It’s a long way to Brook Vessons, it’s a long way to go!

Wednesday 22nd January 2025, The Hollies and Brook Vessons

As there are quite a few pictures this week I start with one.

This is an aerial photograph of the area around The Hollies.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

Snow Flea update – none were found.

The ultimate aim of this outing was to visit the Shropshire Wildlife Trust’s reserve at Brook Vessons, a site we last visited in 2017. 

There is no easy way to get there! 

We chose to walk through The Hollies Reserve to reach the site. 

But where to park?

The Shropshire Trust website suggests parking in Snailbeach and walking up to the Hollies. But this makes a long walk even longer (and more strenuous). However, there is an area that can be used for parking for a few cars close to the entrance to The Hollies at the northwestern corner. That was the area most of us used, with two members of the group being more adventurous and parking further away.

Kitted up and ready to go we entered The Hollies.

Shortly after entering the path divides into two, and they both lead eventually to Brook Vessons. We decided to take the route that seemed the shortest walk. This took us more or less diagonally across The Hollies to the south eastern corner where we could follow the path as it entered Brook Vessons.

It looked easy… on the map!

Decision made we spent some time exploring The Hollies.

Here are some of the hollies that give the site its name.

Our first stop was by a wall of gorse and the vegetation surrounding it.

Photograph: David Williams

Early finds were the pseudoscorpion, Neobisium carcinoides;

Photograph: John Martin

Our favourite wasp, Callitula pyrrhogaster;

Photograph: John Martin

And a new wasp (for us), identified tentatively as Epicopterus choreiformis.

Photograph: John Martin

Pausing from our pursuit of wildlife, we were able to appreciate the view from this elevated site. Especially notable was the cloud "inversion" in the valley below.

Photograph: David Williams

As usual we were in danger of lingering near the start unless some leadership was exhibited. I rose to the occasion and moved on.

As usual no-one followed.

But I persisted.

I came to a holly with branches showing different types of leaf.

The lower branch with spiky leaves.

The higher branch with plain leaves.

Why the different leaves?

Eventually the others deigned to join me, and we explored this new area, which was wetter grassland.

What did we find?

A small ladybird often found in grassland, Rhyzobius litura.

Photograph: David Williams

A tiny fungus on a dead holly leaf, Marasmius hudsonii, known as the Holly parachute.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

A tiny springtail, possibly Isotoma viridis.

Photograph: David Williams

A tortoise beetle, Cassida rubiginosa.

Photograph: David Williams

And another small springtail, Dicyrtomina ornata.

Photograph: David Williams

Once again I realised that at the rate we were making progress we would never reach Brook Vessons. I pressed on.

And on.

And on, reaching a boggy area. Having traversed this, with care, I set up camp and waited.

No-one had followed!

Eventually two people appeared and joined me, but there remained a vast expanse of wilderness between us and the rest.

I tucked into my picnic.

That did the trick!

The rest of the group appeared and settled down for lunch.

We were not yet halfway to Brook Vessons!

The general view was that we wanted to get to Brook Vessons, and it was agreed we would press on after lunch.

And we did…

Almost.

The route from the lunch spot soon took us out of The Hollies. Then passing through a field it took us back in again.

Into a very wet marshy area.

Photograph: Neil Nash

Here we were distracted by two events.

The first was finding huge amounts of Polytrichum moss. As you know already we did not find Snow fleas, but we tried.

The second was the discovery of some droppings and half eaten rushes.

Photograph: Jill Key

We believe these were caused by a Field vole.

Extracting ourselves from the marsh and almost arriving at Brook Vessons we came across a Holly laden with lichens, including Usnea subfloridana.

Photograph: Bob Kemp

We had reached Brook Vessons.

At last!

Photograph: Neil Nash

There was not a sign where we were. We noticed this when we left the site by a different entrance.

There was a lot of Polytrichum by our entrance that was thoroughly searched.

Here is a general view of some of the trees and grassland.

Photograph: Neil Nash

We did not find a lot out and about. A couple of finds were:

A curious looking staphylinid beetle, Pselaphus heisei;

Photograph: David Williams

And a weevil that has not yet been identified.’

Photograph: John Martin

Another view, this time the more open area of the site looking east-ish from the entrance (and sign) which is to the west, leading onto the Stiperstones.

