footpath runs along the length of the reserve.

Once again, I was absent as I was isolating with COVID, so, once again, I am grateful for a verbal summary of the day from one of the attendees.

Wollerton Old Hall Gardens were closed which meant that their car park was not available for use but, as it was quiet, we were able to park on the roadside by the hall.

To get to the reserve it is necessary to follow the footpath through the car park. This was bordered by a hedge which provided shelter from the early morning cool breeze.

An early record was a female Common earwig which was found eating her way through a Yellow dung-fly.

Photograph: David Williams

Soon after this a mirid bug, Rhabdomeris striatellus, was also discovered tucking into bits of another unfortunate Yellow dung-fly.

Photograph: David Williams

It is fair to say that there were a lot of Yellow dung-flies about!

On the reserve an insect was found that was not devouring a dung-fly, a Drinker moth larva.

Photograph: David Williams

This was followed by finding one of our least recorded shieldbugs, a Forget-me-not shieldbug.

Photograph: David Williams

Considering the amount of Forget-me-not plants there are, it is very surprising it is not more common. Presumably there are other environmental factors that need to be met for it to be successful. When found it tends to be on well drained sites.

The site may be a mile or so in length but it is not very wide so there is not much exploring to be done other than just follow the path to the end, turn round and return. The vegetation is mainly ground layer but there are some trees and shrubs.

And it was in one of the trees that the next insect was found, a micro-ladybird, Scymnus auratus, known as the Oak ladybird.

Photograph: David Williams

Another insect associated with oak is Harpocera thoracica, which can be found on the tree as an adult for a few weeks after the leaves first appear.

Photograph: David Williams

Back to the ground layer, a bee, Andrena labiata.

Photograph: David Williams

Switching from fauna to flora, a Pink garlic, Allium trifoliatum, was found in flower.

Photograph: John Martin

According to the finder this is the first time that this plant has been recorded in the county. 

Returning to fauna and insects, male Empis tessellata, when trying to win over a female for mating, will catch a prey item and present it to the female. If she is impressed, she will allow mating to take place.

Photograph: John Martin

She was impressed!

Once again, the gift of food is a Yellow dung-fly.

Well, there were lots about.

Also in the mood for love were a pair of 14-spot ladybirds.

Photograph: David Williams

Continuing searching the ground layer vegetation teased out a couple more shieldbugs:

Pied shieldbug;

Photograph: David Williams

Woundwort shieldbugs, a pair of which were mating, whilst a third was an onlooker.

Photograph: David Williams

At this time of year keep a look out for long-horned beetles. This one is a Wasp beetle.

Photograph: David Williams

The day was drawing to a close when this 2-spot ladybird was noticed.

Photograph: David Williams

Time to head back to the start and home.

And what’s for dinner? 

Yellow dung-flies, of course.

My thanks to Shropshire County Council for allowing us to do what we enjoy doing. My gratitude to Jim for providing a summary of the day and to the photographers for providing the substance of this report.