An Up and Down Day

Wednesday 3rd June 2026, Coed Cwmgolog and Siercwm, Ceri Forest

Managed by Natural Resources Wales, this large, publicly owned woodland is notable for its rides being frequented by Wood White butterflies. To quote directly from the NRW Resources Plan 2026: The tree species composition is largely coniferous, with elements of broadleaves in areas which have been felled and replanted. The total plan area is 1009 hectares. Large parts of Ceri forest are on steep ground in a very exposed position and are susceptible to severe damage in storms. This makes management more challenging and has resulted in some large clearfells to clear up storm damage.

This was another day in which the weather could fairly be described as “changeable”. Though given the miserable conditions upon arrival, we were glad of the later changes!

photo: John Lyden

Waterproofs were donned, concerns about a lack of sufficient layers of clothing were aired and eventually the shelter of the cars was slowly and reluctantly left behind. Our route was downhill, we hoped in altitude only.

One of the first finds was an organism we had seen a few weeks previously in Brineddin Wood, not a million miles away in southwest Shropshire: Phytobia carbonaria, a fly who’s larvae mine the stems of hawthorns and apples. Cutting a hawthorn stem revealed the tell-tale markings in the wood.

Another of the broadleaved tree species in this conifer-dominated landscape is Rowan, present along much of the route we followed. Its unripe berries are home to the larvae of a micro moth, Argyresthia conjugella, which goes by the name of Apple Fruit Moth due to it similarly targeting developing apples. This is the moth:

Around this time a slug was spotted, probably enjoying the weather rather more than we were. The identification is inconclusive but it seems to be good candidate for the Durham Slug, Arion flagellus, also rather excitingly/alarmingly known as the Spanish Stealth Slug!

photo: Keith Fowler

We continued downwards, aiming at the lower rides where Wood Whites had been seen in numbers only recently. Though they would be moribund in the prevailing weather, we hoped they would be found roosting in the vegetation. Reaching the bottom, we continued along the left-hand path at an intersection. But no such luck with the Wood Whites. Fortunately our luck with the weather was rather better. A miraculous parting of the clouds occurred and shortly afterwards the scene looked like this:

Surely this must bring out the Wood Whites? But no. We did come across a cluster of Common Blues though, initially roosting in the grass….

…and then up and about once the sunshine had warmed them up sufficiently. It also brought out our first Large Skippers of the year.

And a few Garden Chafers.

 

Reaching the farthest point of our explorations we turned and retraced our steps to where we had left some members of the party behind. In so doing we disturbed a couple of Common Green Grasshopper nymphs.

And so back to our sole vacuumer for the day, still diligently suction-sampling the verges near the bottom of the original descent. 

Here we pitched camp for lunch. The sun continued to shine and we continued to dry out. When lunch was consumed and packed away a further exploration of the valley bottom was made and behold! A Wood White flew past, paused long enough to show that it was unquestionably a Wood White, and was gone again. And that was that! No photographic evidence was possible I’m afraid.

Some of the finds in this area included Euura bridgmanii galls on Sallow

photo: John Lyden

A March Moth caterpillar on Sycamore

And a Dock Bug on… dock.

We began a slow ascent back to our starting point, with the aim of then continuing onwards in another direction. A Common Groundhopper was spotted at the edge of the track

A flea-weevil, Tachyerges salicis (they really can jump!) was tapped from a Sallow.

And a Hairy Shieldbug was spotted at ground level. 

Finds from the vacuum have largely gone under the radar in this report. One nice find was the 2mm micro ladybird Nephus redtenbacheri (the Red-patched Ladybird). This rather odd photo is framed by two fingers holding the glass tube in which it is temporarily residing.

By now the weather was starting to look threatening again. Brief (for the moment) squalls passed through. The now wet again Sallow foliage revealed a pair of Puss Moth eggs.

photo: John Lyden

And then, just as the heavens opened in a particularly meaningful way, an Eyed Hawkmoth was spotted sitting in the grass at the side of the track. What a super sight in the now dismal again light.

Delayed by the hawkmoth and now sopping once more, we trudged onwards and upwards, our leading member, who had unfortunately missed the moth, capturing our ascent.

photo: Clare Boyes

Near the top, and now with only the cars and dryness as aims, we had our third encounter in as many weeks with a Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn beetle.

While the downturn in the weather was not dampening the spirits of a pair of Common Blues.

We made it back to the cars and departed, steaming slightly. A final couple of images will serve to sum the day up. Firstly, here is the same view, taken on arrival and then later when the weather was in one of its more benign moments.

photos: Keith Fowler

And lastly, this is the view which greeted one of our party as he walked home.

photo: John Lyden

This is a site which clearly has much to offer. I’m glad that we were able to appreciate it in the sun for at least part of the day. Many thanks to NRW for allowing us to visit and to do what we do.

  
 
Photographs © the author except as noted.

Marvellous Meadows

Wednesday 27^th May 2026, White Grit Meadows

White Grit Meadows consist of four wildflower meadows bounded by tall, thick hedgerows, with some small stands of Alder and Goat Willow trees. Part of the White Grit SSSI, these botanically rich meadows lie close to the foot of Corndon Hill, just over the border in Montomeryshire. The meadows are home to good populations of Heath Spotted Orchid, Dyers Greenweed and Devil’s-bit Scabious.
 
