January notes

Wednesday 3rd January 2024, Heath Farm, Dudmaston

Earlier heavy rain and a swollen River Severn forced the planned outing to Long Covert, which is part of the Dudmaston estate, to be postponed. The car park we were planning to use at Hampton Loade was closed due to flooding.

It was a fine day. Rather than cancel the outing, we switched our attention to Heath Farm, also part of the Dudmaston estate. This is on much higher ground and not under the threat of flooding.

I was not present for the day, and no-one has volunteered, in my absence, to produce any sort of report for the day. However, I have, most importantly, plenty of photographs to share, including a rather interesting fungus.

A ground beetle, Leistus ferrugineus.

Photograph: John Martin

A “micro”-ladybird, often found in grassland, Rhyzobius litura.

Photograph: David Williams

A weevil, Trichosirocalus troglodytes.

Photograph: John Martin

A ground bug, Cymus claviculus.

Photograph: John Martin

Another weevil, Romualdius scaber.

Photograph: John Martin

Some Pine ladybirds.

Photograph: David Williams

A stiltbug, Berytinus minor.

Photograph: John Martin

A rather dishevelled rove beetle which seems to have lost one of its elytra, Scaphidium quadrimaculatum.

Photograph: David Williams

Another rove beetle, Bolitobius cingulatus.

Photograph: David Williams

And a third weevil, Sitona sulcifrons.

Photograph: John Martin

But, I have saved the best until last! This fungus was found on some dead wood in the woodland.

Photograph: David Williams

Very pretty and worthy another photograph.

Photograph: John Martin

Some initial research has arrived at an identification of, possibly, Dendrostibella smaragdina. However, this is far from certain. A small sample has been sent to a national expert for advice on the species. We await their verdict.

Here is a photograph taken down a microscope of one of the “blobs”.

Photograph: Eric Steer

The fungus, minus the retained fragment, was returned to where it was found.

Wednesday, 10th January 2024, Blakeway Coppice

Blakeway Coppice is the stretch of woodland running along Wenlock Edge from close to Much Wenlock to Presthope.

For this outing we met at the car park at Presthope and headed north east through the woodland back towards Much Wenlock.

We sampled here …

And we sampled there …

But not very much of interest was found. Any invertebrates that were in residence were well hunkered down trying to keep warm and very reluctant to come out for curious humans.

Something that is very common, and, as a result, usually ignored are blotches such as the following found on holly leaves. 

The blotch is the home of the larva of the fly Phytomyza ilicis, otherwise known as the Holly leaf miner, or Holly leaf gall fly.

We carried on our merry way not finding very much, then descended into a Quarry. An information board announced that it was Knowle Quarry.

Behind the board was a bit of the quarry face represented on the board’s diagram.

The habitat here looked worthy of investigation, but a fence prevented access.

We moved on.

Climbing out of the wood we came to the edge of the enormous Lea Quarry.

After spending a good deal of time looking at the vegetation sandwiched between the top of the quarry and the steep descending slope of Wenlock Edge, we returned from whence we had come, calling in at Knowle Quarry’s Lime Kilns on the way.

Almost a very pleasant but quiet outing where nothing of particular interest occurred, but, yet another troublesome fungus was found.

Photograph: Eric Steer

As with the Heath Farm fungus we could only arrive at a tentative identification of Glyphium elatum. Once again it will be referred to a “higher authority” for a determination.

Wednesday 17th January 2024, Walcot Wood

Walcot Wood is an ancient and semi-natural woodland managed by the National Trust in the valley to the east of Bury Ditches. 

A host of road works hindered my journey to this site. 

The first one was 5 yards from my drive! A 3-way traffic control. After that the trip was doomed! I lost count at six road works or diversions, as I drove to the car park at Bury Ditches, which is where we met.

Arrival was delayed due to the disruption caused by the afore-mentioned road works. However, we all eventually made it and set off on the not so short walk to the woodland.

 

On the way we found this Short-tailed field vole that had been the victim of a vehicle.

We got excited when we reached some woodland at the side of the lane. Had we arrived?

No.

We were only about half-way there.

On we plodded.

Eventually we reached the wood. A sign told us where we were.

A moth, The Chestnut, was observed.

Photograph: John Martin

Nearby a Goldcrest ignored us as it flitted through the bare branches of the trees close to the path.

Photograph: David Williams

A common sight on the leaves of Bramble is the leaf mine of the moth Stigmella aurata.

Here are a couple of ladybirds, a 10-spot and a Larch, accompanied by a springtail Entomobrya intermedia.

Photograph: David Williams

We had made our way into the heart of the woodland and were able to see some of the impressive ancient oaks that reside there.

Unfortunately, the photographs do not do justice to the splendour of these magnificent trees.

Another moth was found, this time the flightless female of a Mottled umber.

