Wet, wet wet!

Severn Valley Country Park, Wednesday 11th May




It rained and rained and rained so the trip was cancelled.


Dothill LNR, Friday 13th May

It did not rain. In fact it was a reasonable day. It was mainly sunny and, when sheltered from the cool wind, very pleasant.

Unfortunately I did not take my camera so there are no photographs to alleviate the tedium of the text.

After a delay due to a "misunderstanding" about the time and place of the meet we entered the reserve from Tee Lake Boulevard.

We surveyed along the eastern edge of Tee Lake, lunched just before the end of the lake, crossed the tip of the lake to look at the rough ground between it and the Dothill schools then walked back to the cars. Not bad for three and a half hours activity.

The most fascinating observation as far as I was concerned was to watch a Peacock butterfly feeding. It was so intent on its meal that I was able to get very close without disturbing it. And what was it feasting on? The waste product deposited by a dog.

A couple of other highlights were a Bishop's mitre shieldbug and a Pirate spider. I can understand why the shieldbug gets its name as its shape resembles what it is called, but a Pirate spider???


Lea Quarry, Wednesday 18th May

Back to normal, it rained early morning causing one or two to decide to keep themselves warm and dry so just four of us gathered in Edge Renewables car park on a grey cool day - but at least it had stopped raining. 

On a day like this the vacuum sampler comes into its own as sweeping results in a very soggy net and rather bedraggled invertebrates and beating turns the tray into a swimming pool.

The down side is the noise and the pace at which we progress which makes a snail seem like Usain Bolt. This, of course, is not to everyone's liking but it does gather in species which the quieter more "conventional" methods do not. It is a slow process as all sorts of things pop out of the detritus even after a thorough search. Patience is rewarded.

A picture!! As we walked along an Orange tip was spotted



A vacuum sample from a sparsely vegetated bank collected several woodlice. Woodlice are not our favourite things but as we only find the five common species (out of a group of thirty odd) we make a token effort! This sample included some that looked slightly different. Using the FSC fold out chart they were quickly identified as Armadillidium nasatum. Not one of the Five. I was elated. Soon to be deflated (and ridiculed) when the FSC chart gave its preferred habitat as coastal. I have now checked the AIDGAP guide to woodlice and it states they are often located in old quarries. Vindicated.

We lunched then moved on. Common milkwort was seen at the side of the track.



Plants whose common names end in "wort" are often associated with remedies for conditions named in the first part of the word, for example woundwort for treating wounds, so I assume this plant was used to help lactation.

We climbed up the side of the quarry to an area of bare rock and grassland on the bounday of the quarry. This provided a good view of the quarry and surrounding countryside as well as a good habitat for us to explore.





Here we found two butterflies (Wall and Dingy skipper) and an Angle shades moth.

 

And a number of Early purple orchids.



Time to go home.