Lamproderma giganticum

Wednesday 20th March, Roveries Wood

The privately owned Roveries Wood covers a pair of hills on the western edge of Shropshire just north of Bishop’s Castle. The wood is conifer plantation with some broadleaved trees and there is a hillfort at the summit of the southern-most hill.

Recently the owners have been felling some of the conifers to allow more light into the wood with the intent to improve its biodiversity.

I was unable to attend this meeting, so I am grateful for a summary of the day from Jim which forms the basis of this report.

Entering the site they followed a track which was south facing, in the sun and quite warm. To the north of the path, cloaking the slope was mixed woodland.

Large patches of Polytrichum moss were noted. Although it was too late for Snow fleas it may be worth returning to next winter to see if they are present.

The aim was to reach the hill fort for lunch but the pace, despite best endeavours, was too slow! 

As the track headed round to the north it went downhill. This continued for quite a while as it passed into the trees of the conifer plantation. Eventually they started to head westwards, uphill towards the saddle between the two hills.

As the time for lunch arrived the hillfort was still some way off so they had lunch perched on the main path.

Lunch over they took a path to the top, which was not too steep as it meandered upwards. 

The hillfort is quite flat with some trees but mostly lush grass. Unfortunately the attempts to include Yellow rattle have not yet been fruitful.

After spending time exploring the hillfort area they followed a path down that led to where the cars were parked. 

And now the pictures from the day.

A general scene within the wood.

Photograph: David Williams

A slime mould, Trichia varia.

Photograph: John Martin

A moth larva, probably a Scarce footman.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A 7-spot ladybird.

Scarce footman David Williams

A wingless lesser dung fly, Apteromyia claviventris.

Photograph: Nigel Jones

This was a very interesting find as this species is not known for being wingless.

An Orange ladybird.

Photograph: David Williams

A moth larva, possibly an Anomalous moth.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A micro-ladybird Scymnus suturalis together with a springtail, a species of Entomobryia.

Photograph: David Williams

Here is a Scymnus suturalis alongside a Pine ladybird.

Photograph: David Williams

A plant, Bird’s foot.

Photograph: John Martin

A huddle around a tray containing the results of a suction sample.

Photograph: Caroline Uff

A pair of Broom leaf beetles.

Photograph: David Williams

Finally a Common damsel bug.

Photograph: John Martin

As the group drove away from the site a passenger in one of the cars took the following photograph.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

After much discussion the structure was named Lamproderma giganticum.

Why?

Lamproderma is a group of slime moulds whose fruiting bodies are often iridescent globes on the top of stalks. Type Lamproderma into your search engine and look at the images it returns; you will see the resemblance between them and the photographed structure.

My thanks to the owners of Roveries Wood for allowing us to do what we enjoy doing. My gratitude to Jim for the summary of the day and the photographers for sending me their images to illuminate the report.

Out of Shropshire

Wednesday 13th March, Aqualate Mere

Plucking up our courage we crossed the border into Staffordshire to visit Aqualate Mere National Nature Reserve.

This is a large site. Realising our limitations we had restricted our request for access to the eastern end stretching from the car park to the bird hide on the eastern edge of the mere.

In this area the habitat is mainly wet pasture, which after the incessant rain we have had recently was very wet, ditches and, on the drier higher ground, woodland. Follow this link to enable you to download a leaflet about the site: Aqualate Mere NNR

This is one of the drier areas we visited.

But the majority of the pasture looked more like this.

During the day we found a fly that had we been in Shropshire would have been a new record. It may well be unrecorded previously in Staffordshire. The fly is Elachiptera austriaca.

Photograph: Nigel Jones

Another scarce fly, a sepsid, Themira nigricornis, was also found during the day.

Photograph: Nigel Jones

However, the day was dominated by beetles, most of which we could not identify. But there were some that we could or get close to.

I have jumped ahead of myself; back to the start!

Leaving the car park we came to an area of scruffy grassland which proved to be the home of several species including:

A 24-spot ladybird (on the left) and a 16-spot ladybird (on the right);

Photograph: David Williams

A weevil, probably Sitona lineatus;

Photograph: John Martin

A staphylinid beetle, most likely to be Reichenbachia juncorum [I have now been advised that this is more likely to be Rybaxis longicornis] ;

Photograph: John Martin

Another weevil which we believe is Nedyus quadrimaculatus;

Photograph: John Martin

And the beetle Phosphuga atrata (previously named Silpha atrata).

Moving into the area shown in the first photograph we came upon a gorse bush. I was challenged to find a Gorse shieldbug, something I admit I am not very good at, frustratingly. However on this occasion I was successful!

Our rate of progress increased as we realised that time was passing us by and how far it was to the bird hide where we intended to rest whilst eating lunch.

On the way we found another beetle that we could nearly identify deciding it was either Poecilus cupreus or versicolor [I have now been informed that this is most likely to be versicolor].

Photograph: John Martin

Passing a ditch, we decided to see if we could find a Water ladybird and, hey presto, we did.

Photograph: John Martin

We also found the inconspicuous ladybird, Coccidula rufa, known as a Red Marsh ladybird. Here it is side by side with a Water ladybird.

Photograph: David Williams

Yet another beetle that we think we have identified but need the security blanket of an expert to confirm, Oulema obscura, was located [this identification has been confirmed].

Photograph: John Martin

And, at last, we came across another beetle that we could identify, Psammoecus bipunctatus.

