Weather Window

 Wednesday 28^th January 2026, Catherton Common

Managed by Shropshire Wildlife Trust, Catherton Common is a vast area of shrub heathland. We concentrated our visit in the Riddings Gate area of the site. On arrival we were greeted with a strangely unfamilar sight: sunshine!

The ground was frosty and where the sun didn’t reach it remained so all day. But the clear skies and lack of wind made for a pleasant climate, so much so that over the day several outer layers were shed, a novel experience of  late.

Progressing all of about a minute’s walk from the car park, we pitched camp and inspected the vegetation.

photo: John Martin

Probably the most obvious insects in the copious amount of gorse were 7-spot Ladybirds.

A single Larch Ladybird also emerged from it, accompanied by a Katiannid springtail.

photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A third, much smaller ladybird was vacuumed from low vegetation - the sub-2mm Red-patched ‘Micro’ Ladybird.

Patches of Polytrichum moss were present across the area. The sheep made sure that they were all rather closely cropped though, not ideal for Snow Fleas. And indeed we didn’t find any. We did find the inevitable Moss Neobisid pseudoscorpion - this one having already sorted itself a springtail lunch.

photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

An equally tiny Moss Lacebug, Acalypta parvula, was also extracted. 

photo: John Martin

Not all the moss was Polytrichum of course. Among many other species was this rather attractive one - Orthotrichum anomalum.

photo: John Martin

The day continued to be sunny and almost cloud-free, though this young Scots Pine seemed to have attracted one all of its own.

photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Scots Pine saplings like the one above were scattered thinly across the site. Little emerged from them when examined; most pine-loving species descend in autumn to overwinter at ground level. An exception was this distinctive two-humped spider, Gibbaranea gibbosa, which is typically found in evergreen trees.

Lunch was taken, allowing us to bask in the conditions, which were a very sharp contrast to those at Morville seven days previously. We then continued slowly around the site. More Polytrichum was vacuumed, this time producing a male Common Earwig with deformed forceps. At this  time of year male earwigs are evicted by the females with whom they have been overwintering. The female is due to lay a clutch of eggs and doesn’t want the male around. Evicted males often turn up in gorse, due to its combination of shelter, invertebrate prey and the odd open flower (earwigs are also partial to pollen and nectar). So it was a surprise to extract one not from gorse but from damp, cold Polytrichum instead.

The remainder of the day produced a variety of invertebrate finds, including a Tachporus sp. Rove beetle.

photo: John Martin

A barkfly, possibly Trioza sp.

photo: John Martin

A spider, Tibellus oblongus

photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Two weevils; first a Sitona species

photo: John Martin

And then Strophosoma melanogrammum, which has acquired the name ‘Mr Baggy Eyes’ due to the shape of its compound eyes, which seem to sag backwards away from its nose, like jellies in a headwind.

photo: John Martin

Late in the day two bugs appeared. Firstly Corizus hyoscyami, sometimes known as the Cinnamon Bug.

photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

And finally, after much searching, a single Gorse Shieldbug, basking cryptically in the afternoon sunshine.

We left site with the sky still blue and the sun still shining. By this time the moon had joined it in the heavens. A rare window in a very gloomy period of weather.        

photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

      
 
Photographs © the author except as noted.

Turned Out Nice Again

 Wednesday 21^st January 2026, Morville Hall

Morville Hall is managed by the National Trust but is not generally open to the public. Our trip was to the wider grounds of the estate. We parked next to the church, dedicated to St Gregory the Great.

photo: Liz Roberts

The weather forecast ahead of the day was grim and unfortunately proved to be entirely accurate! A brief dry spell on arrival soon gave way to rain which persisted for the rest of the day, often rather heavily. The verges around the parking area were planted with snowdrops and Winter Aconites, doing their best to offer some cheer in the wet, gloomy weather.

photo: John Martin

We moved into the adjacent fields, arriving at one which was bordered by a linear pond on one side and the Mor Brook on the other. The brook was doing its best ‘raging torrent’ impression.

photo: Liz Roberts

photo: Liz Roberts

A  footbridge had been helpfully installed across the brook, but having given it some thought we decided not to use it…!

photo: Keith Fowler

The vacuumers got to work and managed to extract some sodden creatures from their sodden surroundings. These included a couple of weevils; Taeniapion urticarium 

photo: John Martin

And a Protapion species.

photo: John Martin

A Red-rumped Ladybird appeared from the rough grass near the pond.

It turned out to be a day for ground beetles, including the attractive Anchomenus dorsalis,

A splendid Violet Ground Beetle, Carabus violaceus,

And an unidentified (to my knowledge) species found in its overwintering cell and carefully replaced again.

The vegetation was inspected for galls, resulting in records for Psylla buxi (on Box)

photo: John  Martin

And Trioza centranthi on valerian.

photo: John Martin

Fungi seemed appropriate on such a wet day. The application of modern technology (Obsidentify) suggested (with 100% confidence) that this one is Schizophyllum commune (Split Gill).

photo: Liz Roberts

Whist this one is identified as Basidioradulum radula, but with a mere 76% confidence.

photo: Liz Roberts

The moss Grimmia pulvinata also seemed to suit the ambience.

photo: John Martin

We progressed to an even muddier, slippier part of the site whereupon lunch was declared in the middle of the quagmire!

photo: Keith Fowler

As I sat contemplating my sandwiches, a 7-spot Ladybird plodded stoically through the vegetation at my feet.

Lunch over, several participants decided enough was enough and left. The rest of us soldiered on a short while longer but were not far behind them. We trudged off site, through conditions which need no further comment…

photo: Liz Roberts

   Photographs © the author except as noted.

Rather Bracing

Wednesday 14^th January 2026, Shelve

This week’s outing was to the Forestry England plantation at Shelve. Having visited the northern portion of the wood last winter, we concentrated on the southern part this time. At about 360m altitude this is is one of the draughtier places in Shropshire at the best of times. And this was not the best of times! The ground was frozen and the air temperature was around 1 or 2 degrees. Here are a couple of photos to give a sense of the conditions:

photo: Keith Fowler

photo: John Martin

The sun did break through at  times, albeit rather weakly. Rather surprisingly, it was enough to stir a few insects sluggishly into life including the odd Yellow Dung Fly, one of which climbed onto my camera bag and posed for photos:

Other invertebrate finds relied mainly on the vacuum samplers. Among them was Notiophilus biguttatus, a  small beetle which reliably turns up most weeks.

photo:  John Martin

Another beetle which appeared was Cartodere bifasciata. It is described as being fairly common in leaf litter but at only 2mm long is easily overlooked. I can’t recall seeing it previously.

A Scarlet Tiger larva was dislodged from a tree. Goodness knows what it was doing up there; they  feed on herbaceous plants such as forget-me-not and comfrey for most of their lives, only moving to woody plants after hibernation, in their final instars!

photo: John Martin

Some finds did not rely on the vacuums. These included a moss, Orthotrichum pulchellum 

photo: John Martin

A liverwort, Metzgeria voilacea

photo: John Martin

And a lichen, Physcia aipolia.

photo: John Martin

The day drew on. We got colder and made purposefully for the ‘finishing line’ (well, most of us did) but not before half an Eyed Ladybird was spotted in the leaf litter.

The end of the track allowed a fine view of the nearby Stiperstones ridge.

photo: Keith Fowler

And with that we trudged back to the cars, and warmth!

 
Snow Flea update: we didn’t find any (again). Numerous patches of Polytrichum moss were investigated without success…
 
 
Photographs © the author except as noted.