Disappointing weather

Wednesday 31st May 2023, St. Mary the Virgin

After a spell of fine warm weather we were treated to a cold, cloudy day when anything other than the members of the group would stay at home rather than venture forth to rummage through a churchyard’s vegetation.

Unlike some earlier days, which started cloudy that then cleared to provide warm sunshine, the cloud hung around obstinately all day with only brief, fleeting, glimpses of blue sky and, as a result, no significant warmth.

Despite the disappointing overhead conditions we tried to make the best of our visit.

Our site for the day was the churchyard of St. Mary  the Virgin in Bromfield. We visited the churchyard last year in September and it was agreed that we should return this year but earlier in the year.

The origins of this church can be traced back to pre-Norman times. It was rebuilt in the 12th century and the tower added in the 13th. In its earliest days the church was associated with a priory. After the dissolution of the monasteries parts of the church were incorporated into a private residence. The house was damaged by fire in the 17th century, but some remains of the property can still be found. The church was restored in the 19th century.

Here is a photograph of part of the church interior.

Photograph: Graham Wenman

The churchyard is managed to allow nature to flourish although the vegetation had been trimmed around some of the graves. However to amount of the grassland cut was far outweighed by what had been left.

Photograph: David Williams

Our activities on the day were very straightforward.

We wandered around the site and looked for things of interest in the grassland, on the church and on the gravestones.

That’s it!

No long treks about numerous acres…

No discussions on which way to go…

No dramas…

Apart from when and where to have lunch …

And moan about the weather.

Sorry!

However, to make up for this disappointment, here are photographs of some of the animals that we found during the day.

The day started with a sight of this hoverfly, Volucella bombylans.

Photograph: Jim Almond

A tile placed as a refugia close to entrance was lifted and a Grass snake and a Slow worm were seen…

Briefly!

Before they glided off into the undergrowth.

Here is a Slow worm that was found elsewhere during the morning.

Photograph: Jim Almond

The tile was replaced.

Other animals found during the morning were:

An Azure damselfly;

Photograph: Jim Almond

A Garden chafer;

Photograph: Jim Almond

A mining bee, Andrena cineraria, which is also known as the Ashy mining-bee, presumably because of its grey hairs.

Photograph: Jim Almond

And a swollen-thighed beetle.

Photograph: Jim Almond

This is a male and as you can see in the photograph it is very shiny and its femora (or thighs) are, well, very swollen. The female, I am sorry to say, is rather drab in comparison.

Photograph: David Williams

Lunch was taken sitting on the grass in front of the church.

Refreshed we carried on our meanderings and managed to locate and photograph some more species:

A longhorn beetle, Grammoptera ruficornis, this species is often found on the flowers of Hawthorn but on this occasion it was on a Magnolia;

Photograph: Jim Almond

A mayfly, sorry I do not know which species;

Photograph: David Williams

A Common blue damselfly;

Photograph: Jim Almond

A Meadow grasshopper nymph;

Photograph: David Williams

A beetle with red tips to its wing cases, Malachius bipustulatus;

Photograph: Jim Almond

A Field grasshopper nymph;

Photograph: David Williams

And a hoverfly, Syritta pipiens.

Photograph: Jim Almond

It was nearing time to leave and the tile under which the Grass snake and Slow worm were found first thing was checked again.

And there was a Grass snake and a Slow worm in residence.

Again the grass snake disappeared without trace leaving the more sluggish Slow worm to be snapped.

Photograph: David Williams

The River Onny flows past the church. Two or three of the group visited the river. On the bankside vegetation they found a long horn beetle, Pachytodes cerambyciformis.

Photograph: Neil Nash

And sometime during the day fossils were spotted in a wall.

Photograph: Neil Nash

With that we bid farewell to the site after an enjoyable day, despite the weather. At least it did not rain.

Other news

The Moth group met at Presthope on Wenlock Edge. Here are some of the moths that they found:

Lobster moth;

Photograph: David Williams

Scorched carpet;

Photograph: David Williams

Small white wave;

Photograph: David Williams

White-pinion spotted;

Photograph: David Williams

Green silver-lines;

Photograph: David Williams

Purple bar;

Photograph: David Williams

And a Lime hawkmoth.

Photograph: David Williams

Thank you to the Church Warden of St. Mary the Virgin for giving us permission to enjoy ourselves and to the photographers for their images to illuminate this tale.