Brief reports November – December 2022

Wednesday 30th November 2022, Purslow Wood

I was unable to attend this outing and no report from any of the attendees has come my way other than they found five Snow fleas and walked a long way in their pursuit. However, I have been sent a couple of photographs.

A pair of snow fleas mating. 

Photograph: David Williams

A springtail stalker, the beetle Notiophilus biguttatus.

Photograph: David Williams

Wednesday 7th December 2022, Millichope Park

A cool and frosty day, but gorgeously sunny day, greeted us for this trip to Millichope Park. The last time we were here, in the summer, it was so hot and oppressive that it was all we could do to resist just lying down in the meadow and going to sleep. C’est la vie!

An early arrival did some rooting around in the area around a stream, whilst the rest of us got ready, and found the nest of a harvest mouse constructed in amongst the vegetation.

Photograph: Neil Nash

As we were still primarily searching for Snow fleas we girded our loins and headed up the hill to the woodland.

The features of the lower slopes were mostly passed by.

Just as we were ignored by some Greylag geese flying overhead.

Photograph: John Martin

We found Polytrichum moss but unfortunately all the snow fleas had left early for their Christmas vacation.

However, vacuum sampling frequently collects beasts that you would not normally notice, for example, this attractive tiny flightless wasp, Callitula pyrrhogaster.

Photograph: David Williams

An Orange ladybird graced us with its presence.

Photograph: David Williams

One type of organism that was encountered quite often during the day was a Slime mould. Here are some that were photographed.

Photograph: David Williams

Photograph: David Williams

Photograph: David Williams

Photograph: David Williams

Lunch was taken in the shade of a large beech tree. Nearby the remains of another beech were slowly and artistically fading away.

An opportunistic Eyed ladybird tried sneaking up to take advantage of the food being consumed.

Photograph: John Martin

After lunch we continued to desert the cars and roamed in search of more woodland and moss. We found both but, alas, the snow fleas were still enjoying themselves elsewhere.

We turned for home, descending onto a valley that had remained frosty.

Lower down this sloping valley we came across a magnificent oak.

Photograph: John Martin

This is the Millichope Oak and its sight inspired the following verse.

The Millichope Oak

Four hundred years surveying the scene

On a grassy knoll in this valley of green.

Now still I stand, majestic and proud,

Lifting my branches to each passing cloud.

The huge girth of my trunk, furrowed and rough

Anchors me firmly, steady and tough.

The winter sun dapples upon my crisp leaves,

A rustle of orange in the cool breeze.

Extreme summer heat has changed Nature’s call,

My leaves cling on tightly, reluctant to fall.

Thus in December I’m still clothed in gold,

A beautiful sight as the year grows old.

Footsteps slow and eyes gaze in wonder

To think I’ve survived through sun, rain and thunder

And deep in my heart many secrets I hold

From long ago days, ne’er to be told.

Margaret Mitchell

Not everyone was awestruck by the oak.

Photograph: John Martin

The contents of the tray were obviously far more interesting!

Nearby stood a hawthorn adorned with some Mistletoe.

Photograph: John Martin

Once more the view, illuminated by the late afternoon sun, made us pause.

Photograph: David Williams

Eventually, after a bracing, sunlit and very enjoyable day, we made it back to the cars for our journeys home.

After the trip I received this photograph of some tiny wasps found in leaf litter collected during the day. The divisions are 1mm apart, so the smallest is about 0.5mm in length. Remarkable.

Photograph: Nigel Jones

Wednesday 14th December 2022, Poles Coppice

Our last Snow flea hunt of the year took place in the woodland that surrounds a number of quarries in this nature reserve situated on the hills above Pontesbury. Despite extensive searching we again failed to find any.

It was very cold and very frosty but the sun was shining.

It was no surprise that very little was found. We took lunch in a sunny spot.

Photograph: John Martin

After lunch we continued to explore the woodland and stumbled across a clearing from which there was an excellent view to a distant Bromlow Callow.

Photograph; John Martin

Back to the woods and some afternoon finds:

A moss, Schistidium crassipilum;

Photograph: John Martin

A lichen, Ramalina fraxinea;

Photograph: John Martin

And a Robin who had found a woodlouse (more than we had!). Unfortunately the woodlouse remained unidentified.

Photograph: John Martin

We were undecided if the tiny creatures under the bird’s eye were mites or ticks.

Eventually we emerged from the far end of the wood and turned for home. We crossed a field which led to a second field which afforded an excellent, if rather hazy, view over Pontesbury.

Some of us took the opportunity to do some public engagement …

Photograph: John Martin

whilst others indulged in some winter sports …

Photograph: John Martin

before we departed from the site.

I received this photograph later of the “periscope” spider Walckenaeria acuminata found in leaf litter collected sometime during the day. 

Photograph: Nigel Jones

My thanks to Forestry England, the owner of Millichope Park and Shropshire County Council for allowing us to visit their sites. My gratitude to the photographers for providing their excellent images that supplement my efforts and Margaret for her verse. 

Update - October – November 2022

Wednesday 19th October 2022, Telford Town Park

It is now the “winter season”. This year's Joy of Wildlife programme is complete. But the group keeps going. I will keep the reports during this time brief.

Our first outing of this phase was to Telford Town Park. This is a vast area of green space in, more or less, the centre of Telford. It encompasses areas of grassland, pools, woodland, children’s play grounds, formal gardens and standing proud over it all is the Stirchley Chimney.

We parked in Grange Pool car park and spent the first part of the day in the grassland area at the side of the pool close to a structure known as the “Onion”.

A hoverfly, Myathropa florea.

Photograph: John Martin

The picnic benches in the area proved very attractive and it took a lot of effort to pull everyone away from them to make our way to Fletcher’s Meadow and Pool.

