Cliff edges

Where does all the time go? Somehow the days have slipped by and I find that I am three reports behind. Two reports are included here; I will include the third with the report of our next outing.

Poles Coppice - Wednesday 20th July

Poles Coppice is a woodland which contains quarries. The quarrying has ceased a some time ago and "nature" is now reclaiming the land.

Seven of us met in the car park to the south of the site a couple of miles or so east of Ministerley. This required us to walk a little way to the site. 

On the way we noticed a Gatekeeper out in the sun.



And in a puddle flies were displaying by waving their wings about. These were the easily recognised dolichopid flies Poecilobothrus nobilitatus whose white wing patches are quite distinctive.



Usually the walk would take about a hour but somehow most of us entered into the spirit of the venture and ignored most of the distractions on the way including the excellent view.



And the sighting of a longhorn beetle Rutpela maculata on a bramble flower.



We entered the site and came into a small damp area. This was checked out but nothing significant was found. We then followed the path through the woodland as it crossed stream and gained height. Unfortunately the ground flora was rather mundane and most of the trees branches were out of reach so progress was rapid.

We came to a point where there was the choice of three paths. We consulted maps but the multitude of footways were not shown. Which one to take? If in doubt, straight down the middle; so we took it.

The path brought us to the high end of one of quarries. This was beautifully fenced off to allow you to look in but prevent you accidentally falling in.



What we saw looked very interesting but we would have to be patient until we had descended to the level of the quarry floor.

On the other side of the path was a second quarry. Here any chance of an accidental fall was prevented by a sign.



We found a large patch of cow wheat. This initiated a frenzied but unsuccessful search for the cow wheat shieldbug, a bug that has, to date, only been found in the Wyre Forest in this county.

By the time we had descended it was time for lunch and we located some picnic tables at which to eat our provisions in relative comfort.

After lunch we attempted to enter the quarry but were prevented by a large pool cunningly placed at its entrance. Waders were required to get in. Several unsuccessful attempts were made to skirt the pool before we reluctantly moved on.

The path we took did not yield a great deal but it did take us to a large quarry. The centre of the quarry was clearly a meeting point as a circle of stones had been laid out to provide a resting place for weary travellers.



But you had to be on you guard in case the giant with the big net came to catch you!

The stones were also useful for providing a stable base for inspecting the contents of your net.



We spent a good while in the quarry which was a mixture of dry grassland and very wet scrub and woodland. Eventually it became too hot and oppressive so we moved on.

The path brought us to the edge of the coppice and deposited us in a field. There was a roll of thunder. Although it was not threatening we decided to call it a day. We made our way back promptly, but not so promptly that we could not be distracted. We watched a brown hawker patrolling its patch and a Forest bug descended into my tray from a hawthorn bush.



We heard no more thunder and it did not rain. An enjoyable day was concluded in a local hosterlry - to replace lost fluids, of course.

Lightmoor LNR, Sunday 24 July

All my planning for car parking was thrown into disarray when I found a lorry parked in the parking area.



With some careful positioning we managed to fit everyone in. Then one driver who was parked at the back of the lorry decided to move in case the the lorry needed more space, a sensible thought. As he was manoeuvring a car came the other way. The occupants were not best pleased to have to wait a few seconds whilst the car reversed out of their way. "Patience is a virtue...." but not for some Lightmoor folk.

Nine of us set off. Well eight of of the goup did as we had a non-arrival. I waited a while then wandered down to the main road to check for anyone looking lost. When I got back to the car park a fork lift was unloading a pallet from the truck. The driver did not seem concerned about our presence but as he left he clipped the back of the lorry. 

I pursued the group and suggested we move some of the cars as the forklift driver may be less careful with our vehicles next time.

So after a bit of a stuttering start we made our way up the footpath through the woodland. A search of some enchanter's nightshade produced sightings of the nymphs of the stiltbug Metatropis rufescens.



The woodland path turned into a narrow fenced path between a garden and a field. Along the edge we came across some chicory.



We crossed the road to try the path that the Wrekin Forest Volunteers had worked on a couple of years earlier only to find it impassible. We turned back and headed towards the meadow. Progress was rapid. I got left behind as I beat a few trees and swept the roadside vegetation. We passed another area where the volunteers had planted trees. It had scrubbed up and it was difficult to spot the saplings we planted amongst the bramble and bracken.

Eventually I caught up with the group as they were entering the meadow. It was created a few years ago by strewing the existing field with green hay. Since then it has developed very well.

Unfortunately it had been cut the week before robbing us of seeing it in its full glory, but a good margin had been left providing us with a glimpse of what it had been like. We spent the rest of the day looking at this border.



There were plenty of green shieldbug nymphs about



And a labyrinth spider made use of the dense tall vegetation.



As did a couple of amorous common froghoppers.



Both species of the "smaller" orange skippers were present. Small skipper:



And Essex skipper, which was first officially recorded in the county only a couple of years ago but now seems to be quite established.



The unmistakable mirid bug Oncotylus viridiflavus was found on its foodpalnt which is knapweed.



In amongst all this inspection of the field margin we did find time to sit down and enjoy lunch and a few of us inspected the pool that borders the meadow. Another area in which we have worked as volunteers.

The vegetation around the pool was very tall and dense but there were some pathways where someone or something had gone before, making progress a little easier. It was worth the effort as I found a couple of planthoppers that had been recorded only a few times in the county.

Back to the meadow where a couple of "picture wing" flies were attempting to produce the next generation.



I believe the flies are the species Chaetostomella cylindrica, another specialist of Knapweed.

As we approached the end of another day someone mentioned that they had seen a glimpse of a Purple hairstreak in an oak tree. So several of the group had to sit down and see if they too could spot this butterfly.



We bid farewell to the meadow and returned to the cars. The lorry had been unloaded with no damage inflicted to those cars that had remained.

My thanks to Jim Cresswell, Maria Justamond and David Williams for allowing me to use their photographs to supplement my efforts.