Half a dozen of the "regulars" were joined by two guests from the Severn Gorge Countryside Trust for this journey into Loamhole Dingle. Unfortunately the weather was dull and cold but at least it was dry; my health and safety talk encouraged the participants to stay that way by not falling in the pool.
We made brisk progress to the far side of the pool where the urge to stop, look and identify became too strong.
There was much discussion about lesser trefoil and black and hop medicks. Then we found large patches of spotted medick with curious black patches in the middle of its leaflets.
Another early find was a dock bug which was quite happily sitting on a leaf. I got my camera out. It beat a hasty retreat.
A creature that did pose for a photographs was the distinctive red and black hopper Cercopis vulnerata.
As can be seen this is a very distinctive bug so is very easy to identify. If you see one please let me know where and when you saw it. A little bit more and better photographs can be found on the British Bugs website (here).
We then managed to net a black and yellow cranefly, Nephrotoma appendiculata, which enjoyed the warmth of a finger so much that it hung around long enough to be photographed.
We moved on and after 75 minutes or so had reached the end of the pool and were at the entrance to the dingle. One of our guests made his excuses (something to do with Internal Audits - a trial I, thankfully, left behind many years ago) and departed. Some decided it was time for coffee.
One of the group mentioned that he was keen to get to Ropewalk Meadow. I did a quick calculation and realised that at our current rate of progress it would be late evening by the time we got there. Drastic movement was required.
It lasted maybe 50 yards and then the attractions to the side of the boardwalk alongside the brook were too strong to resist!
By now hunger pangs were rapidly turning my thoughts towards lunch so I summoned up all my leadership qualities and strode out for the spot where the path crosses the brook and there is a bit of a clearing with room to picnic. Surprisingly everyone fell in step and some even got there before me. We lunched.
Although the cold was keeping many flying invertebrates inactive we did find a rather splendid hoverfly Criorhina floccosa. (Sorry no photograph.) This is a "hairy" hoverfly that looks not dissimilar in general appearance to the common carder bee.
We moved on and eventually reached Ropewalk Meadow. As the botanically minded of the group moved swiftly to examine it I was distracted by a buttercup and hence the question I have posed in the title to this ramble.
The answer of course is - it depends on the size of the buttercup and the moth. In my experience buttercups, well the ones you see most of the time, are a similar size, but moths vary enormously. If an elephant hawk-moth landed on the flower and the bloom survived it would be one but if you are the tiny moth Micropterix calthella the answer is six with plenty of room for more.
Whilst the botanists examined the meadow I checked out the rougher vegetation around the edge and found a cranefly with extra legs and other appendages. The cranefly, Tipula lunata, had become afternoon tea for a spider (Meta sp. I seem to remember the expert telling me - but I may be wrong).
The thought of afternoon tea was enough for me to suggest we bring this trip to an end. But there was just time for our spider expert to demonstrate how to use an electric toothbrush (essential equipment for spider experts apparently) to entice a spider out of its hiding place by vibrating its web. Not the best photograph but you can just make out the spider under the brush coming to see what was in its web before quickly disappearing disappointed.
Not disappointed we made our way home.
Our thanks to Severn Gorge Countryside Trust for giving us permission to do what we enjoy doing.
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