Are we still in summer?

Severn Valley Country Park - Wednesday 31st August

The last day of August! Tomorrow is the first day of the meteorological autumn - why do they have to have different season for meteorology? I suppose it is easier to remember the number 1 rather 21. 

I have now looked at the met office's website and it is all explained. All those years at school learning that the seasons start on 21 March, 21 June, 21 September and 21 December is wrong. The seasons can start on different days, eg. the 20th depending on solstices and equinoxes, which complicates things for the meteorologists so they base their seasons on the temperature cycle (!) and align them with the calendar.

OK. 

On the last day of meteorological summer but still in the height of summer we travelled to Alveley and visited the Severn Valley Country Park. Eight of us gathered in the car park on a pleasant day. Showers were promised but they looked a distant possibility as we assembled. We were given a demonstration of the latest piece of essential entomological equipment.



We have seen similar devices before but this was camouflaged and will surely confound any insect that comes close.

The former resident of Alveley in our group volunteered to be the "leader" for the day - a role he took on with great enthusiasm keeping us informed of the park's history and development since it was the site of a coal mine, which closed in 1969.

We headed fairly promptly to a large meadow with anthills towards the eastern end of the site. This is where a globally important fungus grows. Unfortunately I cannot recall its name but it is a fungus that is a parasite of a second fungus. It was not there. We were too early. It appears in October, unless the sheep graze it. 

In the meadow stands a hawthorn. And on the hawthorn there is a cascade of mistletoe. Now mistletoe is a big draw for a couple of us as we have visited several orchards with mistletoe in the last couple of years looking for mistletoe specialists.



Regrettably this mistletoe yielded none of the specialist but a small caterpillar was discovered in a tray after a beating which came from the mistletoe or the host hawthorn. It was later confirmed to be a Yellow-tail moth larva.



At some point we found a very common harvestman, Dicranopalpus ramosus, which we usually identify quickly then return to wherever it came from. But on this occasion it was photographed.



A lot of time was spent in the meadow surrounding the mistletoed hawthorn and the anthills provided suitable seats to be taken whilst studying an insect.



And lunch.

After lunch we moved to one of the pools in the meadow. 



Here dragonflies and damselflies went about their business whilst we watched trying to keep up with their sudden movements, defying all attempts to photograph them.

The pool was bordered by bulrushes and on the bulrushes we found the ground bug Chilacis typhae. This week we managed a close-up.



Time was slipping past and all we had visited was a single meadow - and interesting as it was it was not representative of the whole site so we moved on. We passed a slug on a fungus. I stroked it to make it dance - it refused.



We passed a second pool which attracted a host of honey bees.



And descended into the woodland where the stream has built up tufa deposits.



The tufa is very difficult to make out in the photograph but is the brown shaped material through which the stream is running and consists of the calcified remains of various organic objects such as twigs.

From here we headed down to the river and followed the path close to the river's edge. We passed a "greenbottle" clearly enjoying the sun as it sat on the leaf in the full sun for the few minutes that I took to get one reasonable photograph. It did move in that time - to a neighbouring leaf.



Somehow I became detached from group. This was not an issue until the path divided. Which way did they go? I plumped for the path by the river. I still could not find them so I tried ringing one of them - no answer (his phone was in the car). What should I do?

Then I heard a familiar voice - I followed it and found the group on the other side of the hedge.

Reunited, we headed back to the Visitor Centre for a refreshing drink and excellent cake.

My thanks to Shropshire County Council for giving us permission to visit the site and do what we enjoy doing. And to Jim Cresswell, Stephen Mitchell and Bob Kemp for providing most of the photographs.