There was a large turnout for this event, which produced the first excitement of the day: badly synchronised car dancing, as people jockeyed for position in the limited space available. Three late(er)comers (no-one was actually late) were eventually banished to a more remote location and made to trudge back to the main group. That will teach them!
 
Finally, with everyone assembled, the group marched in something approaching unison to the site. The meadows form a backwards ‘L’ shape in plan, our entry point being the meadow in the corner, with one farther meadow to the left and two more ahead (in the vertical bit of the ‘L’ if that makes any sort of sense at all).

photo: Keith Fowler

Some headed into the grassland itself to botanise and indeed everythingelseologise white others headed to the margins to examine those instead. Early finds in the margins included a lovely Apple Fruit Weevil

And an equally lovely Green Hairstreak

Meanwhile, in the meadow, agregations of the micro-moth Micropteryx calthella were spotted in buttercup flowers. This sparkling little moth goes by the common name of Plain Gold, which hardly seems to do it justice.

There was more eye-catching iridescence from a much larger insect, a 15mm or so click beetle which we believe to be Ctenictera pectinicornis. This one is a female; males have fancier antennae. More injustice here, the photo failing to adequately show either the size or the shininess of this impressive insect.

The display of Heath Spotted Orchids did not disappoint, they being abundant in the meadow.

photo: John Martin

Two more grassland moth species seen were Syndemis musculana

And a pristine Mother Shipton

While a stand of gorse in the middle of the field yielded several Gorse Shieldbugs.

Many more finds were made of course but eventually we moved into the second field (working our way up the vertical bit of the back-to-front ‘L’). Not long after our entry into this second field, lunch was declared, a shady spot under the fringing trees being selected. Various butterflies zoomed and fluttered past while we ate, including Painted Ladies, which seem to be about to have one of those ‘Painted Lady Years’ where they appear in big numbers. This immaculate Small Copper proved easier to photograph. 

A sure sign that Summer is approaching was the presence of grasshoppers bouncing about around our feet. These all turned out to be Common Greens and at this point in the year they are still nymphs, ranging from tiny 1^st instars to larger 4^th (final) instars. Here are two 3^rd instars, first an uncontroversially green one

And now a more confusingly not-at-all green one. Still a Common Green Grasshopper though! 

The top field in the ‘L’ beckoned, its lower hedge affording a good view of the nearby Corndon Hill.

A number of very large flying things were circling it. A precise identification to species level eluded us but my suspicion is that they are related to kites…

Back in the meadow, it was good to see a couple of Six-spot Burnet larvae 

A Common Heath moth was another nice sight. 

And now, redemption for last week’s worst ever blog post photo. A scrubbier area in the centre of the meadow contained thistles and Hogweed, both hunting grounds for the Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn Beetle, Agapanthia villosoviridescens. And indeed one appeared on cue, but this week it was altogether more in focus. To retain a degree of contrariness, it chose to pose for photos on a nearby fern instead.

A last photo for this field is of a Red-headed Cardinal Beetle which appeared as we were retreating from it (the field, not the beetle). 

 And so back through the meadows, past our starting point and into the final one at the toe-end of the ‘L’. Red-and-black Froghoppers had been present all day. One finally posed for its portrait.

Another red and black insect had less choice in the matter. It was glued to the spot (and dead). A 7-spot Ladybird which had fallen victim to the parasitic wasp Dinocampus coccinellae, who’s larva lives within the hapless beetle, burrowing out when fully grown and pupating beneath it, the cocoon being attached to the still-living ladybird so that it is forced to stand over it as protection. Remarkably some ladybirds do survive all of this, but they are very much the minority and this one was certainly dead.

There was a definite sense of the day beginning to wind down by this time, as the warmth sapped the strength and will of the participants. There was just time for a Dock Bug to appear in the trays…

Before a second and final burst of sitting in the shade broke out.

photo: Keith Fowler

 And so we returned to our vehicles. But a couple of intrepid souls were not yet done. An adjacent piece of access land, just sneaking back over the border into Shropshire, was rumoured to house a population of Petty Whin, rare in, if not actually absent from, Shropshire. And here it is!

photo: John Martin

Finally, a postscript. The subsequent microscope work done on the day’s catch of flies produced the following finds of particular note. As usual, I’ll let Nigel take up the tale…
 
The Empid fly Rhamphomyia albitarsis

photo: Nigel Jones

and the Sepsid fly (found by Jim) Sepsis duplicata.

photo: Nigel Jones

The Empid is Nationally Scarce and the Sepsid is very infrequently found by JoW, being a very local species. It is easily identified by the abundant long hairs on its mid and hind femora.
I also found three Empis bicuspidata which may be new to Montgomeryshire and has not been recorded in Shropshire.
 
A thoroughly enjoyable day. Many thanks to the owners for allowing access to this botanically rich and widely interesting site.
  
 
Photographs © the author except as noted.