Brave or Foolhardy?

Wednesday 17th September 2025, Treflach Farm

Our destination this week was Treflach Farm in the Oswestry uplands. I can best sum up its ‘mission’ by quoting directly from its website “In August 2006 Ian Steele returned to the family farm from working in London and abroad in the Petrochemical Industry. So began a journey to revitalise a small scale, hillside farm in the family since 1904. The aim was to prove that small scale agriculture can indeed be environmentally aware, promote biodiversity and remain viable in the modern world.” 

After months of blameless weather, our visit continued the recent trend of wet Wednesdays. So wet in fact that several of the group, having perused the weather forecast, decided that their warm, dry houses sounded like a much better idea and stayed at home! However, a brave (foolhardy?) few decided to bash on. 

On arrival, the rain was still falling, though not as heavily as it had been.

Photograph: David Williams

Everything was, of course, soaked. Waterproofs were donned and vacuum samplers readied for action.

Grassland near the farm buildings was the first area to be examined. This produced several ladybird species, including a suitably bedraggled 7-spot Ladybird...

Photograph: David Williams

Other finds included:

A Straw Dot, Rivula sericealis (on the left) and a stiltbug, Berytinus minor, (on the right); 

Photograph: David Williams

A 22-spot Ladybird, Psyllobora vigintiduopuctata; 

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Adonis' Ladybird, Hippodramia variegata; 

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Drinker larva, Euthrix potatoria; 

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Scarlet Tiger larva, Callimorpha dominula; 

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A plantbug, a species Lygus;

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Larvae of the sawfly Euura pavida eating a leaf of an osier.

Photograph: John Lyden

Common Flower Bug, Anthocoris nemorum;

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Dock Bug, Coreus marginatus;

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

And a less fortunate 7-spot ladybird that has been parasitised by the wasp Dinocampus coccinellidae. The ladybird is "glued" in place by the pupating wasp causing the ladybird to starve to death.

Photograph: John Lyden

Nettles produced a Red Admiral larva, Vanessa atalanta...

Photograph: David Williams

And a groundbug, Heterogaster urticae.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Whilst finds from trees and hedges included:

A plant bug, Pantilius tunicatus; 

Photograph: David Williams

Common Earwig, Forficula auricularia; 

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Garden spider, Araneus diadematus;

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A missing segment spider, Zygiella x-notata;

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

And a Willow Leaf Beetle Chrysolina staphylaea. 

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Lunch time arrived. It was still raining. We retreated to a convenient building for shelter, during which time the rain abated and rather miraculously the sun appeared, albeit rather fitfully. 

Lunch over, we made our way down to the bottom of the site where a marshy field and pond were our targets. Here, we found:

Red Marsh Ladybird, Coccidula rufa; 

Photograph: David Williams

Common Striped Woodlouse, Philoscia muscorum;

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

European cinchbug, Ischnodemus sabuleti;

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Another bug, Corizus hyoscyami;

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A fungus, Taphrina alni that has grown from an Alder catkin;

Photograph: John Lyden

And a rove beetle, Paederus riparius.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Extricating ourselves from the marsh, we headed for a grassy hillock on which trees had recently been planted. By now the brisk wind was doing a surprisingly good job of drying the sodden vegetation.

More 22-spot Ladybirds were found, this time also including some 24-spots, Subcoccinella vigintiquattuorpunctata.

Photograph: David Williams

Two nice species of shieldbug were vacuumed:

Blue Shieldbug, Zicrona caerulea; 

Photograph: David Williams

And Small Grass Shieldbug Neottiglossa pusilla;

Photograph: David Williams

Plus a lacebug, Tingis ampliata;

Photograph: David Williams

And the groundbug, Drymus sylvaticus.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

It was also nice to see Encephalus complicans for the first time in 2025, a tiny (less than 3mm) and remarkably flexible rove beetle, whose party trick is to curl its abdomen over its back so that it forms an almost perfect ball.

Photograph: David Williams

This area also produced the Weevil of the Week, Hadroplontus litura.

Photograph: David Williams

Time remained for us to explore an area of woodland at the edge of the site. This produced a fine display of earthstar fungi...

Photograph: David Williams

Including this Collared Earthstar, Geastrum triplex...

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

And a White Ermine larva, Spilosoma lubricipeda. 

Photograph: David Williams

A leaf mine was spotted in a Primrose. This seems to be caused by a species of fly, Chromatomyia primulae. 

