Wrekin Forest Volunteers: We’re off... by Keith Fowler

9 Apr 2015

We’re off... by Keith Fowler

Ercall LNR – Wednesday 1st April

I kept a close eye on the weather forecast on the days leading up to Wednesday 1st April, the date of our first walk of the season. Early indications were that we were in for a deluge and our first walk being abandoned without an invertebrate being found. But as the days passed the weather forecast proved slightly more encouraging as the deluge eased to rain then showers and finally, on the day of the walk, to dry but breezy in the morning showers in the afternoon. So, at least, we would get a couple of hours in before being forced to find alternative entertainment.

Someone else was keeping an eye on the forecast and unfortunately made the wrong choice as she decided not to come as it was going to rain all day.

In the end the weather was kind and apart from a couple of short periods of spitting and one very, very brief sharp shower the weather was fine and occasionally sunny although a little windy.

Seven of us gathered in the car park opposite the Buckatree Hotel. Two others joined us later and one was missing but he too found us later. Apparently he had sent me a message to warn me that he would be late but, although my mobile phone was switched on, I failed to register its receipt. In fact I only noticed it later when a phone started ringing. As always when this happens I looked around at everyone else to see who would answer it until a passer-by pointed out that it was coming from my bag. By the time I had retrieved the phone it was a missed call. I did not recognise the number so ignored it. I apologise to our late-comer for missing his message.

We had a good mix of stalwarts, more recent “recruits” and a couple of newcomers who brought their enthusiasm for lichens and springtails to our mix of interests and, of course, importantly, their own excuses for not being able to identify a specimen. A good, considered excuse is almost as satisfying as an identification.

We crossed “Beatle” bridge to make our way to Quarry 5 (in my numbering – I am not sure what the Geologists call it – but it is the first main quarry on the right along the main path.) Crossing the bridge which many of us helped to put in place a few years ago we realised that chicken wire had been laid on the bridge – who did this?

A pussy willow in flower stood at the entrance to Quarry 5. We paused to see if any insects would fly in to nectar. Disappointingly only an Early Bumble Bee obliged. We looked up and saw a Peregrine glide across the sky to be joined by a second. Perhaps we may have a nesting attempt in the area this year. With hope we switched our attention to the quarry.

Determined beating of a pile of Bramble dislodged a Hawthorn shieldbug. After posing for photographs it was returned from whence it came. Buoyed by this success a gorse bush was beaten and, hey presto, it produced ... no, not a Gorse shieldbug but the red and black rhopalid bug Corizus hyoscami. This too was willing to pose for the paparazzi but one of them dropped it, for it never to
be seen again, trying to get that “natural” shot.

Quarry 4, or, if you prefer a different numbering system, the next quarry on the right, was our next port of call. A coffee break was announced and as I do not drink coffee I did some sifting of leaf litter and turned up what I thought was a pill woodlouse tightly rolled up. I took it home to check and it was good thing that I did as the key pointed out that Armadillidium vulgare, the common pill woodlouse, is sometimes confused with the pill millipede Glomeris marginata. When the insect eventually felt safe enough to unroll it was clear that it was a millipede – oops! All was well in the end as the millipede was returned to the wild.

Our next stop was the Dairy Pit where over several years the Wrekin Forest Volunteers and others had done some coppicing work. Some of the coups had been fenced and other had not and (apart from the fences!) it was clear which were protected from the browsing of deer. The unfenced areas were now more or less grassland; the fenced areas were showing healthy regrowth of the trees; however, these areas were also scrubbing over, with bramble taking a strong foothold.

Lunch was taken here and we passed the time discussing springtails and their ability to jump. Unlike many insects that use their hind legs to jump springtails live up to their name and spring by using their tail or more correctly their “furcula”. This is an appendage at the tip of the abdomen that is folded beneath the body and held under tension which can be released for jumping when the animal is threatened. Apparently this ability is limited so if you chase a springtail for long enough it runs out of ping and can no longer escape.

Lunch was also enhanced by our globe-trotting mycologist who had recently returned from Cambodia via Thailand where he purchased some freeze-dried Durian for our delectation and delight. This resembled the centre of a Crunchie bar. The taste was pleasant and so I was tempted to seconds. Unfortunately the aftertaste was not so pleasant and lingered all afternoon and even survived the evening’s curry. Durian is a very popular fruit of South Asia but its odour is renowned so much so that it is banned from public buildings and transport in some areas. Still you don’t know if you don’t try.

This collection of Scarlet Elf Cups was found amongst the brash at the side of the path between the coppiced coups.

From Dairy Pits we climbed up Lawrence’s Hill. The path was littered with little pinkish-purple flower heads. These proved puzzling to all but the identification committee finally decided that they were fledgling cones from the Larches that bordered the path dislodged by the recent high winds.

The last time I visited Lawrence’s Hill it was a good mix of heather and bilberry just about keeping the invading bracken and birch at bay. But on this occasion the heather seemed lifeless. Does heather go through a period of dormancy in the winter and will it recover? If not, then some catastrophic event has taken place.

As we descended from Lawrence’s Hill we were provided with excellent views of the “unconformity” displayed to the right of the quarry face of what I call Quarry 2.

About this time a second Corizus hyoscami was found and this time successfully photographed “au naturelle”.

From here we continued our descent and regained the car park where we went our various ways after a satisfying day.

Ed Phillips has kindly sent me some photographs of the springtails he saw during the walk;