Weather Window

 Wednesday 28^th January 2026, Catherton Common

Managed by Shropshire Wildlife Trust, Catherton Common is a vast area of shrub heathland. We concentrated our visit in the Riddings Gate area of the site. On arrival we were greeted with a strangely unfamilar sight: sunshine!

The ground was frosty and where the sun didn’t reach it remained so all day. But the clear skies and lack of wind made for a pleasant climate, so much so that over the day several outer layers were shed, a novel experience of  late.

Progressing all of about a minute’s walk from the car park, we pitched camp and inspected the vegetation.

photo: John Martin

Probably the most obvious insects in the copious amount of gorse were 7-spot Ladybirds.

A single Larch Ladybird also emerged from it, accompanied by a Katiannid springtail.

photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A third, much smaller ladybird was vacuumed from low vegetation - the sub-2mm Red-patched ‘Micro’ Ladybird.

Patches of Polytrichum moss were present across the area. The sheep made sure that they were all rather closely cropped though, not ideal for Snow Fleas. And indeed we didn’t find any. We did find the inevitable Moss Neobisid pseudoscorpion - this one having already sorted itself a springtail lunch.

photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

An equally tiny Moss Lacebug, Acalypta parvula, was also extracted. 

photo: John Martin

Not all the moss was Polytrichum of course. Among many other species was this rather attractive one - Orthotrichum anomalum.

photo: John Martin

The day continued to be sunny and almost cloud-free, though this young Scots Pine seemed to have attracted one all of its own.

photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Scots Pine saplings like the one above were scattered thinly across the site. Little emerged from them when examined; most pine-loving species descend in autumn to overwinter at ground level. An exception was this distinctive two-humped spider, Gibbaranea gibbosa, which is typically found in evergreen trees.

Lunch was taken, allowing us to bask in the conditions, which were a very sharp contrast to those at Morville seven days previously. We then continued slowly around the site. More Polytrichum was vacuumed, this time producing a male Common Earwig with deformed forceps. At this  time of year male earwigs are evicted by the females with whom they have been overwintering. The female is due to lay a clutch of eggs and doesn’t want the male around. Evicted males often turn up in gorse, due to its combination of shelter, invertebrate prey and the odd open flower (earwigs are also partial to pollen and nectar). So it was a surprise to extract one not from gorse but from damp, cold Polytrichum instead.

The remainder of the day produced a variety of invertebrate finds, including a Tachporus sp. Rove beetle.

photo: John Martin

A barkfly, possibly Trioza sp.

photo: John Martin

A spider, Tibellus oblongus

photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Two weevils; first a Sitona species

photo: John Martin

And then Strophosoma melanogrammum, which has acquired the name ‘Mr Baggy Eyes’ due to the shape of its compound eyes, which seem to sag backwards away from its nose, like jellies in a headwind.

photo: John Martin

Late in the day two bugs appeared. Firstly Corizus hyoscyami, sometimes known as the Cinnamon Bug.

photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

And finally, after much searching, a single Gorse Shieldbug, basking cryptically in the afternoon sunshine.

We left site with the sky still blue and the sun still shining. By this time the moon had joined it in the heavens. A rare window in a very gloomy period of weather.        

photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

      
 
Photographs © the author except as noted.