Polytrichum tease

Wednesday 19th February 2025, Tankerville SWT Reserve

Snow Flea update – none were found. As we are getting towards the end of the “Snow flea season” this will be the last update.

Unless we do find one!

The Shropshire Wildlife Trusts’s reserve at Tankerville is an area of upland grassland on a western-ish facing slope on The Stiperstones. It is grazed by a small number of sheep. Within the site there are several relics from the age when the area was used for mining lead.

Having parked, met and kitted up we made our way to the site. This involves quite a lengthy walk, firstly along the road from the parking spot as it descends to the entrance to Bergam Wood, then through Bergam Wood to eventually arrive at the site.

The problem with long walks is that the group gets distracted. 

And whatever measures I take to try and get us to the site reasonably promptly are rebutted by the habitats we pass through.

On this occasion, although we were under strict “No distractions” instruction, patches of Polytrichum moss were too inviting to resist. You already know the result of our efforts searching the moss.

One other distraction was this bryophyte Pogonatum aloides, known as Aloe haircap.

Photograph: John Martin

Just as we were closing in on the entrance to the site, we passed an area  of woodland carpeted in Polytrichum.

Once again we drew a blank.

The Polytrichum was teasing us.

At last we made first contact.

And, as a bonus, it was still the morning with lunchtime still a little way off.

Please note the headwear of the person passing through the gate. It will feature later.

There was lots of Gorse near the entrance. Searching this revealed a weevil, Exapion ilicis. This is often found on Gorse.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Were the weevil and spider squaring up for a fight?

Another pair of finds almost immediately after entering the site were the longhorn beetle Rhagium bifasciata and what may be a grub of the same species.

Photograph: David Williams

Photograph: David Williams

Slow progress was made along the lower path until we came to the ruins of a  couple of buildings. 

This area seemed a good spot for lunch.

But before we settled down for refreshments we rummaged around the vegetation covering the ruins and found a spider, Segestria senoculata.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Another find during the day (I am not sure when) was this lichen.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Our lichenologists explained that the mushroom like growths were not mushrooms but part of the lichen. 

[They are] "the spore producing structure, it's Baeomyces rufus.  The lichen is often seen as a green mass of small granulars without the 'mushrooms', so the fact that the bank was covered with the lichen and was fertile is good.  The structure is not a mushroom as the species is actually an ascomycete fungus, so it's a stalked apothecia producing lichen.”

We refreshed.

Refreshed, we continued our explorations.

Some of the group followed a path rising gently up the hill, others kept to the lower path. We all met again in a pleasant grassland.

Some of us at the top where the grassland gives way to some scattered trees in amongst ruins of buildings.

Some were at the bottom.

About halfway between was a mine shaft (fenced off to hinder the curious) a patch of spoil which had formed a small scree slope.

This seemed a good meeting place and everyone drifted towards it.

Having regathered we compared finds.

A slime mould, yet to be identified.

Photograph: John Martin

Our favourite wasp, Callitula pyrrhogaster.

Photograph: John Martin

A mirid bug Charagochilius gyllenhalii.

Photograph: John Martin

Another lichen, Peltigera hymenina.

And a staphylinid beetle, Olophrum piceum.

Photograph: John Martin

Then we were treated to another phenomenon. 

The hat was aglow!!

Photograph: David Williams

It was time to go.

But on our way back we allowed ourselves to be distracted.

Restrictions off, most people donned blinkers and headed straight back, or as straight back as the route would allow, to the cars.

Two or three dallied as they returned through Begram Wood and found a springtail, tentatively identified as Protaphorura aurantiaca, on some dead wood.

Photograph: John Martin

And finally a bunch of crusties.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Something for the lichenologists to study over a cup of tea.

We went home.

My thanks to 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.