Better late than never

Danson's Farm, Whitchurch - Wednesday 5th September 2018

It is now nearly three weeks since we visited this Danson's Farm. The delay has not been caused by a lack of interest in the site but by my absence from the country on holiday and the decision to leave suitable electronic devices at home. Please accept my apologies for the delay.

Danson's Farm is an old disused farm. Part of it was acquired by The Woodland Trust who created a woodland that runs alongside the Llangollen canal close to Whitchurch. The rest has been managed by its present owner for the benefit of wildlife.

The site nestles between the A41 as it by-passes Whitchurch and the canal. It consists of grassland, woodland, plantation and pools and retains some remnants of the farm buildings.

We met on a small pull-off from the A41 and one of the problems facing this area was immediately apparent.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Sadly, fly-tipping, a curse of our society, is a major concern in this area.

On a brighter note, nearby, an Araneus diadematus was photographed in a tangle of leaves and web.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

The owner appeared and unlocked the gate welcoming us to the site. The first area we came to was where the farm buildings used to stand. Only one remained standing (shown in the first photograph) but several bases remained and some upright girders that hinted at past larger constructions.

If you look carefully at the above photograph you will see an object on the metal just above halfway up.

What is it?

An upwardly mobile snail.

This area was rough grassland. It may not have been pleasing on the eye but the variety of the vegetation meant that it was an area where insects flourished and we spent quite a good deal of time surveying it.

Some of the things we found were:

Small copper butterflies - pleasingly these were very common here and throughout the rest of the site.

Photograph: David Williams

Green shiledbug

Photograph: David Williams

A fly - Tachina fera

Photograph: Jim Cresswell

A bee - Lasioglossum calceatum

Photograph: David Williams

And a cranefly -Tipula paludosa

Photograph: Jim Cresswell

On our way from this area into the next field we passed a large patch of Soapwort

Photograph: Jim Cresswell

The next field was grassland surrounded by trees with a large patch of nettles. Careful navigation was required to avoid stings!

An early find in this area was a Blue shieldbug

Photograph: David Williams

And the hawthorns bordering the field harboured a hawthorn shieldbug nymph.

Photograph: Jim Cresswell

This field opened out into a large grass field, the focus of which was a pool.

The pool had some reedmace, and where there is reedmace there is always a chance of finding the bug Chilacis typhae.

We were not disappointed as one head hosted a mating pair whilst a third looked on.

The edge of the pool was the perfect spot for lunch.

In fact it was too good a spot as it took a determined effort to get going again after refreshments. But we did tear ourselves away.

Eventually.

As we moved on a hazel tree bordering the large field was beaten dislodging a large mirid bug - Pantilius tunicatus.

Photograph: David Williams

We made our way into the next field. A gorse bush was spotted, searched and yielded a Gorse shieldbug.

Photograph: David Williams

The field descended gently towards the canal whose bank was covered in dense vegetation and alders. And on the alders were:

Blue alder leaf beetle.

Photograph: Jim Cresswell

And Parent bug nymphs.

Photograph: David Williams

Trying to hide amongst the lush vegetation but not escaping our eagle eyes was a Burnished brass moth.

Photograph: David Williams

Also lurking in the undergrowth was a huge spider - Araneus quadratus. This is the same genus as the spider in the third photograph but they are easily distinguished by the pattern on their abdomens.

Photograph: David Williams

Time to head back to the cars but we were about as far away from them as we could get! So it took a while to get back. And, needless to say, we kept our eyes open for anything of interest.

The first object that caught our attention was head of a mammal which we think was a mink.

Photograph: David Williams

Whilst some were fascinated by this others turned their attention elsewhere and found a Robin's pin cushion.

Photograph: Jim Cresswell

This delightful growth on a rose is a gall which houses larvae of a wasp Diplolepis rosae.

Also making an appearance was the large hoverfly Sericomyia silentis.

Photograph: Jim Cresswell

And finally the spider Gibbaranea gibbosa.

Photograph: David Williams

We finally made it to the cars, took our life into our own hands as we turned right onto the A41 and returned home after an excellent day in a pleasing site worthy of another visit at a different time of the year.

My thanks to the owner for allowing us to do what we enjoy doing and to Shropshire Wildlife Trust for making the initial arrangements. As always my thanks to the photographers Nigel Cane-Honeysett, Jim Cresswell and David Williams for allowing me to punctuate this report with their excellent photographs.