When is a Slug not a Slug?

Wednesday 28th October 2026, Lambart Wood, Berrington

 
This was our first outing in a fortnight, the trip to Brown Moss which was scheduled for October 21^st having been called off due to the very wet forecast. Lambart Wood, a new site for us, is part of the wider Attingham Park Estate. I’ll let the National Trust explain further via a sign on the entrance gate:

The weather had been alarmingly wet as we made our way to site. By the time we arrived it had cleared to sunshine, but the sky was still rather threatening.

photo: Liz Roberts

There was also a brisk, cold wind which the rather open and elevated nature of the site did little to obstruct. It did offer some fine views as compensation, this one of The Wrekin taken over the fence seen in the previous picture.

But what of the actual finds? Just inside the entrance gate, a very small pond contained a stand of bulrushes, in which copious quantities of European Cinchbugs were making their homes. This photo shows both the short-winged and fully winged forms.

A number of empty pupal cases were also discovered, which have been identified as those of the Bulrush Veneer moth.

photo: Caroline Uff

In the grassland itself, the vacuumers got to work. The ladybird species of the day was a close call between 16-spot

And Rhyzobius litura (Meadow Ladybird).

Here are another couple of them, along with what I think was the only 24-spot seen all day.

One vac sample produced three 22-spots, the only ones of those seen all day too.

Two commoner invertebrates next. 7-spot Ladybirds were as ubiquitous as usual.

As were Nursery-web Spiders.

photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

More distinguished, perhaps, was the bug Berytinus minor.

photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Along with another bug, Peritrechus geniculatus.

A sign of the lateness of the season was this abandoned bumblebee nest, of species unknown.

photo: Liz Roberts

Another week, another Anthicus antherinus. This must be the 5^th or 6^th consecutive field trip in which we have found this hitherto hardly seen beetle. What is going on? 

Still on beetles, the only weevil of which I have a photo this week is Sitona lineatus.

photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Moving on up the fence line, I found an oak which was pushing a few branches through it and rewarded them with a good thrashing. This odd creature fell into my tray.

I took a photo, flipped it over and took another. Barely any discernible difference! I think this is the dorsal view, but I wouldn’t put money on it. I believe it is the larva of a micro moth: Tischeria ekebladella, the Oak Carl and I fear I dislodged it from its mine in an oak leaf.
Time was moving on. I paused to take a distant shot of a male Stonechat, one of a pair which had been shadowing me along the boundary, then returned to the main group, who were pondering a lunch spot.

The sunshine was very pleasant but as soon as it weakened the wind was cutting. We decided to head for the shelter of the central hedge line (the site being two fields separated by an internal hedge). Camp was made and provisions consumed. The hedge was interrogated and admitted to being in possession of a Hawthorn Shieldbug.

It also asked for several barkflies to be taken into account, including Graphopsocus cruciatus.

photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

In the vegetation at the base of the hedge, larvae of Angle Shades Moth

photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

and Ruby Tiger were discovered,

photo: Nigel Jones

as was a 3.5mm love beetle, identified as Astenus lyonessius.

A grass tussock produced this little snail. Or was it a slug with a shell?

We believe it is Vitrina pellucida, called variously the Winter Glass Snail or Winter Semi-slug. Consulting the excellent FSC AIDGAP guides to slugs and land snails reveals that it is in both of them. So it seems that the molluscophiles (is there such a word?) can’t make their minds up either!
 
In time a few brave souls decided to see what was happening on the other ie windward side of the hedge. A ferocious wind, straight out of Siberia, seemed to be the main finding. We retreated sharpish, but not before a magnificent example of a Diplolepsis rosae gall (Robin’s Pincushion among other names) was seen and recorded.

photo: Nigel Jones

A couple of very late-season Field Grasshoppers were also lurking in the grass at the edges of a dry pond.

Returning to the shelter of the first field, we made instead for the middle of it, where several heaps of deadwood have been placed deliberately to attract wildlife. They attracted us, too.

Here are some of the finds from under and within the timber. First, a Bank Vole (one of several).

photo: Caroline Uff

A Toad 

photo: Caroline Uff

The larva of a cardinal beetle – Black-headed Cardinal I believe.

The biggest Devil’s Coach-horse any of us could remember seeing, measuring fully 30mm when a rule was held (carefully) next to it.

A fine display of Discus rotundatus snails.

And a fungus which Obsidentify declares to be Calocera cornea.

photo: Liz Roberts

The day was drawing to its natural conclusion, inevitably in the best weather of the day.

There was time for one last sighting, equally surprising and forlorn: a ‘Spring’ mining bee, Andrena nitida (Grey-patched Mining Bee). Nectaring on ragwort, she was either six months early or six months late. The camera’s inbuilt stacking firmware has given her multiple antennae.

photo: Nigel Jones

And that was that, concluding our Summer programme. Next week, the start of the Winter one! Many thanks to the National Trust for inviting us to survey this newly created site.
 
