Hello, my old friend

Monday, 17th May 2021 

Today is a significant day on the COVID Recovery Roadmap as we enter phase 3.

Only one phase to go! (Can be sung to the tune of "One Man went to Mow").

Only one phase to go! (However the threat of the "Indian Variant" hangs over us like the Sword of Damocles.)

Only one phase to go. And now we can restart Joy of Wildlife and get back to doing what we enjoy doing along with other like minded people.

Hurrah!!

Lack of Joy of Wildlife does not mean that nothing has been happening entomologically and I bring you more excellent photographs that I have been sent by generous photographers. As always my thanks go to these. Each photograph is credited with the name of the photographer. Any uncredited ones are my own efforts.

We start with a bigger beast spotted on Rhos Fiddle. A fox cub:

Photographer: John Lyden

How lucky John is, he has Willow tits nesting in a tree in his garden in a dead Acer.

Photographer: John Lyden

Continuing to descend the size scale he also found a Norwegian Wasp, Dolichovespula norwegica in his garden:

Photograph: John Lyden

And smallest of all, a spider, probably a Xysticus species:

Photographer: John Lyden

Away from south west Shropshire a moth, Nematopogon swammerdamella, posed for the photographer at Coalbrookdale.

Photographer: David Williams

Looking at the length of the antennae you can understand why they are known as "longhorn" moths. Their length matches the length of its name.

A visit to Brown Moss at the start of May revealed that the main pool had expanded almost as far as the car park. A very different size to what it was a few years ago when there was about 20 or 30 yards between the pool edge and the car park. 

It had also flooded the area where we sometimes moth trap. Fortunately there are no plans for the moth group to trap there this year else alternative sites would be needed.

One advantage of the expanded pool is that some willow bushes are now in the water. And it was on one of these bushes that a Kingfisher was spotted. (Sorry no photograph.)

However I do have a photograph of an intrepid entomologist who plunged though the surrounding marsh to vacuum sample the edge of the schwingmoor in the hope of finding pseudoscorpions. 

He did not find any.

(And do not be concerned, the rescue equipment was ready for deployment had it been needed)

However on the trunks of nearby trees we did find this unidentified fly, possibly an Empid [my thanks to the County Recorder who informs me that this fly is a Tachypeza species almost certainly T. nubila, which is a member of the Hybotidae]: 

Photograph: Bob Kemp

Thank you to the County Recorder, he informs me that this fly is a Tachypeza sp. almost certainly T. nubila which is a member of the Hybotidae

And this cranefly, Limonia nubeculosa:

Photograph: Bob Kemp

A sudden thunderstorm made us beat a hasty retreat back to the safety of the cars and brought about an early end to the day as the hail then sleet fell in profusion.

Fortunately agreement was reached before this abandonment to visit Whixall Moss rhe following day to "hear, and maybe see, cuckoos". 

For Whixall the weather was atypical, fine and very calm, but it was pretty chilly out of the sun.

We walked to the new observation tower and observed the mosses. We had to observe the mosses as very little else was happening.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

As you can see the moss appeared to be covered in snow. I know its been cold but snow?

If I switch to a colour photograph ...

Photograph: Bob Kemp

The snow is a covering of cotton grass.

We left the moss to find all the invertebrate action was taking place amongst the vegetation at the side of the canal towpath where the temperature was a good deal higher than on the moss.

Green hairstreak.

Large red damselfly:

Sericomyia lappona:

Returning to the moss we made our way back to the car park.

We heard no cuckoos.

The following evening there was a moth night across the canal on Bettisfield Moss.

No sooner had we arrived on the moss than we heard a cuckoo!!!!!!!

Our intrepid photographer tracked it down and managed a distant shot of the bird at the top of a pine tree in a woodland neighbouring the moss.

Photograph: David Williams

We even heard one or possibly two other cuckoos calling during the evening.

