Wagon's Roll!

 Tuesday, 22nd June 2021

Well, after giving myself a telling off for my tardiness in producing these reports, I have managed to start this one before our next outing, which is tomorrow.

It remains to be seen whether I will finish it before the next outing. But I will give try my best, subject to the usual distractions.

This outing was a double-header with a visit to two churchyards in south Shropshire on a hot sunny and mainly cloudless day.

The first was St.Paul in Knowbury.

Photograph: David Williams

Its hillside position affords excellent views.

As the current covid restrictions mean that most of us are travelling to sites individually rather than sharing cars there is the great possibility of car park chaos.

To avoid this I arrived at the site well in advance of the meet time to ensure order only to find that I was one of the last to arrive...

And everyone had managed to park sensibly in the church's car park.

Not only that but some of the group were already on the site looking around.

The churchyard has been allowed to grow with a few paths cut through the long vegetation. 

Photograph: Bob Kemp

We were not the only visitors on the day as two or three other people turned up with powered strimmers.

Please do not cut the vegetation until we have finished our visit!

But they didn't, they appeared to be only interested in clearing areas around selected graves, leaving the rest of the vegetation alone.

Churchyards are high on the list of places to visit for lichenologists and we had four with the group for the day. Many of the headstones were examined in minute detail. 

This dedication paid off when a lichen that’s relatively new to the UK was found on the church building. It seems that it’s main habitat is on sandstone window sills next to a mortar run. It is called Acarospora versicolor.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

Whilst we were surveying we were treated to the screeching sound of several swifts which were flying around the church tower. What a delight to hear this discordant noise and see the birds relatively close up. 

In view of the speed they were flying about I am in awe that one could be photographed in flight.

Photograph: Jim Almond

As usual we observed, searched, swept, beat and vacuumed our way around the site and here are some of the animals that we found.

7-spot ladybird larva

Photograph: David Williams

A hoverfly, Episyrphus balteatus

Photograph: Jim Almond

Another hoverfly, Leucozona lucorum

Photograph: Jim Almond

A Common green grasshopper nymph

Photograph: David Williams

A Roesel's bush cricket nymph

Photograph: David Williams

A Welsh chafer

Photograph: Jim Almond

A grass moth, Chysoteuchia culmella

Photograph: Jim Almond

A Large skipper

Photograph: Jim Almond

And a jewel wasp Chrysis sp., in a face off with a much smaller creature.

Photograph: Jim Almond

As I wandered around the front of the church to take a photograph of the tower I noticed this rather strange sight:

A man sitting on his rucksack/chair studying a tree at close quarters with binoculars.

I just had to ask.

Studying a pair of spiders in what looked like a combined web and seeing how each reacted to the movements of the other. As one moved it seemed as if the second thought food had arrived, only to be quickly disappointed.

I left him to it and took my photograph.

Lunch was taken then we moved on to our second church, St John the Baptist, Hope Bagot.

Although I had given everyone written instructions on how to get to our next site it was decided that I should lead the way and the rest would follow just like a wagon train in the "Wild West".

So off I set!

Wagon's Roll!

Fortunately we met no-one coming the other way as we snaked along the twisting narrow roads for the mile or so of our journey.

And so to the second car park.

It was occupied by a transit van with its back doors open and someone sitting between them.

I do not think he was too concerned when I arrived ...

Or the car following ...

Or the next ....

I thnk by the time the sixth turned into the car park he began to panic.

"What time are you leaving?" he enquired.

"About 3.30." we responded

"I need to go before 4pm. Please do not block me in." he stated, then shut the van doors and wandered off.

And we succeeded in getting everyone in without blocking him in.

We ascended the steps from the car park to the churchyard and were greeted with a wonderful sight.

Photograph: David Williams

So taken were we by this lovely church and its flower rich churchyard we posed for a group photograph (which is much trickier to achieve in these covid times).

Photograph: Bob Kemp

In the porch of this church we were gratified to see this notice.

We set about doing what we always do on site and looked for things of interest.

Whether they be lichens on headstones ...

Photograph: Jim Almond

Or insects on flowers, such as this Eristalis arbustorum.

Photograph: Jim Almond

The churchyard boasts a magnificent, large, ancient tree, that someone has helpfully identified for us by placing a sign close to it reading "Yew Tree". 