We did not take the same route back, but the higher route. This was slightly longer, but a much easier walk. And we got fabulous views of the surrounding countryside, bathed in a burst of late afternoon sunshine.

Pontesford and Earl’s Hills.

Photograph: David Williams

Looking towards The Wrekin (just poking its head above the mist).

Photograph: David Williams

And here is that distant Wrekin.

Photograph: David Williams

After a long march we reached our cars and went home.

My thanks to the Shropshire Wildlife Trust for granting us permission to do what we enjoy doing and the photographers for their excellent images and allowing me to use them in this report.

Big dipper

Wednesday 15th January 2025, Roveries Wood

I start with the Snow Flea update as I know you are on the edge of your seats wanting to know if we have been successful in finding more …

We weren't.

If that is all you are interested in, then you are free to exit. But for those of you who want to know what we were up to please read on.

Roveries Wood is an area of woodland that cloaks the twin hills that inhabit the land between the A488 and A489 where they converge just north of Lydham.

The woodland is mainly conifer plantation with some broadleaved trees. Features include a hillfort at the top of the southern peak and a pool on the lower slopes. The hills are bordered by a stream on one side and The England –Wales border on the other. The woodland is now being managed to support greater biodiversity.

Parking was tricky as we had to park nose to tail on a track, meaning there was no chance of an early escape for the cars that arrived first!

Kitted out we set off to explore the northern peak. (We had visited the southern one earlier in the year. See - Lamproderma giganticum.)

The entrance to the site was some way from the cars and, needless to say, there were several distractions on the way, including several patches of Polytrichum moss that were searched for Snow fleas, without success (as you already know). But we did manage to find a male Common earwig.

Photograph: David Williams

Once we finally arrived on site we were treated to some warm January sunshine as we explored the vegetation.

Our dipterist was ecstatic as he was able to chase flying insects to identify rather than depend on the use of suction samplers to find flies.

I am not very keen on picking up stones or wood to examine them to see what lurks underneath, but others have no issues with doing this. And they are rewarded; in this case by a Lemon slug.

Photograph: Neil Nash

As yet we had made little progress on our quest to reach the summit and beyond. With a little cajoling we started to ascend,

But there were so many distractions...

And we became distracted...

Until it was lunchtime.

In order to encourage the group to move on and up, the lunch spot was chosen so that they had to climb some of the way to the top!

Refreshed we undertook a more determined assault on the summit.

However, that did not mean that we ignored all the things that tried to divert our attention from walking up the hill.

Bird sounds made us stop, look and listen …

Photograph: David Williams

And patches of interesting looking vegetation were searched and creatures found.

A burying beetle, Phosphuga atrata.

Photograph: David Williams

And a yellow fungus high in a tree, possibly Yellow brain.

Photograph: David Williams

We reached the top!

Did we celebrate?

Did we plant our flag?

No!

We just carried on as if nothing momentous had happened.

Starting the descent we quickly came to a long grassy ride that took us to a path near and around the base of the hill.

Easy?

It ought to have been.

But it was very steep. Making people with dodgy knees tread very carefully and slowly Even a youngster was seen to zigzag down the slope to ease the pressure on his ankles and knees.

Eventually the escape route came into view.

The slope reminded me of a big dipper. We had made our way to the highest point. Then, having reached the top, we were plunged (fortunately not accompanied by screams) to the bottom. And like some big dippers there was a period of respite before the next climb began.

During this period when the ground was only rising slowly, we were deflected by a pool.

Regrettably on this occasion the vegetation around the pool kept its secrets from us although we did spot a fly taking advantage of the sun by basking on a tree trunk.

Photograph: David Williams

The next climb, to take us over the col between the two hills, started. There was the odd pause to take in the view and pretend to be distracted, but we made it to the top.

There was a grassy clearing at the top, where log piles were stored, which provided a suitable resting place before the final descent. The clearing also appeared to be a tractor graveyard. Several old tractors were parked there including this rather sporty number.

Be assured, we did not just rest at the top but did investigate the vegetation in the area!

Like a big dipper taking us over the final hump we descended from the hill and glided slowly to a halt just by our cars.

How convenient!

My thanks to the owners and land manager of the site for granting us permission to do what we enjoy doing, to Caroline for making all the arrangements and guiding us around the site, and to the photographers for their excellent images and allowing me to use them in this report.