A fungus, Lawyer’s wig.

We moved on from here through the woodland towards the chimney, passing a stream where water crickets were active in a patch of sunlight casting curious shadows on the bed of the stream.

Photograph: David Williams

Thankfully we found more picnic tables by the chimney just ion time for lunch.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A fungus Lemon disco.

Photograph: Neil Nash

Another fungus, Brown birch-bolete.

After lunch we made our way to a large area of grassland where we found a magnificent specimen of a garden spider, Araneus diadematus.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

There were a couple of other finds on the day that were photographed but I am not sure where they were found.

A spider, Walckenaeria acuminata, whose eyes are at the top of a stalk – visible behind the front legs in the following photograph.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A weevil Rhinoncus perpendicularis.

Photograph: Emm Cane-Honeysett

Wednesday 26th October 2022, Colemere and Whixhall Moss

For a change we had a day of bird watching. I could not attend and I have not been sent any photographs but the highlights of the day were Jack snipe at Colemere together with Great Grey Shrike, Marsh Harrier and Merlin at Whixall Moss.

Wednesday 2nd November 2022, Huglith Wood

Unfortunately this outing had to be cancelled.

Wednesday 9th November 2022, Westhope College

I was unable to attend this outing as I was isolating having tested positive for Covid. As I looked out my window at the glorious sunshine I could not have imagined that a few miles away the weather was not as good as pointed out in this brief summary.

A sunny, pleasant morning was followed by about 45 minutes of torrential, driving rain and a strong wind during which we attempted to eat our lunch without being swept away. This was followed by a sunny afternoon in which we made a brief, bedraggled and futile attempt to continue entomologising before giving up about 2:30pm and driving home in glorious sunshine! Nice in the sunshine and a site which is worth revisiting on a drier day!

Here a few memories of the day:

A double rainbow;

Photograph: David Williams

Rainbow's end;

Photograph: Bob Kemp

And a  fungus, White spindles, Clavaria fragilis.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

Wednesday 16th November 2022, Lurkenhope SWT Reserve

Photograph: David Williams

Photograph: David Williams

Yes! It’s snow flea season. The hunt is on.

As there was very limited parking at Lurkenhope we met in the car park of Kinsley Wood. As it happened there were only two cars allowing us to take both cars and park at the site.

The Shropshire Wildlife Trust website sates that “A footpath leads the sure-footed through this steep woodland”. 

They were not kidding. In fact the word “steep” does not adequately describe some of the precipitous drops at the side of the path.

The path up to the site was in itself a challenge.

Some of us made our way upwards whilst others seemed to find plenty to do at the bottom!

At the top of the slope we found some polytrichum moss and a vacuum sample of this produced three snow fleas, 2 males and a female. A male and the female were the subjects of the photographs at the start of this section of the report.

Eventually we came to the reserve.

Photograph: David Williams

But where was the entrance?

There was a moment of panic when we thought that we had come in the wrong way but then we spotted a stile further along the path.

Having arrived on site we made merry trying to find things of interest.

Photograph: David Williams

A bristletail – just look at those eyes;

Photograph: David Williams

A centipede, Lithobius variegatus;

And a fungus that whose identification was beyond our capabilities.

Photograph: David Williams

The Shropshire Wildlife Trust website also points out the “twisted, stunted oak trees” that grow on the reserve.

Here are some;

And here are some more.

As the day drew to a close we indulged in some “extreme vacuuming”.

And this produced another Snow flea.

We made our way back to the cars and headed home.

Wednesday 23rd November 2022, Hopton Wood, Hopton Titterill

Following last week’s successful search for Snow fleas we were able to back this up with more success in Hopton Wood. This site is a Forestry England managed plantation on Hopton Titterill.

Photograph: David Williams

“Hopton Woods is the home of mountain biking in Shropshire” proclaims the Forestry England website. Fortunately we did not meet any cyclists and the only cycling activity we saw was someone washing down their bike when we returned to the cars at the end of the day.

We met in the large car park (presumably to cater for a large number of cyclists), got ready and then headed for the shelter of the trees as the rain came down.

It did not last long and some of the group ventured into the woods whilst other lingered sheltering, in case it rained again!

An early find was this small blob which was overlooked as a piece of debris by most of us.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

Here it is when it was more active.

Photograph: David Williams

It is a harvestman, Anelasmocephalus cambridgei, rather a long name for a tiny creature.

We also found a red-legged mite which posed together with a couple of springtails;

Photograph: David Williams

And a chrysomelid beetle, Chrysolina polita.

Photograph: David Williams

After much unsuccessful searching of likely looking clumps of Polytrichum moss for Snow fleas we tried a very small patch that was on a tree stump covered with other mosses and grass. 

Hey presto!

A female Snow flea was extracted. 

It was placed back on the moss where, so we hoped, it would pose for a photograph, but it rapidly disappeared!

Lunch was taken by some at a picnic table in the car park, by others in their cars.

Those who retreated to their cars made the correct decision as it started to rain again.

After lunch, when the rain had finally stopped, we ventured further into the woodland and higher up the hill. This eventually culminated in finding the male Snow flea pictured at the start of this site’s report.

Here are some photographs to illustrate the afternoon’s activities:

A fungus, Yellow stagshorn;

A fern that caught the sunlight;

A small stream;

Lichenologists pondering the meaning of life;

New life springing from an old tree stump;

And a stump that has become small oasis in the fallen leaves.

My thanks to Telford and Wrekin Council, Shropshire County Council, the owners of Westhope College, Shropshire Wildlife Trust and Forestry England for allowing us to visit their sites. My gratitude to the photographers for providing their excellent images that supplement my efforts.