Snail mail

Wednesday, 18th August 2021 - Steel Heath and Prees Heath

Whilst I was away in Lincolnshire my Joy of Wildlife colleagues enjoyed a day’s entertainment at two “heaths” in the north of the county.

When I returned I thought I would hear from someone about how the day had gone (assuming it had not been cancelled due to the weather). 

I heard nothing.

No matter, not everyone has got the time to indulge in the “post-visit” paraphernalia that has become my habit over the years. I would find out on the following Wednesday when I re-joined the group for the outing to Snailbeach.

Wednesday came. I gave a lift to two of the attendees from the “heaths” outing.

“What happened last week?”, I enquired casually.

“Did you not get my emails?”, was the reply.

“Er, no!”, was my response.

“I spent most of Saturday preparing the species list, writing a brief report and processing the photographs.”, said one of my passengers with a slightly hurt edge to his voice.

“Er, sorry! Erm, could you please resend them?”, was the only thing I could think of to utter.

Fortunately he had not deleted them and I received copies that very evening.

But that was not the end of it.

The following day I received what appeared to be duplicates.

Closer scrutiny showed that they were the originals and had been sent on the Saturday!!! 

They had taken 5 days to arrive via the electronic network. It would have been quicker to send them by post. Even 2nd Class mail would have arrived in less than 5 days.

Sometimes the postal service is referred to as “Snail Mail”. I think this is a little unfair. 

According to a source on the internet the fastest speed recorded for a snail (at the time the article was written) was by Archie, a garden snail, in the World Snail Racing Championships in 1995 who covered the 13” course in 2 minutes at average speed of 0.0028 metres per second.

The shortest walking distance between the email sender’s house and mine is about 6km. Thus, if Archie had been the carrier of the emails and he made the journey at top speed without stopping, it would have taken him about 24 days to deliver it (*).

Where is this all leading you may ask.

Here is the report of the visit based on that much delayed correspondence.

We managed to park everyone's cars at Steel Heath. This was quite an achievement as the car park is just the verge by the main road that passes through the site and is not very large.

Steel Heath is now mainly woodland spanning the B5476 that connects Wem to Whitchurch. The group explored the remaining clearing in the western half of the reserve. One member of the group recalled that this area used to be a pool and he had spent time there in the 1980’s in a search for White-faced darters and he sent some photographs as evidence.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

Photograph: Bob Kemp

Sadly the pool no longer exists and is now solid ground.

A juvenile goldcrest proved to be remarkably tame and was the subject of a lot of photography. 

Photograph: David Williams

Here are photographs of some of the other animals that were found.

A harvestman, Dicranopalpus ramosus:

Photograph: David Williams

Field grasshopper:

Photograph: David Williams

Green shieldbug:

Photograph: David Williams

Narrow-winged pug larva (between two rabbit droppings):

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A beetle, Nicrophorus vespilloides:

Photograph: David Williams

Parent bug:

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A spider, Pisaura mirabilis:

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A hoverfly, Sericomyia silentis:

Photograph: David Williams

Tree damselbug:

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A Bronze shieldbug nymph was knocked out of an oak with its rostrum firmly attached to a 7-spot ladybird. 

Photograph: David Williams

Following the shieldbug's example lunch was taken before moving on to Prees Heath. 

The area to the south of the car park was explored.

Photograph: David Williams

It is, apparently, about 10 years since this area was planted with heather to encourage the spread of the Silver-studded blue from the main part of the reserve. Clearly the work and subsequent patience as it developed has paid off as a silver-studded blue was seen.

Lots of Field digger wasps were observed. Here is a photograph of one.

Photograph: David Williams

Some of the other beasts observed and photographed were:

Gorse shieldbug:

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Mottled grasshopper:

Photograph: David Williams

A nomada bee, Nomada rufipes.

Photograph: David Williams

It was now time to go home after an enjoyable day with decent finds.

My thanks to Shropshire County Council and Butterfly Conservation for permitting us to visit their sites to do what we enjoy doing and, as always, to the photographers. Particular thanks to David for ensuring the outing ran smoothly.

Keep well.

(*) For anyone who wants to check my arithmetic, working in metres: 6000 / (0.0028 * 60 * 60 * 24) = 24.8 to 1 decimal place.

