Local Patch

Wednesday 25th September, Dothill Local Nature Reserve

Dothill Local Nature Reserve is a large area of rough grassland, meadow, woodland, streams and pools. 

In 2009, when I first became seriously interested in the natural world, I used this site, as it was my local patch, as my “training” area, spending many hours on site, much to the amusement and occasional exasperation of my wife, pottering around the site seeing what I could find and identify.

At that time as the area was included in the council’s plan for possible future development, local politicians together with the Shropshire Wildlife Trust set up a working group to attempt to designate the area as a Local Nature Reserve.

Over a number of years species records were gathered from the Shropshire Wildlife Trust, Wrekin Forest Volunteer group and the Joy of Wildlife group as well as others to justify its status as a nature reserve. 

In due course it was granted a Local Nature Reserve designation.

Our last Joy of Wildlife trips to the site were in 2016 when we did a series of 6 monthly visits. It was time to go back!

We parked and met on a residential street close to the northern end of Tee Lake, the largest body of water on the site.

Within a few yards of entering the site we came to two groups of mushrooms growing on the woodchips between the bushes.

Our identifications are tentative, but we think they were:

Coprinopsis lagopus, Hare’s foot inkcap;

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

And Leratiomyces ceres, Redlead roundhead.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Moving on to the vegetation that separates Tee Lake from a footpath we found several harvestmen including:

Opilio canestrinii;

Photograph: David Williams

And Leiobunum blackwalli.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

In amongst our other discoveries in this area was a White-lipped banded snail, Capaea hortensis.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

We also disturbed a small green-speckled mirid bug, Malacocoris chlorizans.

Photograph: David Williams

This is a predatory bug that feeds on mites and aphids.

Time was marching on. We were still only about 40 yards from where we had parked. Not great progress in view of the size of the site! We shuffled on a few more yards before finding a Green shieldbug.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

We were in a meadow area but, unfortunately, from our point of view, the grass had been cut, and the area was pretty devoid of invertebrate life other than in the well-vegetated border regions. On the plus side the cuttings had been removed which ought to benefit the overall health of the meadow.

We did manage to find a Bishop’s Mitre. 

Photograph: David Williams

From this area we had a bit of a view of the lake.

At the top of the meadow there is an island of woodland and this was the focus of our attention for some time.

 

A slime mould was located. We believe it is Fuligo septica.

Photograph: John Martin

This has been given the rather descriptive name of Dog vomit slime mould. As I do not have a dog I cannot comment on the accuracy of that description.

Here is a closer view of the slime mould’s surface.

Photograph: David Williams

We also found a second slime mould, but this one remains unidentified.

Photograph: Neil Nash

Slime moulds are not fungi. They have been assigned to the Protozoa kingdom of organisms. The life of a slime mould is far too complex for me to try and summarise in this report but it is fascinating. Please investigate if you are curious.

Other insects found at this time and photographed were:

A weevil, Curculio glandium;

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A Cream-spot ladybird;

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A larva of a Speckled wood butterfly;

Photograph: David Williams

And a male common earwig.

Photograph: John Martin

It was lunchtime and we had been offered refreshments by one of the group who lived very close to the site. We were still quite a way from his home so we rushed, but not too quickly, to get there.

On the way we paused by a Leylandii. Sometimes you find Juniper shieldbugs on this tree, so a couple of us beat the tree (not too vigorously) to try and dislodge one. Needless to say, I was unsuccessful, but my companion found one. It was not photographed.

We reached our lunch site just as it started to rain!

Great timing!

Tea and coffee were provided as we consumed our picnics. 

This was followed by freshly baked cake! 

A choice!

Carrot, Chocolate or Lemon drizzle?

I had some Lemon drizzle, which was excellent. 

Thank you.

We had clearly taken up residence in their pet’s favourite location as it came in whilst we were eating and stared, in the way that cats do, as if to say what are you doing here.

It did not retreat and leave us to it.

It stood its ground and, after being fed a few tit-bits and stroked by several people, it decided we were acceptable and settled down on one of the chairs.

A second “pet” appeared. A nymph of a Juniper shieldbug. I assume we had brought it unknowingly into the house. It was collected and, when we returned to the site after lunch, it was put in the Leylandii that we had beaten.

Photograph: David Williams

The rain was short-lived, but the skies were threatening. 

We moved slowly down a second meadow which contained a few trees and was bordered by large alders then the lake.

A sawfly larva was spotted, Nematus alniastri.

Photograph: John Martin

This was followed by a weevil, Hypera nigrirostris.

Photograph: John Martin

And a 24-spot ladybird.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

This fungus Clavulina cristata was observed, I am not sure where on the site it was but now seems as good a time as any to include the photograph.

Photograph: Neil Nash

Similarly this spider, Nigma walckenaeri.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

We left the meadow area and headed for a stream which has grassland on one side and woodland on the other.

On the way we noted an aphid, Anoecia corni, known as the Dogwood aphid;

Photograph: John Martin

And the 4-spotted form of a 2-spot ladybird.

Photograph: David Williams

It started to rain again, but it was very light. 

We carried on, taking the path between the woodland and the stream (I am sure this path was not there the last time we visited this site).

Not much was found but the rain was getting a bit heavier.

After a while there was a crossing point where the stream was quite shallow and we used this to get to the grassland on the other side.

This grass had not been cut and getting through it took quite an effort. But there were lots of tracks that made that task easier (when you found them).

We were happy pottering in this area until we noticed that the rain had increased significantly in wetness, so we decided to abandon the site and head for home.

But before we left we managed to locate a Long-winged conehead.

Photograph: David Williams

My thanks to Telford and Wrekin Council for granting us permission to do what we enjoy doing and to Sue and Neil for the excellent refreshments. My gratitude to the photographers for their wonderful images and allowing me to use them in this report.