After the heat comes the rain

Wednesday 17th August 2022, Pennerley Permaculture

A chance meeting last year led to an invitation to survey this site. It consists of a garden, forest garden, grassland and a couple of small woodlands. It is situated on the foothills on the western face of the Stiperstones.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

We met in a layby close to the site where we were met by one of the owners. We were taken to the site and given a brief introduction to the site and its facilities.

Photograph: Jim Almond

I shall get the weather out of the way now and have done with it. 

It had rained overnight and continued to drizzle on and off for the rest of the day, including a short spell of heavy rain. After the previous week’s experience we should have been ecstatic, but the wet conditions and long grass did not make it easy to find invertebrates. (Nor for photographers who, very reasonably, did not want to get their equipment wet.)

We spent the morning in the garden, forest garden and associated grassland area.

Unfortunately very little was stirring and keeping well out of the way of our nets and trays. We persevered. However it was just as interesting to wander around the area trying to work out what the trees and plants were.

Looking under the bark of a log we discovered a Common Lizard trying to keep out of the way.

Photograph: Jim Almond

A large moth that did put in an appearance and hung around long enough to be photographed was a Shaded broad-bar.

Photograph: David Williams

We were able to find some flies that had ventured forth to brave the conditions:

A hoverfly, Episyrphus balteatus;

Photograph: Jim Almond

A Yellow dung fly;

Photograph: Jim Almond

And a second hoverfly, Rhingia campestris.

Photograph: Jim Almond

I was just about to enter the meadow next door. 

When I noticed that time, as always, had marched on and it was that time of the day to take lunch.

One of the facilities of the site was a room that we could use for lunch. This was very welcome in view of the very wet conditions and intermittent rain.

We made our way there at a leisurely pace, in case anything of interest might be seen on the way.

The room was magnificent. Seats for all, sink, kettle with some tea, coffee and milk and a toilet,. All these were made use of.

The end of lunch coincided with a burst of heavy rain.

Did this stop us from continuing.

No!

But we were, perhaps, not quite as keen as we would have been had the sun been shining.

Early finds after lunch were:

A couple of flies that we have not been able to identify;

Photograph: Jim Almond

Photograph: Jim Almond

A further hoverfly, Eristalis arbustorum;

Photograph: Jim Almond

And a mirid bug, a Lygus species, its appearance suggests Lygus wagneri but it cannot be identified from the photograph as you need to inspect the structure of the wing to confirm which of five similar species it is.

Photograph: Jim Almond

We made our way to the meadow that we had abandoned for lunch.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

And while we are up in the air here is the view from that meadow.

Photograph: Bob kemp

Not that you would know it from ground level!

Close to the meadow entrance we found a Comma butterfly larva on a nettle.

Photograph: David Williams

Moving into the meadow a nymph of a Sloe bug (or Hairy shieldbug if you prefer, Dolycoris baccarum for the purists) was spotted on a seed head.

Photograph: David Williams

Knapweed was fairly abundant. A mirid bug often found on this plant at this time of year is Oncotylus viridiflavus.

Photograph: David Williams

There were also a few small patches of broom and we found a beetle associated with this plant, which we have been informed is Gonioctena olivaceae.

Photograph: David Williams

Unfortunately I was finding it difficult to move around the sloping meadow so I left to go back to the garden area to see what else I could find in there. Some joined me, others pressed on with searching in the meadow.

On the way to the garden area we passed a post with a fine collection of Cladonia lichen growing on the top.

Back where we had started, a vacuum sample of the grassland discovered the larva of an Orange ladybird.

Photograph: David Williams

Together with an inconspicuous ladybird, Scymnus haemorrhoidalis.

Photograph: David Williams

I wonder, why it is called haemorrhoidalis?

Several specimens of another orange beetle were found. We decided that it may be Chrysolina staphylaea. To allay this uncertainty a photograph was taken and sent to a local expert for confirmation.

Photograph: David Williams

By now it was time to leave. As we went I noticed this tucked away:

I was alone.

I heard others on the other side of the hedge.

“Do you know what this large thistle-like plant is?” I called out, hopefully.

“Cardoon” came the reply without looking.

Clearly they had seen it earlier in the day!

In one of the photographs above you may have noticed a chimney in the middle distance. This is part of Tankerville Mine.

As the mine borders the site a few of us took advantage of this proximity to take a look.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

Information about the site can be found on the Shropshire Mines Trust website.

And here is what you can do to a photograph of a similar view with some imagination and the right software.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

There was another visitor to the mine whilst I was there.

A Green-veined white. At least when the weather is cool and damp they do not fly away as you get near, allowing you to take a good look!

My thanks to the owners of the site and their neighbours for allowing us to do what we enjoy doing and providing the room and refreshment for lunch. My gratitude to the photographers for providing their excellent images.

Hot, hot, hot

Wednesday 10th August 2022, Pollardine Farm

It was pretty hot when we met at the car park for this exploration of Pollardine Farm.