Lincolnshire Poacher

Wednesday 11th August 2021 - St. Cuthbert, Donington and St. Mary Magdelene, Albrighton

I start with an apology. This report is later than normal as I have been away for a week with my family enjoying each others' company and the delights of the Lincolnshire countryside although indifferent weather curtailed the latter activity somewhat.

Back to the matter in hand.

This outing was a double-header to two churches about 200 yards apart but in two settlements.

The first church we visited was St. Cuthbert in Donington.

We met in the church's car park.

A quick look over the car park wall into the churchyard brought instant disappointment. 

The grass was mown very, very neatly.

Our chance of finding any animals that made their home in longer grass was almost zero.

However, the churchyard and its border was blessed with a good number and variety of trees. Our efforts, therefore, were forced to be directed towards arboreal creatures. And, to my surprise, by lunchtime, we had had quite a successful morning.

But not all was lost on the ground as a piece of land had been set aside for a "Wildlife Garden". Unfortunately this was in the shade provided by the dense canopy of some mature trees.

Our successful morning was not helped by unusual forms of common ladybirds. This led to much discussion, frustration, changes of mind, research on the internet, etc. until they were finally identified.

We decided that this was a 10-spot ladybird, believing it to be an early adult of the form decempustulatus whose colours are normally large red spots on a black background.

Photograph: David Williams

And that this was a Harlequin ladybird.

Photograph: David Williams

The identification difficulties continued with this moth:

Photograph: David Williams

It is a small Ermine moth, but which one? There are several that look similar. Fortunately experienced moth enthusiasts came to the rescue and said that it was one of two species that could not be separated in the field, the Orchard ermine and Apple ermine.

To continue the theme, a distinctive looking caterpillar was knocked out of a patch of nettles.

Photograph: David Williams

It was photographed and later identified in the comfort of our own homes as probably a Spectacle moth.

Not all the species that we found were tricky to identify although some were photographed just to confirm our initial thoughts. Others were photographed as they chose to pose long enough for the camera to be focussed on the subject.

A colourful mirid bug, Campyloneura virgula.

Photograph: Ed Phillips

A sawfly, Arge pagana.

Photograph: Jim Almond

A hoverfly, Eupeodes luniger.

Photograph: Jim Almond

A magnificent Elephant hawk-moth larva was found in the vegetation in the car park.

Photograph: David Williams

Another hoverfly, Eristalis arbustorum.

Photograph: Jim Almond

I have saved the best find until last ...

OK, I accept that my personal interests may have clouded my judgement ...

A nymph of a Box bug was beaten out of a Yew tree.

Photograph: David Williams

A few adult Box bugs have been found in Shropshire in the last three years or so but this is the first nymph to be found (as far as I am aware), and provides evidence that the insect is now breeding in the county.

Lunch was taken on the neatly mown grass before moving on a couple of hundred yards to the next church, St Mary Magdelene in Albrighton.

We were greeted by more hopeful signs in the car park for the church and church hall.

Going through the gate we were met by a grave covered in a wildflower mix and generally the grass was longer but had clearly been cut in the not too distant past. However there were several wilder areas which were explored thoroughly.

An early find was an Oak bush cricket.

Photograph: David Williams

A conifer close to the gate was beaten and out popped a Juniper shieldbug.

Photograph: David Williams

We then had a series of shieldbug finds.

A Green shieldbug nymph.

Photograph: David Williams

A pair of Hawthorn shieldbug nymphs.

Photograph: David Williams

And an adult Forest bug.

Photograph: David Williams

These were followed by several hoverflies.

Eupeodes latifasciatus.

Photograph: John Martin

Xylota sylvarum.

Photograph: John Martin

Episyrphus balteatus.

Photograph: Jim Almond

And Syritta pipiens.

Photograph: Jim Almond

Another boldly marked fly caught our attention. It was not another hoverfly but a conopid fly, Conops quadrifasciatus.

Photograph: Ed Phillips

Time was marching on and I noticed that use of the seats around the site was increasing. However there was still time for the more energetic amongst us to search out more beastly inhabitants. Among the late discoveries were a Common darter dragonfly resting on a gravestone.