Bootless in Haughmond

Wednesday 8th January 2025, Haughmond Hill

A cold and very frosty morning greeted us when we arrived at Haughmond Hill.

We parked and met at the roadside close to the access point at the southeastern corner of the site. 

The recent snow had gone but the water from the snow melt, and the sub-zero temperature, had left the road coated, in places, in sheets of ice...

As I soon discovered when I went for a free session of ice-skating when rounding the car. Fortunately no harm was done but it prompted me to put on my boots which, I hoped, had a better grip.

A thorough search of the car boot soon revealed the truth…

I had left my boots at home!!!

What should I do?

Fortunately, a colleague had a spare pair of wellingtons, which I donned with great gratitude.

Getting on to the site from the cars required careful navigation over various patches of ice, but once we were on, the paths were fine and reasonably easy to negotiate.

My grand plan was to take the lowest path that followed the southern and, if we got that far, the western border of the site, rather than take the usual route up to the summit.

Unbeknown to me we missed that path and took the next path departing from the main track a few yards further on.

As we were going along this path, I soon realised we (I?) had made a mistake. However, as it was taking us to a part of the site I had not visited before, we followed it as it made its way gently upwards across the slope.

The vegetation up to this point had been tall scrub, dominated by Gorse, which yielded very little to our searching but now, where it had opened out, we were able to find a micro-moth that is usually seen as a leaf mine in the leaves of Apple and similar trees, Lyonetia clerkella.

Photograph: John Martin

Not long after, we found the larva of the Ingrailed Clay moth.

Photograph: David Williams

Looking around we had a good, but not unhindered, view of the snow-capped Wrekin.

Moving on, the path took us through a couple of areas of Eucalyptus. This seemed a strange tree to find on these slopes. 

Photograph: David Williams

The species was later identified as Eucalyptus urnigera. Here is a picture of some of its leaves and fruits.

Photograph: John Martin

There are no Shropshire records of this species, but Forestry England has, apparently, done some experimental planting on Haughmond fairly recently. We did not see any seedlings so it may be that they will not spread.

We carried on traversing the slope and slowly getting higher up the hill, pausing every now and then to take a look at the vegetation and using our bits of equipment to try and discover what was lurking there

.

The answer was very little, as any sensible beast would be well out of harm’s way and not tempted to venture forth.

Amongst the leaf litter we found a springtail stalking ground beetle, Notiophilus biguttatus.

Photograph: John Martin

And yes, it does prey on springtails (and mites).

Also found around this time was the larva of a Speckled wood butterfly.

Photograph: David Williams

Time for lunch.

Refuelled we headed straight up the remaining short distance to one of the main paths through the woodland near the top of the hill.

Decisions, decisions! Which way to go?

We delayed this by spending time investigating the vegetation around the area where we had emerged, finding another micromoth.

This could not be identified to species as it would need dissection to confirm its identity. It was either Acleris ferrugana or Acleris notana.

Photograph: John Martin

We decided to go right, leading us back towards our starting point and started the long trek...

Photograph: Liz Roberts

Pausing every now and then to check our surroundings, finding:

A patch of fungus identified as Lycoperdon pyriforme, known as Stump puffball.

Photograph: Liz Roberts

A fly with big red eyes, Opetia nigra.

John Martin

And a wingless wasp that we have not identified.

Photograph: David Williams

After a while our path met the main track on which we had started our day’s journey. We took it, continuing our periodic dives into the undergrowth to see if we could find anything of interest.

A small plant bug, Dicyphus stachydis. This is a very common bug and found on woundwort, nettles and many other plants.

Photograph: John Martin

Another bug, This time the ground bug Peritrchus geniculatus.

Photograph: John Martin

By now we were within sight, although some distance away from, our cars. As the cold was penetrating our many layers we decided we needed an excuse for a huddle for a mutual warming session before making the final descent. A quick suction sample of the more luxuriant vegetation at the side of the path was undertaken to give us that excuse.

Not everyone was included!

Photograph: Liz Roberts

Was he warm enough or ....?

Our final treat of the day was to see The Wrekin capped with snow, surrounded by mist pretending it was Mount Fuji.

Photograph: David Williams

My thanks to Forestry England for granting us permission to do what we enjoy doing, the photographers for their excellent images and allowing me to use them in this report, and most importantly on the day, the lender of the wellingtons.