And it got hotter and hotter throughout the day.

I’ll try not to mention the heat again …

But it did dampen our enthusiasm for searching a little as the desire to find shade took over.

Photograph: David Williams

Pollardine Farm is large, far too large to expect to be able to do it justice in a single survey. 

In view of the heat I decided that we should target a few areas of varied habitat that were not too distant from the car park and did not involve much climbing. 

Oops! I just realised I have mentioned the heat again. 

Sorry! 

It is not just us that have been struggling over the past few days.

Having gathered in the car park the inevitable question was asked, “Which way shall we go?”

Bravely, I pointed out a gate through which I wanted to proceed.

Needless to say I was ignored as everyone wandered off in almost the opposite direction to investigate some grassland that fell away to a stream.

After taking the above photograph I turned around to take a photograph that would show how far we had progressed.

As you can see, not very far.

But everyone seemed to be content in that area looking for whatever they could find, which included this inconspicuous ladybird, Nephus redtenbacheri.

Photograph: David Williams

For a while a Red kite kept us company.

Photograph: John Martin

Until it was chased away by a pair of Ravens.

Photograph: John Martin

Ravens dominated the skies for most of the day. We heard their raucous calls frequently and watched as they frolicked in the skies above the woodland at the base of the hill to the left in the first photograph. At one time 27 were observed.

Keeping with the aerial theme. Our man with the very long tripod gained permission from the owners to use it over the farm. He wandered off to make use of this opportunity. Here are a couple of the photographs he took of the farm and surrounding countryside.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

Photograph: Bob Kemp

You can see from the colour of the grasslands how parched the ground was following the extended period without rain we have just experienced.

By now I had abandoned any thought of taking the route I had indicated when asked that inevitable question at the start of the visit. But I did sugges another area to visit. 

This time everyone agreed that it was a good idea.

We made our way towards a pool.

On the way we searched the trees and vegetation at the side of the field through which we were progressing. Among the finds was the larva of a Spectacle moth.

Eventually, but in time for lunch, we arrived at the pool, which is where the photograph at the start of this report was taken. 

Lunch was taken at the edge of the pool. We became quite scattered as we sought out any small patches of shade the vegetation provided. Some of these patches were very close to the water’s edge so great care had to be taken not to overbalance and tumble in. 

Our aerial adventurer took this photograph of the pool.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

Whilst those of us with our feet on the ground had this view.

For a short while we were treated to the sight of a number of swallows and house martins swooping down to the water’s surface to take insects.

A Blue-tailed damselfly was seen resting on the poolside vegetation.

Photograph: John Lyden

Time to move on. 

Getting up to the pool had involved trampling through long grass, We needed an easier route down. Thankfully, there was a track that led to a gate which appeared, from the pool, to give access onto the road. 

We took the track.

Unfortunately the gate did not lead onto the road!

It led into another field.

Thankfully the track continued, and so did we.

And what a stroke of good fortune this turned out to be as, on reaching a gate that did lead onto the road, we spotted a Wall butterfly patrolling the vegetation.

Photograph: John Martin

Crossing the road we made our way across a grassland to a field that bordered a woodland and stream.

The ground in this field proved quite difficult to negotiate but we made it to the shade of a large oak tree under which we set up camp, happy to be sheltered from the sun. 

Beating the lower branches of the tree dislodged the nymph of a Bronze shieldbug.

Photograph: David Williams

Some of the group stayed put, whilst others set off to and across the stream to investigate what was on the other side. They were rewarded with the sight of a striking hoverfly Chrysotoxum bicinctum;

Photograph: David Williams

And a large tachinid fly, Tachina fera.

Photograph: John Martin

Back at the oak we rested, had some refreshments and took in the view of the ridge of The Stiperstones from the shade of the tree.

Someone had noticed that the edge of the field provided easier walking, so we made our way back, slowly, to the car park via this route.

My thanks to the owners of the farm for allowing us to do what we enjoy doing and to the photographers for providing their excellent images.

Scotch argus

As implied by the name this butterfly's home is Scotland but there are a few colonies south of the border in the Lake District. The opportunity to see one was not to be missed. 

Three of us travelled to Smardale Gill in Cumbria on the day following our visit to Pollardine Farm. The journey there was far from smooth as there were several delays on the way. But we got there in the end.

By the time we had walked to the edge of the site, along a disused railway track, it was mid-afternoon. However we were greeted by a few individual butterflies. These were very flighty and it was difficult to get a good enough sighting to satisfy me that they were Scotch argus.

We crossed the viaduct pausing to look at the valley below.

Wandering further along the track we came across numerous butterflies that looked the part but none settled for long enough to get a good view.

Then we spotted one on the ground that was not moving. Unfortunately it was dead, but we were able to get a good look at it.

There was no obvious damage to the butterfly so we do not know what caused its demise.

As the day wore on we saw more and more Scotch argus.

And they became very friendly!

On trousers.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

On finger.

On face.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

Photograph: Bob kemp

What an experience!