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.

Wombling Free

 Wednesday 30th September 2026, Dudmaston Estate

This was a day which got off to a rocky start but got better as it progressed. We were supposed to be visiting the Mose Farm area of the estate but on arrival the designated parking area was absolutely rammed with vehicles. A rival event had been booked, which had taken up all the available parking. We had no alternative but to abandon Plan A and head off instead for the Old Sawmill car park. From there, we were too far away from Mose Farm, so we instead spent the morning investigating the fields behind the car park, before moving to the fields nearer to Comer Wood in the afternoon.
The first species to be spotted was Colletes hederae, the Ivy Bee.

In truth we could hardly miss it as there were clouds of them all over the copious Ivy. Not only that, they were coming up at us from beneath our feet, the sandy soil being riddled with nesting holes!
Another insect to be out and about in numbers was the Bishop’s Mitre Shieldbug, known by some as the Womble due to its facial similarity to those inhabitants of Wimbledon Common. The grass was full of them, both adults…

…and nymphs.

Several common ladybird species appeared from the grass; a rather more distinguished find was an Adonis Ladybird.

By this point we had experienced the usual (!) Wednesday Clouded Yellow fly-by. It evaded the camera, but another notable migrant Lepidopteran was more accommodating, as several Vestal moths were flushed from the vegetation.

Readers may recall that we obtain a large proportion of our finds via the vacuum samplers. This is, in particular, the main way of finding the tiny parasitic wasp Callitula pyrrhogaster aka “The Boy”. But this week, a calamity: none of the regular operators of these machines was present. What to do? In a slight panic, one of their vacuums had been sourced and brought to site. The substitute operators tried heroically all day, scrutinizing the finds tray:

photo: Nigel Jones

But no Boys were extracted. We conclude that Dudmaston is clearly a Boy-free zone. But all was not lost! Many interesting things appeared in the vacuum samples, mostly of a Hemipteran (true bug) nature. Here are two: firstly, a Turtle Bug (plus photobombing springtail, possibly Entomobryia multifasciata).

This species is still a novel find in Shropshire, and more or less currently limited to the south-east quarter of the county.

This is female Myrmus miriformis.

Lunch time beckoned. We made camp in the sunshine, consumed our provisions and then crossed the road, making for Comer Wood. Entering the fields at the top, we spied a substantial area of white flowers at the bottom of the field, near the wood. This deserved a closer look! It turned out to be a very wide margin of Wild Carrot, and was full of interest.

Here, Bishop’s Mitres (or Wombles if you prefer) were as abundant as they had been in the morning, but they were outdone by an even greater quantity of Hairy Shieldbugs, for whom Wild Carrot has a magnetic attraction. Here is an adult, snuggled up to a 7-spot Ladybird.

And this is a nymph.

The carrot was also proving magnetic for Clouded Yellows, two of them being almost ever present as we searched. One eventually landed and allowed its portrait to be captured.

The edge of the wood contained a number of Scots Pines. As usual their lowest branches were too high to be beaten. But they were within reach of our Dipterist and his long-handled net. The hope of some specialist ladybird species was largely unfulfilled, except for this Conifer Ladybird, Scymnus suturalis, one of the micro ladybird species.

Note the yellow mass at its rear end. This is a Hesperomyces fungal infection. I believe that this is generally debilitating rather than necessarily fatal but either way, the ladybird will not be enjoying it.
Another interesting find was a Pine Cone Bug, a species which is very flattened, allowing it to secrete itself into the cones.

But what of the vacuum, I hear you ask. Well, amidst the deluge of Wombles and Hairy Shieldbugs, some rather distinguished bugs also appeared, including this week’s County First: a Rhombic Leatherbug.

This is an insect of the south and east, though there are isolated records beyond this range and it is probably spreading. A very surprising record nevertheless. One of its relatives, itself a relatively recent arrival in Shropshire, appeared in the same vacuum sample: a Denticulate Leatherbug.

Less notable but always nice to see, the same sample also produced a Blue Shieldbug.

Late in the day, a rather puzzlingly yellow-coloured bug appeared.