Photograph: Bob Kemp

Unfortunately, the height and range of its canopy cannot really be judged from the above photograph; it is best described as dominating.

Here are some photographs of the beasts that put their busy lives on hold and posed for to us.

Actually the first had no choice as it was in a glass tube! Ischnomera sanguinicollis, a scarce beetle (which we also came across at Millichope a few weeks ago).

Photograph: David Williams

The rest (except the last) were photographed with no restraint to prevent them moving on.

A bee, Andrena cineraria

Photograph: Jim Almond

A hoverfly, Helophilus pendulus

Photograph: Jim Almond

Another hoverfly, Syritta pipiens, caught in flight.

Photograph: Jim Almond

A Speckled bush cricket nymph.

Photograph: David Williams

The last animal to be photographed had to be retained as it could not be identified on the day. Once identified it was released. It was a particularly dark example of a micro moth with a name that does not reflect its size, Pseudargyrotoza conwagana.

Photograph: Stephen Mitchell

Time to go home.

The cars were untangled from the car park and it was left deserted apart from the transit van.

My thanks to Caring for God's Acre for making all the arrangements with the churches and to the photographers for allowing me to use their photographs.

Isle of Wight

It is two years since I experienced a memorable day trip to the Isle of Wight to observe Glanville fritillaries. 

Why not do it again?

So we did.

Only this time we were persuaded to stay overnight on the island - a two day trip.

As before we caught the ferry from Lymington to Yarmouth then made our way to Compton Bay on the south west cost of the island.

Compton Bay contains an extensive area of undercliff whose frequent erosion produces fresh plantains on which the caterpillars feed as well as Thrift and Bird's-foot trefoil on which the adults nectar.

At first we could find no butterflies and then something orange whizzed past and was gone in the blink of an eye. Was it a Glanville? Or a Large skipper? We shall never know.

Continuing our search i wandered into a small sheltered area close to the lower edge of the cliff. Another orange butterfly was seen, but it flew off into some thistle. 

I followed it and eventually it came to a rest.

Yes, it was a Glanville fritillary. The trip had been worthwhile!

By the end of the day we had seen well over twenty individuals.

Here are a couple I managed to photograph

A bonus was my first Painted lady of the year, a rather battered individual.

After an overnight stay in Newport, Isle of Wight, we went to Arreton Down Nature Reserve which is a south facing chalk grassland a few miles south east of Newport.

This was a lovely grassland, but we started in some more substantial vegetation by a hedgerow. We had to be careful where we put our feet as there were a large number broomrapes in flower.

Broomrapes are parasitic on the roots of other plants. Their identification is very difficult but knowing the host plant is the best way to identify them. We were faced with a mixed hedgerow and other plants, so we settled for "A broomrape" for the species.

A Red admiral was resting in one of the hedgerow trees.

Moving onto the grassland we made our way along a path that followed a contour. Every now and then there were wide shallow furrows running down the slope that supported slightly denser vegetation. In one of these we found a Great green bush cricket nymph.

Eventually we came to some old chalk pits and were surprised to find an orange butterfly nectaring. 

Yes, it was a Glanville fritillary. 

In fact we found several more during our visit. What a bonus!

What were they doing there miles away from an area of undercliff?

Checking my butterfly book it tells me that strays may crop up all over the island and temporary colonies may form on the chalk downs. 

One of the chalk pits contained Mullein and there were several Mullein caterpillars munching away at the plant.

Time to retrace our steps.

On our way back we noticed a large butterfly.

Its underwing resembled a Small tortoiseshell, but it seemed much larger than the usual sightings of this butterfly. 

Was it a Large tortoiseshell?

We needed to see its upperwing pattern.

It opened its wings and promptly disappeared behind the flower. But the glance we had did not allow us to determine that it was anything but a large Small tortoiseshell.

The site had one more surprise. A moth that we christened the Raspberry Ripple moth and then changed to Ribena moth.

 

Photograph: Jim Cresswell

I am sure you can appreciate why these name came to mind.

Its scientific name is Eublemma purpurina and it has been awarded the common name "Beautiful marbled". (I think our names were better but there may be legal issues in using them.) It is a recent arrival to Britain being first recorded in 2004.

A marvellous way to end an excellent two days.

All that was left to do was make the journey home.

YES! I have managed to finish this before our next outing. 

Can I do it again?

Keep well.