Photograph: Jim Almond

And vacuumed out of the longer grassy area an Ant damsel bug nymph.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Finally, lifting a stone that was resting against the church on some earth and looking underneath revealed several Rosy woodlice. They are quite quick runners and scuttled away to a shady surface. However our photographers were quicker!

Photograph: Ed Phillips

By now most of the group had voted with their bottoms and were perched on benches around the site. Time to go home.

My thanks to Caring for God's Acre for arranging the visits. And my gratitude to the photographers for providing me with the photographs that illuminate the report.

To finish

Just a couple of items this week.

The first comes from a correspondent in Church Preen who found this beautiful Emperor moth larvae in the undergrowth on a recent visit to Lake Vyrnwy.

Photograph: Ian Plumridge

The second is a longhorn beetle that has not been recorded in the county before, and probably not in the West Midlands. It found itself in a garden where it was spotted and snapped by the photographer, a Red longhorn beetle.

Photograph: Neil Nash

Keep well.

It might have been ...

Wednesday 4th August 2021 - Titterstone Clee Hill

In amongst all the disappointing weather that we have been subjected to recently, our arrival at the car park on Titterstone Clee Hill was greeted by pleasantly warm conditions with the sun shining from a cloudless blue sky and next to no breeze. I am not sure what we did to deserve it but we made the most of it.

It was an early start for us as we met at 10am rather than our usual 10.30am. This was a joint outing with the Wyre Forest Study Group and 10am is their normal start time. Thus, there was even more time than normal to enjoy the excellent weather.

We have done well this year selecting car parks with excellent views and this was no exception with an uniterrupted view stretching deep into Herefordshire in the south and the distant corner of Shropshire in the west.

Titterstone Clee Hill has been subjected to significant quarrying in the past. It is this activity that has shaped the hill, providing a man-made landscape that nature has made a decent effort of reclaiming. There are plenty of abandoned buidings and other structures dotted about the site to remind you of its past.

Whilst on the rim of the large quarry a reminder of its present use as a radar station.

Some of the old quarry buildings still remain in use, but now as a shelter from the sun for sheep.

Another reminder of the hill's quarrying history is the Titterstone Incline. 

Looking at an OS Map the incline is about 2km long, so there is far more to it than seen in the above photograph. This top section is now covered in vegetation and used as a footpath.

In all about thirty of us set off from the car park for the short walk to the large quarry in which most of us would spend our time during the morning. A few had a slightly different objective and they headed towards the summit.

However, a few did not make it much beyond the car park before undertaking their first foray.

Others made it a few yards further up the road to a pool.

Some ignored the pool and headed straight for the quarry.

What was their hurry?

They were going to investigate the pools that had formed in ruts in the quarry floor looking for the Scarce blue-tailed damselfly, which has been recorded at this site in the past. 

Despite extensive searching and a few "It might have been ..." it was not found on this occasion.

Meanwhile lingering by the pool we found a traffic cone that had magically found its way into the water.

Seeing this reminded me that the last time we had visited the site a car had been dumped in the water. I went to have a look if it was still there. Another "disappointment", it was nowhere to be seen.

So far I have told you about what we had hoped to see but did not; now it is time to turn your attention to what we did see.

An Emperor dragonfly was patrolling the shallower end of the pool.

Photograph: Jim Almond

Every now and then a Common hawker ventured into the Emperor's domain ...

Photograph: Jim Almond

Then was chased off by the Emperor.

Eventually we nearly all made it to the quarry and spent the next hour or so looking, beating, sweeping and vacuum sampling the quarry floor and some of the surrounding scree. Here are some of the invertebrates that were found and photographed.

A moth, Common carpet:

Photograph: Jim Almond

Mottled grasshopper:

Photograph: David Williams

A hoverfly, Helophilus pendulus:

Photograph: Jim Almond

A grass moth, Agriphila tristella:

Photograph: Jim Almond

A cranefly, Tipula lateralis:

Jim Almond

A spider, Araneus diadematus:

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

And a staphylinid beetle, Platydracus stercorarius:

Photograph: David Williams

By now it was time for lunch. A collection of rocks at the edge of the quarry was a natural spot for us to gather and take our refreshments.

