January 2023 Outings

Sunday 1st January 2023, Earl’s and Pontesford Hills

Happy New Year.

Our third New Year’s Day walk took place around the twin peaks of Earl’s and Pontesford Hills.

Eleven of us met in the car park for the reserve on a wet morning. The rain that had accompanied us on our way to the site had stopped by the time we ready to set off. Thankfully, apart from a slight sprinkling every now and then the rain stayed away until it returned just as we were packing up after completing the walk.

Here is a relief map of the site courtesy of the information board in the car park:

The route we followed in a clockwise direction is indicated by the red dashed line that I have added.

The walk starts with a slow steady climb along the edge of the woodland then crosses a couple of fields before reaching the high point by Pontesbury Crags and the scree slope.

As no-one felt inclined to clamber up to see how the colony of Purse-web spiders was faring we pressed on. As we rounded the end of the hill we came to our only real obstacle. A short but steep descent. This should not have been a problem but the recent rain had made it very muddy and very slippery. This made it tricky for those of us who are less agile to negotiate.

Safely at the bottom without too many mishaps we continued sauntering along the path to Cleft Valley.

Here we found a nice open patch of grassland where we decided to lunch.

Photograph: Stephen Mitchell

While we were eating one of our more energetic members decided to follow the path to the top of the hill. She was back whilst we were still enjoying our refreshments!

Lunch over we continued on our merry way. Eventually reaching Lower Camp hillfort where we dallied for a quick look around the site before descending to the car park, saying our farewells and returning home.

Wednesday 11th January 2023, Easthope Wood, Wenlock Edge

Yet again the rain accompanied us as we made our way to the section of Wenlock Edge known as Easthope Wood. Fortunately it had stopped by the time we arrived on site. The Wellington to Church Stretton railway line used to run through this wood and is now a footpath.

There was forestry work being done to the north of the car park so we set out to the south and were soon sifting trough the results of suction sampling.

It was cold and everything was wet from the recent rain and we did not find much. One insect that was dislodged from its hiding place was the larva of an Angle shades moth.

Photograph: David Williams

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It started to rain. As it got heavier we retreated to the cars and had lunch.

The rain stopped but we continued our sandwiches confident the worst of the rain had passed! 

Lunches finished we emerged from our cars and it started raining again. 

We carried on for a while but the rain got heavier. 

After getting wet through we gave up and went home.

Wednesday 18th January 2023, Old Racecourse, Oswestry

Overnight snow had covered the ground so this visit was cancelled without leaving our homes.

Wednesday 25th January, Severn Valley Country Park

From the car park we headed to the wooded areas of the site in the hope of renewing our relationship with snow fleas but our efforts turned out to be in vain. We found very little Polytrichum moss and the small patches we did find did not yield any.

But the day was remarkable in that we managed to find three species that were new to Shropshire. Two were flies, one of which was found under the carcass of a Buzzard, and one was a planthopper. Sorry, I do not have photographs of these.

Here we are early in the day checking out the margins of a path by one of the many stream that flow through the area down to the River Severn.

A nice find was the springtail known as Katanniadae Gen. Nov.1 sp. nov. on the top of a gatepost.

Photograph: David Williams

It rained.

As we negotiated a long descending flight of steps I removed an ivy leaf from lichen on a tree trunk and noted that the lichen had formed an ivy leaf shaped border around it.

The rain stopped.

Now for a couple of snail species:

A Cellar glass snail, Oxychilus cellarius;

Photograph: Neil Nash

Rounded snail, Discus Rotundatus.

Photograph: Neil Nash

The descent brought us out by the River Severn which, though high, was not in flood.

A mole had already taken advantage of the retreating water.

Having wandered into the woodland on our left we paused for lunch.

After lunch we had a rummage around the wood. Here are some oof the things that were found:

A moss, Cryphaea heteromalla;

Photograph: John Martin

An orange ladybird tucked up in a dead oak leaf;

And a large round stone that had been abandoned for some reason.

Leaving the wood we walked along the side of the River Severn. 

During the day we had been assailed by the sound of shooting further up the river and as we walked along we saw the part of the result of this slaughter as several dead Mallard ducks floated past.

One duck that was still alive and fleeing the scene was a Goosander.

Photograph: John Martin

Crossing a bridge over a stream we were reminded of the strength of flood waters by the chin linking the bridge to a tree.

The final photograph is of a moss Anomodon viticulosus.

Photograph: John Martin

If you look very carefully at the photograph you can make out the leaves of Wall scalewort amongst the moss.

We made our way back to the Visitor centre where Shropshire County Council kindly provided refreshments.

My thanks to the National Trust and Shropshire County Council for allowing us to visit their sites and to the Council for providing the refreshments. My gratitude to the photographers for providing their excellent images that supplement my efforts.