Photograph: David Williams

Eventually we reached the bird hide where we ate our lunch overlooking the mere.

Paying close attention to us were a group of Mute swans, a mixture of adults with gleaming white plumage, and juveniles transitioning between their dowdy junior plumage and the white of adulthood. 

Here is one of the juveniles.

Photograph: David Williams

The generally calming view from the hide was enlivened by a huge bird feeder on the right-hand side. Here numerous quarrelsome tits flew in and out, snatching food. Every now and then the general melee was joined by a Reed bunting.

Photograph: David Williams

Lunch over, we left the hide and carried on doing what we had done before.

We found another species of inconspicuous ladybird, Scymnus haemorrhoidalis, known as the Red-rumped ladybird.

Photograph: David Williams

Here it is placed alongside a Red marsh ladybird.

Photograph: David Williams

We now turned our attention, briefly, to the woodland whose ground flora was dominated by sprouting bluebells. 

A suction sample of the vegetation collected another weevil which has been identified, tentatively, as Strophosoma capitum.

Photograph: John Martin

And resting on a bramble leaf at our feet as we examined the suction sample was a Cream-spot ladybird.

Photograph: John Martin

Time to go home.

My thanks Natural England for allowing us to do what we enjoy doing. My gratitude to the photographers for sending me their images to illuminate the report.

New habitat choice?

Wednesday 6th March, Hawkstone Park Follies

It was a grey misty morning when we gathered at the visitor centre for our visit to the Hawkstone Park Follies. 

As it is such a large site a quick discussion was held to see which part we should head for. The “Grand Valley”, which is a strip of grassland between steep wooded slopes, was the majority request. This saved me from having to make a decision only for everyone else to go somewhere different.

During the day we found one species new to Shropshire, another that may be a first record, and had a very pleasant surprise.

The new species: a lesser dung fly Crumomyia notabilis.

Photograph: Nigel Jones

Described by the finder as a “really nice fly” (be he seems find all small flies "really nice”) but our expert dipterist agreed! He described it as one of the “greater lesser” dung flies, i.e. it’s quite big for a lesser dung fly, so not likely to have been overlooked. There are very few records on national database it appears to be a genuinely scarce fly.

The species that may be new for the county is Andricus quercusradicis, a gall causer on oak. 

Its presence is given away by the slight swelling and large incision just before the branch.

As with many gall causes there are two generations. One is sexual, i.e. male and female adults emerge; the other is asexual or agamic, i.e. only females emerge. The gall in the above photograph was caused by the sexual generation. I can find no records for either generation in Shropshire and there are not many on the national database. I do not know if it is scarce or just under-recorded.

You will have to wait a while for the surprise.

Initial investigations were around the visitor centre before we moved on a short distance to an area known as the Menagerie. 

We had only been on site for 10 minutes or so when the first picnic table proved to be irresistible.

It was in this area that I found the only centipede I can identify in the field, Lithobius variegatus.

Another species that could be identified in the field (not by me) was the slime mould Metatrichia floriformis.

Photograph: John Martin

I think the term “slime mould” with its unpleasant connotations needs to be revised to something more appealing.

We moved on to the head of the “Grand Valley” where there was a play area, a couple of seats and waste bins.

Why include a picture of a waste bin area?

All will be revealed.

Rather than steer clear of this area one member of the group decided to investigate and looked in one of the bins.

No, not the one full of waste, but the upturned one.

Whatever was in there generated a lot of interest.

And what was in there provided the surprise for the day.

A Cave spider, Meta menardi.

Photograph: David Williams

As implied in the name cave spiders are normally found in caves, but they can be found anywhere that is dark and damp. However, I think upturned rubbish bin may be a new habitat choice for the spider! Cave spiders are found in the caves at Hawkstone but this one was a good distance from any cave.

The bin was returned to its rightful spot.

After that bit of excitement, we started to progress down the valley towards some picnic tables that shouted “Lunch” to us.

On the way we spotted a beetle larva.

Photograph: David Williams

A weevil, which may be Ceutorhynchus erysimi.

Photograph: John Martin

And another weevil, a member of the Sitona genus.

Photograph: John Martin

Rhododendron is abundant at Hawkstone Park and there were a great number of buds preparing to flower. Unfortunately, quite a few will not get to this stage as they are infected by the fungus Sphaerulina azalea, commonly known as Rhododendron bud blast.

Although the fungal spores will spread this infection it is thought that it is assisted by the egg-laying activities of the planthopper Graphocephala fennahi. The females make egg incisions in next year's flower buds in late summer-autumn. It is assumed that the fungus may infect the buds through the egg wounds. However, there is some doubt about this.

We reached the lunch spot.

Picnics consumed we continued down the valley. 

Reaching a path to the right we pondered awhile whether to take it. 

As it was up, relentlessly, we decided against it. However, there were some Primroses in flower at its side.

Photograph: John Martin

Reaching the end of the valley we continued along a path skirting the wood. 

Beating a Yew revealed a 10-spot and an Orange ladybird.

Photograph: David Williams

Emerging from some moss was the fungus Xylaria polymorpha, known as Dead man’s fingers. I will leave it to your imagination to decide how it gained that name.

Photograph: Neil Nash

Our last significant find of the day was a Smooth newt found in a rotting log.

Photograph: David Williams

The sun came out.

But...

Too late, it was time to go home.

My thanks Hawkstone Park for allowing us to do what we enjoy doing. My gratitude to the photographers for sending me their images to illuminate the report.