 
POST SCRIPT
I have been sent this photograph of events which occurred after our trip to Oaks Wood a couple of weeks ago. It needs no further explanation.

photo: John Martin

Some of us refrained from this diversion and went straight home, feeling superior. And thirsty. 
 
Photographs © the author except as noted.

Wot no Oaks? Wot no Pond?

Wednesday 14th October 2026, Oaks Wood, Habberley

 
This large area of woodland (mostly coniferous plantation, but I note a nearby place on the map called ‘Oaks’ which I presume explains the name) and fields stands opposite Earl's & Pontesford Hills, separated from them by the Habberley Brook. It hosted us back in April. We barely scratched its surface back then and, inevitably, did little better on this occasion despite the group fragmenting and heading in several different directions. A day which turned out to be rather less sunny than was hoped, this view to Earl's Hill was captured during one of the more cheerful moments.

Last week’s trip to Fordhall Farm produced several Platypezid flies of note. It must be the season for them because an early find in Oaks Wood was another, particularly smart one, Callomyia amoena.

photo: John Martin

Among several other flies of note is this anomalous fruit fly, Acletoxenus formosus. Why anomalous? Because it eschews fruit, preferring to predate aphids. So everyone’s favourite fruit fly then!

photo: John Martin

While we are on the subject of flies, here are some others which were photographed, starting with Fannia pallitibula (a lesser house-fly)

photo: John Martin

Sericomyia silentis, aka the Yellow-barred Pond Fly

photo: John Martin

Mesembrina meridiana (the Noon Fly)

photo: John Martin

At this point the group started to head off in different directions. Some of us headed into a field to the east side of the main track which promised damper areas and a newly created pond. The pond turned out to be very much in the embryonic stage of development, resembling a bomb crater and entirely lacking water or discernible life of any sort. Nevertheless, the longer, damper areas of grass and rushes did produce some finds, including this fine female Garden Spider, Araneus diadematus.

photo: Caroline Uff

This was another week when Bishop’s Mitre Shieldbugs were encountered in large numbers. Here is one, looking very Womble-like.

The Rhopalid bug Myrmus miriformis also appeared from the long grass.

Moving through a line of trees at a field boundary, the micro moth Carcina quercana was beaten from an oak (yes, there were some oaks at the edges of the plantation!).

On the other side of the boundary and back in something resembling damper conditions (except for the dry proto-pond) a Hairy Snail, Trochulus hispidus appeared….

…as did the first of several Anthicus antherinus, the smart black and red beetle which was a notable find a few weeks ago, since when we have found it every time we have been out and about!

With that most fixed of fixed points - lunch - approaching, we decided to head back to the main track and try to find the rest of the group They were not far away, in another field on the opposite side of the track. Here, camp was soon pitched and provisions unpacked, but not before a number of Meadow Grasshoppers, now rather late in their season, were disturbed from the grassland.

Vacuuming produced the usual rich haul of finds. Among them were two micro ladybirds, Nephus redtenbacheri (Red-patched Ladybird)

and Rhyzobius litura (Meadow Ladybird). This is a particularly dark one.

Less fortunate was this 7-spot Ladybird, doomed to a zombie-like state by the parasitic wasp Dinocampis coccinellae.

photo: Caroline Uff

Which brings us to The Boy, that small, parasitic wasp which has become a target for the group. The hunt was not going well until we suddenly hit the motherlode at one point in the field whereupon the tray was full of them, both in standard wingless form (Callitula pyrrhogaster)

and optional-extra fully winged version (C. bicolor).

Lunch over there was just time to admire an accommodating Southern Hawker

photo: John Martin

photo: John Martin

and ogle at an unidentified slime-mould

photo: John Martin

before heading off deeper into the woodland. This, as already mentioned, is largely conifer plantation, but with a smattering of birches and even the odd oak here and there. At some point in the wood a smart rove beetle, Olophrum piceum was potted.

A Green Shieldbug was persuaded from the ride-side vegetation, still in its green summer livery.

The ride continued onwards and upwards and eventually emerged into daylight again, where the trees on the valley-side of the track had been clear-felled (but replanted with more saplings of spruce or fir or some other relatively sterile plantation species). Here, gorse and broom were growing in the daylight. Gorse Shieldbugs, also still largely in their summer colours, were taking full advantage.

With the day reaching its natural end, we halted then about-turned and retraced our steps. But not before a smart bug, Corizus hyoscyami, had been discovered.

With a final look across the valley to Earl's Hill, looking especially craggy and autumnal, we headed back to our starting point, and home.

Many thanks to all concerned for allowing us to return to this vast but interesting site. We really need to find another entry point next time, if we are to have a hope of exploring the rest of it!
 
Photographs © the author except as noted.