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.