Photograph: David Williams

After this, we made a slow return to our vehicles and thence homewards, having had a much fuller day than we had feared when we had set off in the morning. 

My thanks to the owners for inviting us to visit and do what we enjoy doing and their hospitality. My immense gratitude to the photographers for their excellent images.

A gall-ing day

Wednesday 10th September 2025, Wintles

Bishop’s Castle was the destination for this outing. To an area of community managed space at The Wintles. This site is woodland that was planted about 20 years ago on former pasture to the north of Bishop’s Castle, together with large areas of grassland, an orchard and some allotments.

Knowing that many apples trees have had a bumper crop this year it was not too surprising to note that the orchard at this site needed a skip to deal with the apples.

Having met up and kitted ourselves out, we moved to an area where a moth trap had been running overnight to check the catch.

In amongst a good collection of moths was a Feathered Rustic, Tholera decimalis.

Photograph: David Williams

There is only a certain number of people that can mill around a moth trap so the rest of us checked out what else we could find in the area around about. 

Tapping a conifer dislodged this tiny Bristly Ladybird, Rhyzobius lophanthae.

Photograph: David Williams

Moth trap emptied and moths recorded, we moved on to the main site, to a small patch of grassland and young trees with good hedgerows nearby.

An early find as a result of beating the vegetation in this area were two 22-spot ladybirds, Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata.

Photograph: David Williams

This was followed by a harvestman, Dicranopalpus ramosus agg., noticed in the tray amongst the results of a suction sample.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Inspecting a young oak we found that it was host to a number of galls caused by different species. In fact, it proved to be a bumper day for plant galls. 25 species were found, 15 on oak and 10 on other plants. 

These included a first record for Shropshire of the gall caused by the asexual generation of the gall wasp Andricus glandulae.

Photograph: John Lyden

The second county record of a Striped Pea Gall Gall, caused by the asexual generation of the gall wasp Cynips longiventris. 

Photograph: John Lyden

And the fourth record of the gall caused by the asexual generation of the gall wasp Andricus grossulariae.

Photograph: John Lyden

We also noted the presence of the gall on Walnut caused by the mite Aceria erinea.

A galling day! But not in the sense that we would normally use the term “galling” – far from it.

We moved on to one of the two sets of allotments. Gathering around a small pool in the top corner, we ventured forth from there to see what could be found making a living in the vegetation.

And here are a few of the species that were found in this area.

A Garden Spider, Araneus diadematus.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A large plant bug, Pantilius tunicatus.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A vacated leaf mine characteristic of the moth Stigmella tityrella.

Mines in leaves arise when an insect larva eats it way through the tissue of a leaf. They are often distinctive. The species of insect that caused it can frequently be determined from the plant it has mined, the pattern of the mine and the way it has distributed its frass (excrement) within the mine.

A juvenile Nurseryweb Spider, Pisaura mirabilis.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A Small Magpie moth, Anania hortulata, larva on a nettle leaf.

Photograph: David Williams

A larva of a Ruby Tiger moth, Phragmatobia fuliginosa.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Lunchtime.

 

As it was warm and dry I was about to declare lunch to be taken by the pool, when…

It rained!

And it was not a short light passing shower.

It was a downpour.

We made hastily for the polytunnel at the opposite end of the allotment area. 

Finding places to sit we settled down to eat our lunches…

Supplemented by excellent apple cakes provided by our host.

The polytunnel housed its own wildlife.

A larva of a Small White butterfly, Pieris rapae.

Photograph: David Williams

A pupa of a Large White butterfly, Pieris brassicae.

Photograph: David Williams

A parasitised larva of a Large White butterfly caused by a parasitic wasp, Cotesia glomerata.

Photograph: David Williams

And finally a parasitic wasp that is not Cotesia glomerata but another species which has not been identified as yet (and may never be).

Photograph: David Williams

The rain stopped and we made our way out of the polytunnel, through the allotment to the far end, then up a short incline to an area known as the Motte.

Despite its name it is not an ancient monument, but a feature created far more recently. 

It commands a great view.

We spent the rest of the day on and around the edge of this feature. In amongst our findings were a ground beetle, Nebria brevicollis.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

And a Hawthorn Shieldbug, Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Our time was up.

We returned to the cars and went home after another enjoyable day on this site.

Weevil of the Week. 

Coelositona cambricus.

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

My thanks to the owners for allowing us to visit and do what we enjoy doing, and the cake. My immense gratitude to the photographers for their excellent images.