Avoiding the easy route

Wednesday 20th April 2022, Aston Locks Nature Reserves

Glorious sunshine greeted us as we met in the car park at Queen’s Head, near Oswestry, for our visit to the nature reserves by the Aston Locks. 

This area is a series of pools developed to mitigate against the potential disturbance by boating to the Montgomery Canal’s dominant population of Floating Water Plantain which is rare in lowland. Unfortunately “The Flora and Vegetation of Shropshire” suggests that the plant has disappeared from the Shropshire sections of the canal, but maybe, these pools will encourage its return. Only time will tell.

The pools can be seen in the following aerial photographs:

Photograph: Bob Kemp

Queen’s Head is toward the top of the above photograph. The pool in the foreground is the first of the recently created pools. The first pool, which is far more established can the made out amongst the trees to the left of the canal by the white house.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

Again the first of the recently created pools is in the foreground with the second in the distance with a further smaller more established pool just beyond it.

The plan was to visit the site furthest from the car park first.

And, for once, we followed the plan!

However, the plan did not include getting everybody to leave the car park. 

A small picnic area and access to the canal proved irresistible as a small tree in blossom was attracting bees and flies, to the delight of our dipterists.

One insect, not a fly, that was found in this area was the colourful rhopalid bug Corizus hyoscami:

Photograph: Jim Almond

The canal surface was very smooth and provided the opportunity for an artistic photograph of a tree and its reflection.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Eventually we arrived at the crossing at Lock 2 of the Aston Locks.

As you can see there is a narrow walkway across the lock. And this is the way most people came.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

However, there was a bridge! It is just after the second lock gate. It was not until most of us had crossed the lock that anyone noticed it.

If you look closely at the first photograph of the lock, you can just make out its railings beyond the second gate.

The group is not one to avoid the hard route!

A Green shieldbug was spotted in the vegetation by the lock.

Photograph: David Williams

Arriving on site we were expecting to find a damp meadow (as that is what it was the last time any of us came here); we were very surprised to find a mound had been created and landscaped.

We made our way to the main pool. 

Here any disappointment we felt about the loss of the meadow was more than overcome when one the group did some pond dipping and found a Water spider, Argyroneta aquatica.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

If you look at the abdomen of the spider you can make out a transparent outer layer. (Do not confuse this with the perfect circle at the bottom of the pot!) This is a layer of air that it has trapped in the fine hairs on its body. You will also notice that it is carrying a snack.

The warm sun encouraged a few hoverflies to venture out:

Leucozona lucorum:

Photograph: Jim Almond

Syrphus ribesii.

Photograph: Jim Almond

A Large red damselfly was spotted;

Photograph: John Martin

And in the vegetation running alongside a ditch on the opposite side of the path to the pool we found several Woundwort shieldbugs.

Photograph: David Williams

This prompted another demonstration of the uncomfortable positions our dedicated photographers have to get themselves into in order to bring you the images included here.

Lunch was taken by most of us during which the photographer was accompanied by a Slender ground hopper.

Photograph: David Williams

After lunch we spent some more time exploring the area around the main pool to be rewarded by finding a Water ladybird.

Photograph: David Williams

And we came across a sapling that had been devasted by a host of Alder leaf beetles.

Once spotted Alder leaf beetles seemed to turn up frequently.

Here is a closer view of a beetle taken at some time during our visit.

Photograph: Jim Almond

The decision was made to move back to the original reserve by Lock 1. But there was a problem. We had spread ourselves widely around this large site. Rounding everybody up to suggest we move on was very tricky.

And, as it turned out, impossible, as some had already taken the decision to wander back.

However this process did allow us a short time to look at the furthest pool.

Photograph: John Martin

And growing in this pool were lots of Water-violets.

Photograph: John Martin

We made our way back to the lock, crossed …

Over the bridge …

And made our way to Lock 1.

Here there was no bridge so we had to navigate the walkway across the lock gate. 

Thankfully no-one fell off and we were able to spend 90 minutes or so in this well-established reserve.

Another hoverfly was photographed, Xylota segnis.

Photograph: Jim Almond

And, after seeing many orange-tip butterflies during the day, a couple settled and allowed themselves to be photographed.

A female;

Photograph: Jim Almond

And a male.

Photograph: Jim Almond

A cranefly was spotted, Ptychoptera albimana, with characteristic white tarsi on its hind legs.

Photograph: John Martin

Time was marching on as I rounded the southern tip of this area.

And when I got back to the entrance I found that others had already decided that it was time to stop looking and enjoy the comforts of the site.

Gathering everyone together was far more straightforward this time around and we made our way back to the car park.

On the way we spotted some emergent Giant horsetails;

Photograph: John Martin

And another hoverfly, Epistrophe elegans.

Photograph: Jom Almond

There was a surprise for us as we left the towpath to join the road to the car park. A Red kite glided over us.

Photograph: John Martin

What an excellent end to a very satisfying day.

For this week’s Wednesday Weevil of the Week we have one of the larger weevils, Phyllobius pyri, which is commonly found in low vegetation, for example nettles.

Photograph: Emm Cane-Honeysett

My thanks to the Canal and River Trust for giving us permission to do what we enjoy doing and to the photographers for allowing me to use their images.

Reference:  “The Flora and Vegetation of Shropshire”, Lockton, A. & Whild, S., 2015, Shropshire Botanical Society