Closed

Wednesday 3rd May 2023, Walkmill Meadows

Our first road closure of the season.

The main route from Telford north to Hodnet and then Market Drayton was closed.

A diversion was in place which went via Newport. This seemed a long way around so, instead, we went via Shawbury, still arriving on site in good time without further incident. 

It turned out, however, that going via Newport was subject to another road closure! The road between Hinstock and Market Drayton was closed requiring a further diversion via Tern Hill.

As you may have gathered we were trying to get to Market Drayton to visit Walkmill Meadows. This is a Shropshire Council reserve on the northern side of the River Tern in Market Drayton.

The above photograph of the second meadow with the first visible through the gap in the trees is typical of the habitat throughout most of the site.

An early and unexpected find, close to the start of the first meadow, was a collection of the curiously named Star of Bethlehem.

Photograph: John Martin

Part of the northern boundary of the site is the sewage works. Unfortunately this was securely sealed off preventing our arachnologist from going to search for a spider that lives in that habitat. However, close to its fence we found the distinctive red and black froghopper, Cercopis vulnerata;

Photograph: David Williams

And nearby, Sloe bugs.

Photograph: David Williams

A common sight in grasslands is the spider Pisaura mirabilis and this site was no exception.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Another very common insect, which is associated with Dock, is the Green dock beetle. Here is a gravid female.

Even if you do not see the beetle, checking underneath dock leaves will often reveal collections of its orange eggs. Later in the year the larvae will chomp through the dock leaves leaving gaping holes as evidence of their presence.

And now for a couple of flies. I am not sure where they were found but now seems as good a time as any to include them:

Calobata petronella;

Photograph: Nigel Jones

And Amobia signata.

Photograph: Nigel Jones

Most of the morning was spent in the first meadow where another fairly common insect, a tortoise beetle, Cassida vibex, was uncovered. They are always a delight to find.

Photograph:  Nigel Cane-Honeysett

As time marched on our attention switched from looking for invertebrates and plants to looking for a suitable spot for lunch. A seat was located in the second meadow and we all gathered on it and around it to enjoy our picnic.

Sharing the bench with us was this Dock bug.

Lunch over, we moved on towards the next meadow, passing through some woodland where this Speckled wood was basking in the sun.

Photograph: John Martin

I mentioned the “sun” word…

Use of this word has been very limited in recent reports…

But on this occasion it shone for most of the day,,,

And it was warm…

We had too many layers on!

Our next models for the camera were a brightly marked muscid fly, Musca autumnalis;

Photograph: John Martin

And a bee-mimic hoverfly Cheilosia illustrata.

Photograph: John Martin

By now we were well into the third and possibly the largest meadow.

Here we came across a Holly blue flitting about close to the river’s edge.

Photograph: John Martin

Sweeping a patch of White dead-nettle disturbed a Pied shieldbug.

Photograph: David Williams

In amongst the woodland there were quite a few Bird cherries which were displaying wonderful blossoms. However, one spike of flowers had been distorted by the gall causing fungus Taphrina padi.

Photograph: John Martin

Another causer of galls is the wasp Biorhiza pallida. This insect gives rise to the Oak apple galls seen, as the name suggests, on oaks.

Photograph: John Martin

Although they do not form galls the larval stages of the following insect impact their host plant by rolling leaves, within which they feed, the sawfly Pamphilius sylvaticus. Here is an adult.

Photograph: Nigel Jones

Before we left the third meadow we had managed to find the tiny ladybird Scymnus femoralis.

Unfortunately when it was placed in a piece of equipment to facilitate having its photograph taken it disappeared into the hinge of the gadget and would not come out. (More later.)

Leaving the third meadow we had a good view along a stretch of the river.

Where the river did a meander the path went straight on to be met by the river again after a few yards.

Ignoring the seat that had been placed on this short straight path we came to a small pool. As I met up with a member of the group who had gone on ahead he told me he had seen a Grass snake. It was nowhere to be seen by the time I got there.

If only I had been there 5 minutes earlier!!

(More later.)

A glance back shows the short path in the gap we had just come along. 

A search of the land within the meander found amongst other things a female Common earwig and a Scarlet tiger moth larva. Here they are. I am not sure if the earwig may be thinking of a large snack for afternoon tea.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

The warmth was beginning to take its toll and we surrendered to the charms of the bench,

But we are never completely at rest, someone is always on the look-out. There was Meadowsweet at the side of the river and on one of the leaves a rust Triphragmium ulmariae was spotted.

Another effort was made to dislodge the Scymnus femoralis from its hiding place and this time it obliged. A photograph was taken before it was returned from whence it had come.

Photograph: David Williams

On mentioning the Grass snake I was told that another had been seen by just about everyone else.

Doubly disappointed!!

However, they added, this one was, unfortunately, dead and was lying on a path. We returned back to the third meadow and made for where it had been seen. 

It was still there.

To finish on a brighter note our final insect of the day was “Batman”, the hoverfly Myathropa florea. 

Photograph: John Martin

It gets its nickname from the pattern on its thorax which, with imagination, looks like the symbol used to summon Batman.

The roads were still closed for our homeward journey. But we had had a good day in the May warmth.

Other news

A day out to Llanymynech Rocks provided us with our first sight of a Dingy skipper this year.

We also found a Dandelion seed head occupied by at least six Sloe bugs, two of which had taken advantage of the situation to mate.

OK, the shieldbugs are not clearly visible in the photograph, but they are in there.

Another curiosity was another Sloe bug facing-off a Gorse shieldbug.

Apley Woods was the site of the latest moth group meeting. There were very, very few moths around and we left early, but we did manage to find about half a dozen species. Here are three:

20-plume moth;

Photograph: David Williams

Waved umber;

Photograph: David Williams

And the star of the night, a magnificently marked Merveille du jour larva.

Photograph: David Willaims

When Joy of Wildlife visited Apley Woods a couple of weeks ago we recorded many spikes of Broad-leaved grape-hyacinth, Muscari latifolium which, it turns out, is the first time it has been recorded in the county.

Photograph: John Martin

Photograph: John Martin

According to the recorder it is not a native plant. It was probably planted originally in the estate woodland. It has spread in abundance and is well naturalised. 

Thank you to Shropshire County Council for giving us permission to enjoy ourselves and to the photographers for their images to illuminate this tale.