After the break most of us made our way back to the car park and then to the grassland beyond and below; some lingered in the quarry; others went further round the hill to an area of scree and others went up the hill in search of couple of rarer plants.

Rather than indulge myself and waffle aimlessly on I will hand over to the photographers to bring you a flavour of what was found later in the day.

A dragonfly, Black darter:

Photograph: Jim Almond

A clump of Ivy-leaved bellflower:

Photographer: Nigel Jones

Another dragonfly, Common darter:

Photograph: Jim Almond

The stem of a thistle covered in Aphids, species unknown:

A tortoise beetle, Cassida flaveola:

Photograph: David Williams

A pair of Blue-tailed damselflies:

Photograph: Jim Almond

A cuckoo bumble bee, Bombus rupestris:

Photograph: David Williams

A Common pond skater:

Photograph: Jim Almond

Roesel's bush cricket:

Photograph: David Williams

A pair of Large red damselflies:

Photograph: Jim Almond

A female Common hawker ovipositing:

Photograph: Jim Almond

A Mother Shipton moth larva:

Photograph: David Williams

And a Cuckoo.

Photograph: Jim Almond

As a bonus, one of the group brought along a huge horsefly that he had found earlier at a different site, Tabanus sudeticus. This generated quite a flurry of photographic activity.

Photograph: Nigel Jones

And the subject?

It is the dark speck on the top of the rock.

If you want a closer view, here it is.

Photograph: David Williams

Photograph: Jim Almond

By the end of our visit I found myself on one of the lowest levels, well below the car park. 

Unfortunately there is a problem with finishing below where you want to end up, you have to ascend to the starting point. Looking at the options for getting back up I decided to take the shortest route.

But being the shortest it was also the steepest!

Having negotiated it successfully, with no stops to admire the view, I was met at the top by our young entomologist who asked innocently, "Why are you out of breath?"

We went home.

Thank you to everyone who attended and the photographers for sending me so many excellent photographs.

Other bits and pieces

Our arachnologist had a few days off local entomology and visited Skomer.

He was kept company on the trip by this friendly Herring gull.

Photograph: A Cane-Honeysett

One of the aims of the trip was to see Puffins. Despite the doubters amongst the birders he met who tried to persuade him they were long gone, here is proof that he was being misled.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A couple of other insects caught his eye and camera during his stay:

A Bloody-nosed beetle:

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

And a Field grasshopper.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Meanwhile, the quest to repeat the "see all 58 mainland butterflies in a year" success of 2019 continues apace. The questor's tally to date was 55 when a trio of us accompanied him in his attempt to find number 56, Brown hairstreak.

We went to Whitecross Green Wood which is between Oxford and Bicester just south of the M40. This wood is frequented by a large number of butterfly species including, needless to say, the target species.

The wood is a mixed woodland with several wide grassland rides. 

When we had visited the wood before, narrow paths had been mown through the grassland rides along which visitors were encourcouraged to walk to prevent trampling of the flower-rich areas.

On this occasion we were surprised to find that most of the width of the rides had been mown leaving only a narrow strip of longer vegetation before the trees. 

Despite initial reservations the rides were brimming with orthoptera, mainly Roesel's bush crickets and hemiptera, the vast majority of these being Tortoise shieldbugs. Here are a few examples:

Dark bush cricket:

Photograph: David Williams

Roesel's bush cricket:

Photograph: David Williams

Speckled bush cricket:

Photograph: David Williams

Tortoise shieldbug.

But we were there to look for butterflies. Here are some of the species we saw:

Brimstone:

Photograph: David Williams

Large skipper:

A Peacock with unusual markings.

Photograph: David Williams

And a glimpse of a Purple emperor ...

Photograph: David Williams

 Which, on closer inspection, had seen better days!

Photograph: David Williams

You will notice that Brown hairstreak is not featured in the above photographs. That is not because we failed to photograph one, but there were none to be seen despite long periods of craning our necks to scan the tops of trees for any movement that would betray their presence. 

Rather like the search for the Scarce blue-tailed damselfly at Titterstone there were several "It might have been ..." but none turned out to be.

Stop Press

Our questor has returned to the wood and has now observed a Brown hairstreak. He is up to 56. Only 2 to go!

Keep well.