Photograph: David Williams

At long last we found some patches of Polytrichum moss and started to search for Snow fleas.

Our efforts were in vain!

Never mind, nothing is guaranteed.

We did find a couple of Orange ladybirds and a Sloe bug in some bramble. Another springtail, Entomobrya nivalis, muscled its way into the photograph.

Photograph: David Williams

All was not lost on the “snow” front when a fungus Lachnum virgineum, known as Snowy disco, was noticed.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Another fungus was observed nearby but its species remains a mystery.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Time for the return journey.

This was made at a much quicker tempo than the amble to the site, even though it was uphill all the way. I was happy to pause and look at the view!

Wednesday 24th January 2024, Bucknell Hill

At long last we found Snow fleas. This was our first success this winter, and the first in over 12 months. They may get mentioned later in the report!

We were visiting Bucknell Hill, a Forestry England plantation on the hill between Bedstone and Bucknell.

Despite the strong winds in the earlier hours of the day, it was almost still when we arrived at the site.

The initial meet and greet went on longer than normal when someone thought they saw a Goshawk perched in a tree. 

A crowd (about five) gathered.

Where is it?

On the right of that conifer on a horizontal branch.

Which conifer? (bear in mind we were at the edge of a conifer plantation!)

The one next to the brown patch.

Eh?

Sure enough there was a brown patch in the background.

Eventually the assembled throng found the bird sitting on a branch.

Then the bird flew away, mewing.

We decided it was a Buzzard.

Excitement over we regathered and set off up the forest track.

Early finds were a Hawthorn shield bug.

Photograph: David Williams

And a Birch catkin bug.

Photograph: David Williams

Every now and then we heard birds chattering as they progressed through the higher branches of the trees. A Crossbill was spotted at the top of one of the conifers left standing in an area of clear-fell.

Photograph: David Williams

At last we came to the summit of the track and started to descend the wide ride.

Passing a fallen conifer, it was given a tap to see what might still be residing in what would have been its highest branches.

This dropped into the tray.

Photograph: David Williams

A male Snow flea.

Very unexpected!

What was it doing there?

Here is another photograph of the insect.

Photograph: David Williams

And this is the fallen conifer in which it was lodging.

Elated by this find we carried on our merry way, pausing, often, to investigate the vegetation and peer into a tray containing the contents of the latest suction sample.

Here is an insect that we would have been very unlikely to find without our battery powered aids.

Photograph: David Williams

A tiny (about 1.5mm) black beetle, Mniophila muscorum, known as the Moss flea-beetle. This is only the third time it has been recorded in the county.

Moving further along the track we came to some Polytrichum moss cloaking a tree stump. This was vacuumed. In the resulting sample we spotted a female Snow flea.

Photograph: David Williams

We continued along the track for a little while longer, spotting, but not managing to photograph, another Crossbill, before deciding to return to the start and onwards to our homes.

Wednesday 31st January 2024, Shrewsbury Old River Bed

Our fifth outing in the month of January was to the Old River Bed. 

The site is being prepared to accept Beavers and we were allowed access ahead of the release to see what we could find.

Much of the fencing of the beaver enclosure has been completed and was in evidence as we entered the site.

It was very wet with plenty of surface water between the tufty fen vegetation that carpets the site. Plenty of time and effort was dedicated to staying upright!

However, before we ventured into the wetter areas we spent time at the edge where it was only wet rather than very wet and the footing was easier.

Some early finds were the spider Pisaura mirabilis.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

And this curiously shaped fly with a triangular head,

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

It is Trigononmetopus frontails, a very apt name.

Venturing into the midst of the fen we found the beetle, Paradromius linearis.

Photograph: John Martin

There was plenty of Reedmace scattered about the area where we were looking, and we found several of these larva on the seedheads.

Photograph: David Williams

They were later identified as Limnaecia phragmitella.

Continuing to traverse the site we came to some dry land and decided to have lunch.

Looking back across the site the view had not really changed.

A suction sample after lunch discovered a pseudoscorpion, Neobisium carcinoides, which appears to have caught a springtail.

Photograph: John Martin

When there is reedmace about that we can access we like to peel back a few of the outer leaves in the hope of finding Water ladybirds and other beetles in residence. On this occasion we were taken aback to find Hawthorn shieldbugs overwintering in this habitat. Here are a couple.

Photograph: David Williams

A micro-moth, Agnopterix ocellana, was spotted fluttering rather reluctantly among the vegetation.

Photograph: John Martin

And to finish not only did we manage to photograph a rather interesting looking Ichneumon wasp, but subsequent research managed to find the species name, Apestris nigrocincta.

Photograph: John Martin

My thanks to National Trust, Forestry England and Shrewsbury Council for allowing us to do what we enjoy doing. My immense gratitude to the photographers for sending me their images to illuminate the report.