The Eyes have it!

Wednesday 25th May 2022, Ruewood Shropshire Wildlife Trust Reserve

Photograph: Jim Cresswell

“Whose eyes?”, you may ask,

Read on. All will be revealed.

Due to the very limited parking at the site we met in the car park of the Tilley Raven.

Always looking for opportunities, especially in the vegetation around a car park, a quick beat of some ivy provided us with a small “inconspicuous” ladybird, Nephus quadrimaculatus.

Photograph: David Williams

An advance party strode out for the site along a footpath whilst the rest of us arranged ourselves into three cars and drove to the entrance of the site.

Having arranged the cars so that no road or field entrance was obstructed, we made our way along an extremely well but rampant vegetated track to the stile and gate that lead into the first of the two meadows that make up this reserve.

We were soon into our stride and, rather like our visit to Pentre Hodre Farm the previous week, one of our earliest finds was the longhorn beetle Anaglyptus mysticus.

Photograph: David Williams

About halfway long the southern edge of the meadow there was a very wet patch where Yellow iris grew.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

In turn this attracted insects of interest of which Rhingia campestris was one.

Photograph: David Williams

A small aircraft passed overhead.

Followed a few minutes later by a second, and possibly a third.

This pattern continued throughout a lot of the day, reminding us that the reserve was very close to Sleap airfield. It is likely that we were under the looping flight path of pilots practising take offs and landings.

A Beautiful demoiselle was spotted;

Photograph: Bob Kemp

Together with a cranefly, Tipula vernalis;

Photograph: Jim Cresswell

And another hoverfly, this time the bee mimic, Volucella bombylans.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

It is a known as a bee-mimic as its hairiness and colour pattern is very similar to the Garden bumble bee, Bombus hortorum.

Alder is a very common tree around the edge of the reserve and beating this revealed a pair of 10-spot ladybirds trying to produce the next generation. However, they were different forms, the male being f. decempustulatus, with the large red patches on a dark background, and the female f. decempunctatus with the smaller black spots on a red background. I have no idea which form their progeny will take.

Photograph: David Williams

As I was wandering about I passed (thankfully did not stand in) a fresh cow pat. Enjoying this by-product were a few flies including a Noon-day fly, Membrina meridiana. Unfortunately by the time I had retrieved my camera it had hidden underneath the edge frustrating my efforts. However another example of this fly was photographed some time during the day.

Photograph: Jim Cresswell

A fly that we found throughout the day was the down-looker fly, Rhagio scolopaceous. It is deserving of its common name as when it settles on, say, the trunk of a tree, it takes up a position with its head downwards.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

I am not sure where the next insect was found but now is as good a time to include it as any. A sawfly, Tenthredo mesomela.

Photograph: John Martin

Interspersed with the alders around the site boundaries were various willows including Sallow. It was a sallow that provided us with the smallest insect of the day, at just over 1mm in length, that we were able to identify, another “inconspicuous” ladybird, Stethorus pusillus.

Photograph: David Williams

This has become known as the Dot ladybird. This is another deserved common name as its size and shape resemble a dot with legs!

Moving towards the north-western corner of the site along the fenced hedgerow that separated the two meadows we came across the plant that lends its name to the site, Common meadow-rue.

Hiding under its leaves we found a may-fly, which may be Ephemera danica.

The small umbellifer Pignut was plentiful and this was a the species of plant on which the hoverfly Parhelophilus, possibly frutetorum, chose to settle. 

Photograph: Jim Cresswell

(Thank you to everyone who has pointed out that my identification of this insect as Helophilus pendulus was incorrect.)

It was also a feeding opportunity for a Small copper butterfly.

Photograph: John Martin

After all this excitement we needed a sit-down and lunch was called.

Photograph: Neil Nash

Do not worry, I have not forgotten about the "Eyes".

After lunch we dispersed a little with some going through to the second meadow and others staying a little longer in the first. It was from an Apple tree in the first meadow that this longhorn beetle, Tretops praeustus was extracted. It is known as the Plum longhorn.

