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.

Organic Riches

Wednesday 7th October 2026, Fordhall Farm

 
A return to Fordhall Farm this week, an organic, community owned farm near Market Drayton in North Shropshire. I was absent for this trip but fortunately have some words from John M & Nigel J in addition to a good number of photos of some of the day’s finds. So without more ado, over to John…
 
We first headed down to a marshy area that was so wet we couldn't go far into it, even in this year of drought.

photo: Nigel Jones

But Jim's vaccing produced large numbers of critters.

photo: Neil Nash

Here is a selection of finds from this area, starting with Himacerus major

Cymus melanocephalus

Peritrechus geniculatus (nymph)

Conomelus anceps

Stenus bimaculatus

Psammoecus bipunctatus

Nebria brevicollis

Taeniapion urticarium

Red Marsh Ladybird, Coccidula rufa

Red-rumped Ladybird, Scymnus haemorrhoidalis

A tiny Straw Dot larva

 Of course, not all finds were vacuumed. Here is a selection of those that were swept, beaten or just spotted as they flew past. Among the latter group is this Comma, a classic late-season butterfly

as well as this rather high-mileage Speckled Wood

Very much not flying past was this pair of Arion ater slugs, caught in flagrante delicto.

photo: Neil Nash

Also not flying past, nor indeed beaten or swept was this Harvest Mouse nest (empty, of course). A splendid thing to see.

photo: Neil Nash

Later we continued to a hill with Bracken and some more acidic grassland. Here, Field Grasshoppers were to be seen jumping about in the sunshine.

A planted Box tree had various Diptera on the sunlit trunk, including Stomoxys calcitrans (the Stable Fly). In the below photo the stiletto like mouthparts can be seen sticking out in front of the face.

Lunch was declared but Jim carried on vaccing with minimal pausing for food as usual so we added a bunch of extras there including a couple of weevils: Strophosoma melanogrammum,

and Notaris cf acridulus.

A bug, Ichnodemus sabuleti

And a  psyllid, Eupteryx aurata

 Then down to the wet woodland where Nigel swept diverse Platypezids from the sunlit leaves.
On which subject, over to Nigel:

The Protoclythia rufa…

…is a rather nice record. An uncommon species – just the second for Shropshire. The finding of four species from five specimens, in about a twenty minute session,  is brilliant. By comparison, the next day we spent five hours searching for Platypezids near Minsterley and found eight specimens of just two species. The Fordhall Flat-footed Flies flies were all found below Castle Embankment in the woodland along the edge of the stream (after lunch). The sunshine brought them forth.
Here are two more of them: Platypeza consobrina (male)

Platypeza hirticeps (female)

Another nice find was the Dolichopodid fly Campsicnemus pusillus – a 4^th county record. Amongst numerous yellow dung flies Scathophaga stercoraria was its much scarcer cousin Scathophaga decipiens.
 
Time was already marching on, so we decamped to the cafe where we were treated to hot drinks and some very nice ginger cake, and thence home!

Many thanks to all concerned for allowing us to return again to this always productive property.
 
 
Photographs © John Martin except as noted.