Clearly a large Rhopalid, the potential options were limited and it turned out to be Stictopleurus abutilon (guess what, another relatively recent arrival). Is it, perhaps, only recently moulted to adulthood and not yet fully coloured up? Perhaps. In any event, they are usually rather browner than this.
One last significant insect appeared as we were heading back towards the car park and it was something to put a bit of a dampener on the Wombles’ frolics in the sunshine. For it was Cistogaster globosa, otherwise known as the Bishop’s Mitre Parasite Fly. A small Tachinid fly which specializes in attacking, as you might guess, the Bishop’s Mitre Shieldbug. Well, if it was going to appear anywhere, it was surely here.

And with that, we retreated for the day, the sun continuing to shine down upon us. 

photo: Nigel Jones

A splendid day in the end, after an uncertain beginning. Many thanks to the National Trust for allowing us to do what we do.

 
 
Photographs © the author except as noted.

Fairway to Heaven

Wednesday 23rd September 2026, Welshpool Golf Course

Welshpool's is not your average golf course. Maintained without pesticides or fertilisers and with assistance from Mongomeryshire Wildlife Trust, wildlife is allowed to flourish around the fairways and greens. This was our second visit to this site. The previous one, in April 2025, was a day of very mixed weather. We encountered rather similar conditions this time too, though fortunately the day improved steadily and ended in glorious sunshine.
Our previous visit somehow managed to cover an impressive amount of ground on this very up and down site. We recalled that the most productive area on that day was a mire in a valley at the edge of the course and decided it demanded a return. This involved a minor uphill trudge from the car park followed by a more substantial decent into the valley. Just how substantial became more apparent when we had to climb back out again later. As we passed a seemingly abandoned golf buggy, we speculated on whether we should have commandeered a fleet of them for the day…

The most immediately obvious wildlife presence on site was wheeling about above us as we walked: Ravens. At least 30 of them cavorted overhead all day, constantly chatting to one another & apparently having a whale of a time. It was a glorious sight and sound.

We reached the valley bottom and inspected the path. A few spots of rain hit us.

This caused a couple of members to slog back uphill to their cars, where they had left their waterproofs. Of course, before they were halfway the sun was shining gloriously once more. The rest of us progressed and finally reached our goal: the mire.

We had been there but a few minutes when the wisdom of those who had returned, kitted out for inclement weather, was fully vindicated.

photo: Jill Key

Some carried on stoically for a while, others took refuge under trees. This was proper rain and lasted for perhaps 15 minutes, soaking everything. But lo! The storm passed and glorious sunshine returned!

Insects and entomologists alike emerged from shelter. Bees started flying. In the vegetation, Long-winged Coneheads started singing. From this point the sunshine remained with us for the rest of the day, drying things out to a remarkable degree.

So much for the weather report. What of the actual finds? Well, for the fifth week running, we found at least one species new to the county we were in. This time another Sepsid fly, Sepsis neocynipsea, an uncommon species of mainly upland habitats. A male was collected in the mire.

photo: Nigel Jones

Also, a probable fungal gall first (fungal records often seem to require considerable digging to unearth). Taphrina tosqinetii, Alder Wrinkle. A gall inducing fungus on, guess what, Alder.

photo: John Lyden

Vacuuming produced several small ladybirds:
16-spot

Meadow Ladybird (Rhyzobius litura)

Red-patched Ladybird (Nephus redtenbacheri)

And a Common Footman larva

Among other finds was Angelica Leaf-miner

photo: Liz Roberts

And two beetles which were uncovered in the small woodland which had earlier provided shelter from the rain. Firstly a ground beetle, Leistus rufomarginatus.

Followed by a very atypically shaped rove beetle, Scaphidium quadrimaculatum, a species we find only very infrequently.

 The day drew on, lunch came and went and more finds were made until the decision was eventually made to face the uphill escape from the valley. Puffing and panting our way to the top, we were rewarded by a fine view towards the Breidden Hills. Two week earlier, in Melverley, we had seen the almost exact mirror image of these hills as we viewed them from the opposite side.

The sunshine and the topography induced a certain amount of lethargy, it must be said, and little more was done thereafter. Some scrutinized the view…

While others were overcome with the effort of the climb…

photo: Liz Roberts

Many thanks to the golf club for granting permission for this return visit.

 
 
Photographs © the author except as noted.