Photograph: David Williams

This find inspired the finder to look in the apple trees in his garden when he got home, and, as if by magic, he found another example of the beetle in residence. If you have an apple or plum tree in you garden, why not give it a go?

The rest of us moved into Meadow 2.

And now for the "Eyes" …

They are extraordinary.

They belonged to this insect.

Photograph: John Martin

This is Hybomitra bimaculata. It is a member of the Tabanidae, which are known as Horseflies or Clegs. Many if not all have patterned eyes of varying complexity.

The females of many of the species require a “blood meal” after mating and before egg-laying. Usually this meal is taken from domestic stock but, as we all know, humans are often targeted. Unfortunately for us they are very silent in flight and can land undetected. The first time we notice their presence is when an attempt to draw blood is made. Apparently Hybomitra bimaculata’s favourite feeding spot is the “crutch of the legs”.

The meadows contained a number of orchids in flower including this Southern marsh orchid in the second meadow.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

The afternoon was wearing on and some decided to take a break …

Whilst some had a sit down to watch the world go by and listen to the sounds of nature …

Only to be interrupted by aircraft still flying over trying to land …

Others carried on. What stamina they have.

A Wasp beetle was found;

Photograph: David Williams

Followed by a couple of large click beetles:

Ctenicera pectinicornis;

Photograph: Neil Nash

Actenicerus sjaelandicus.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

The second meadow was larger than it looked and getting around it took quite a long time. Many of the invertebrates we found had been seen earlier but we were able to find a couple of moth larvae:

A Drinker;

Photograph: Neil Nash

And a Common quaker.

Photograph: Stephen Mitchell

Exhausted after another long day on an excellent site we made our way back to the entrance of the site.

On the way this beetle was spotted.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

I do not know the species and help has been sought to identify it. If it can be identified from this photograph I will update the report to provide the name.

We extracted ourselves and cars from the site, closed the gate behind us and made our way back to the Tilley Raven from where, after a quick round of refreshments, we made our way home.

Have I forgotten the Wednesday Weevil of the Week?

No …

Here it is.

Well, it may be Dorytomus taeniatus or it could be Dorytomus dejeani; they impossible to tell apart.

Photograph/; Emm Cane-Honeysett

My thanks to Shropshire Wildlife Trust for giving us permission to do what we enjoy doing and to the photographers for their excellent images.

Special thanks to the Tilley Raven for allowing us to use their car park.

Rolling hills

Wednesday 18th May 2022, Pentre Hodre Farm

The last minute cancellation of our planned visit to Cound Quarry, as they were moving heavy machinery, gave us the opportunity to visit Pentre Hodre Farm.

This is a large farm in the hills to the north of Chapel Lawn. Currently sheep graze the fields, but there are plans afoot to rewild the area. We were invited to provide information about some of their current non-sheep inhabitants as a baseline.

I cannot avoid mentioning the weather …

It was fine all day.

A relief for all concerned!

And I cannot avoid mentioning road works …

Yes, there was a road closure on our planned route.

Or at least the Shropshire Highways map indicated that the road between Clun and New Invention would be closed. Whether it was or not we did not find out as we all took alternative routes … just in case.

We met in one of the farmyards, where we were accompanied by some pigs.

Fortunately the pigs were in the barn!

There were lots of piglets and they seemed to move freely between the sows whenever they wanted a snack!

Our man with the very tall tripod took a snap of the area of the farm we were visiting taking in some of the surrounding countryside.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

Whilst he was setting up and retrieving his tripod he spotted a Beautiful demoiselle.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

Tearing ourselves away from the pigs we made our way, trying to avoid going downhill too much, to a field that was not grazed. On the way a quick beat of a bush dislodged a longhorn beetle, Anaglyptus mysticus. 

Photograph: David Williams

The sight of bluebells greeted us as we entered the field and started to explore. We spotted a Wall butterfly, but it avoided the photographers. Less flighty were this bee:

Lasioglossum laevigatum;

Photograph: David Williams

And moth, a Small yellow underwing.