As with the mosses on the other side of the canal Bettisfield is well supplied with cotton grass. This has been identified as Hare's-tail cotton grass:

Photograph: David Williams

As for the moths, they were few and far between. A couple of attractive moths trapped were:

A Chocolate-tip:

Photograph: David Williams

A Purple thorn:

Photograph: David Williams

And not all moths could get to the traps. A Coleophora species larva in its case on a twig:

Photograph: David Williams

In amongst all the cold showery weather we have experienced a few of us visited Stretton Westwood Quarry on Wenlock Edge. This is a disused quarry, now managed by the National Trust, into which spoil from the Much Wenlock flood alleviation scheme was dumped. 

"Dumped" is not the correct word, "Used" is better. 

The spoil was used to aid the regeneration process by modelling it into several large hummocks of mixed rock and soil. These were then strewn with green hay to further aid regeneration. Over the couple of years I have been visiting it has yielded several good finds.

By the car park there is a small area of scrubby grassland where we were able to find a glow worm larva (sorry no photograph) so a revisit in the evening in a few weeks' time should yield sightings of their curious mating ritual.

We did find were some picturesque flies...

Tephritis neesii

Photograph: Jim Cresswell

Euleia heraclei

Photograph: Jim Cresswell

One that took a liking to my waterproof, Nephrotoma appendiculata:

And one that cannot really be classed as picturesque, Tachina fera:

Photograph: Jim Cresswell

Another Friday, another moth night. This evening was spent in Corbet Wood above Grinshall, or more precisely, on the edge of Corbet Wood.

Early arrivals were treated to the spectacle of a cyclist attempting to jump from the car park over a 8 foot or so cutting to the woodland on the other size. Fortunately I was not an early arrival as I am not sure my First Aid training had prepared me for scraping cyclists off rock walls. 

Apparently the cyclist, after several false starts, went for it and made the jump successfully. He was asked not to do it again that evening as there were more exciting happenings afoot.

One of the hazards, apart from flying cyclists, at this time of year, when moth trapping, is being struck by a cockchafer (also known as may bug). These large beetles are attracted by the lamps of the traps. And if you wander into their flight path they do not deviate but clatter into you.

Photograph: David Williams

Once in the trap, it is pointless removing them as they just return like a boomerang that behaves itself.

Although not abundant there were more moths around and among the attractive moths found were ...

Small phoenix:

Photograph: David Williams

Waved umber:

Photograph: David Williams

In addition to light trapping the surrounding vegetation is searched for larvae. A couple of species found this way were ...

Dingy footman:

Photograph: David Williams

Scarlet tiger:

Photograph: David Williams

And finally to the subject that provided me with the title of this piece.

Each year since I first found this fly in 2011 on Little Hill, on the southwest side of The Wrekin, I have made the journey to the summit to check if the colony survives. So today, over lunchtime, when the relentless grey skies broke up to give periods of sunshine I set off in the hope if re-finding it.

It is not a difficult climb but it is relentlessly uphill. Not steep allowing you to gain height quickly, but long and drawn out with two or three shorter steeper sections. However each year I go I am sure that the summit is rising at an alarming rate. Nevertheless I made it, gathered my breath and looked at the tree in the centre of the clearing at the summit.

I had arrived in full sunshine and did not need to look for long before I noticed a orange and black fly making forays from the trunk of the tree.

Callicera rufa

Hello, my old friend.

Yes, I know it is not the same one as I saw last year or in the years before that, but it feels like an old friend.

Thank you for being there for eleven years and I hope to see one of descendants in a year or so.

Stop Press

As I have been typing this more photographs have arrived. These were taken today in Monk Wood in Worcestershire.

Apparently a Golden oriole had been seen there recently and was still attracting twitchers hoping to catch sight of it. This meant the wood was busier than normal.

The bluebells and ramsons were in full bloom:

Photograph: Bob Kemp

And, sometimes, where you get Ramsons and sunshine you will find the hoverfly Portevinia maculatus:

Photograph: Bob Kemp

Monk Wood is a good site for Wood white:

Photograph: Bob Kemp

An early season planthopper, Tachycixius pilosus:

Photograph: Bob Kemp

And now a couple of distinctive nymphs of mirid bugs. Firstly, Rhabdomiris striatellus:

Photograph: Bob Kemp

Secondly, Miris striatus:

Photograph: Bob Kemp

To round off the set, a splendidly marked spider, Salticus cingulatus.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

Thank you for reading this.

Keep well.