Photograph: John Lyden

A flea weevil, Rhamphus oxyacanthe, was found at some time during the day. It is associated with hawthorn and, as this field was surrounded on two sides by a hawthorn dominated hedge, now is as good a time to include it as any.

Photograph: Emm Cane-Honeysett

Time to move on.

Attempting to stay on the level for as long as possible we made our way along a lane to the field that was furthest from the cars, passing a field with a small herd of longhorn cattle who appeared unperturbed by this motley collection of people with various bits of equipment filing past.

Photograph: John Lyden

A Nursery web spider was spotted in her nursery underneath a nettle leaf guarding her egg sac. She’s face downwards so you can only see her abdomen and legs.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

And a vacuum sample of some vegetation revealed two Clubonia spiders in, what I am told is, a passionate embrace.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Time for lunch, with a view, not dissimilar to the earlier aerial photograph.

Before we moved on we checked a cultivated field that was behind us.

One determined person made their way through a formidable nettle bed to reach a sloping area of good grassland. (Some of us made do with just wandering along the fence to the outside of the grassland and poking our nets and vacuum samplers into it to see what we could find.) 

Among the insects that we managed to find were:

A Bordered shieldbug;

Photograph: David Williams

A large click beetle, Agrypnus murinus;

Photograph: David Williams

And a very large sawfly which was later identified as a Rowan sawfly, Trichiosoma sorbi.

Photograph: Nigel Jones

It is such a handsome beast that it is worth another photograph.

Photograph: David Williams

Having put it off for so long we could avoid it no longer. It was now time to plunge down the hill to the lower border of the farm. This runs alongside a rather attractive stream that flows, about a mile later, into the River Redlake.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

We tracked the edge of the field following the downward flow of the stream, pausing periodically to inspect the vegetation. Here we found a Woundwort shieldbug;

Photograph: David Williams

And a mayfly that posed beautifully on a fence rail (sorry I do not know the species).

Photograph: John Lyden

Eventually we reached an enclosed area of wet grassland which had a small trickle of water running through it.

Some of the group decided to take a break at this point whilst others set about doing their thing.

There was one patch of yellow by the stream that signalled the presence of a patch of Marsh marigold. I can never resist photographing this plant (unless I do not have a camera with me, then I wish I had brought it).

The larva of a Blood-vein moth was observed;

Photograph: David Williams

And then a small adult moth, Pammene rhediella.

Photograph: John Lyden

There was a large oak and within its foliage the star find of the day was discovered. A snake-fly, so called due to its extended thorax that together with its head make it resemble the front end of a snake. Unfortunately the comparison falls down when you get to the wings and … ah yes … it is not a fly.

This splendid creature was identified as Atlantoraphidia maculicollis.

Photograph: David Williams

How can you not like this insect? Snake-flies are rarely found so this was a cause for celebration.

Time was marching on …

And we weren’t.

So with great effort we left this oasis and made our way through a patch of woodland ,still following the course of the stream, only to stumble upon a patch of Early-purple orchids.

Photograph: David Williams

Being now at the lowest point of the farm we had to start the slog back up to the top. We used a green lane that ran from the stream and rose steadily upwards along the edge of the fields. 

As it was very late we did not stop a great deal but we did notice this rather good example of the nettle rust Puccinia urticata.

Eventually we popped out of the lane onto the road that led back to our starting point and we left the farm much later than normal, exhausted after a thoroughly enjoyable day.

But I have not finished …

As well as the regular Wednesday Weevil of the Day we have two “Lichens of the Day”.

The first is Parmelina pastillifera, which was found on a fence rail;

Photograph: Bob Kemp

And the second is Physcia stellaris, which was located on a fallen branch of Ash.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

Both lichens have been recorded rarely in Shropshire.

Our Wednesday Weevil of the Week is one that was found on an Elm, Magdalis armigera.

Photograph: Emm Cane-Honeysett

My thanks to the owners of Pentre Hodre Farm for inviting us to do what we enjoy doing and to the photographers for their excellent images.