Hot, Tiring but Rather Splendid

Wednesday 24^th June 2026, Green Acres Farm, Kemberton

This, our second visit to Green Acres Farm, produced a Joy of Wildlife first: an 8:30am start, with the intention of avoiding the afternoon heat, forecast to be over 30 Celsius. Indeed, it was touching that number as we left around 1pm.
Green Acres has been organic for 26 years. We had such a good time last year (despite on that occasion cowering against intermittent deluges!) that we were always going to ask to be allowed back.
 
A prominent feature of the fields is the amount of conservation wildflower planting which has taken place, both around the edges and also around and between the sapling trees which have been planted in widely spaced rows over a significant part of the farm. We began in a flower-rich area near to the farm buildings. Even though it was not yet 9am, the temperature was already in the region of 24 Celsius and the flowers were buzzing with bees and flies – a heartening sight. The hovers ranged from the very familiar Marmalade Fly, Episyrphus balteatus here on a Corn Marigold

To the large, migrant species Scaeva pyrastri (or White-bowed Smoothwing, if you will), on a mayweed species.

photo: John Martin

Potato Capsid bugs were also out in numbers, sitting mainly in thistles.

A birch in the boundary of this area produced a mating pair of Parent Bugs.

 There are two ponds near to this area. We spent some time watching the dragon-and damselflies, including Emperors, Four-spotted and Broad-bodied Chasers, patrolling and dog-fighting over them. But eventually we moved on, into the fields proper, where we were met by the rather splendid sight of the aforementioned rows of saplings trees, almost completely submerged by flowers:

As you can see, their edges were vacuumed. They were also attacked with nets of various sorts. But there was also a lot of standing and watching. It was good to see a few Small Tortoiseshells about.

photo: John Martin

Meanwhile, above us the sounds of Corn Buntings and Skylarks filled the air. I tried to photograph them both. The larks evaded me but the buntings, sat on the overhead wires, eventually allowed a close enough approach for half-decent images

Back on the ground, the flower strips continued to hold our attention. But at the edge of the field I spotted a Scots Pine on the boundary.

It produced several ladybirds, including Pine,

10-spot

And Larch, albeit this one in larval form.

Plus a Pine Cone Bug

And a Forest Bug.

Finds at ground level included this very smart rove beetle. Sadly I don’t have an identification for it. 

This area also produced a rather significant fly, as described by Nigel:

“I have one very nice record for a fly that is strongly associated with veteran trees. Madiza pachymera is designated as Nationally Scarce. Shropshire is a bit of a hot spot for it with previous records from Attingham Park, Millichope Park and Westcott (near Millichope). I swept the specimen off trees along the roadside edge of the agri-forestry field near the farm buildings. I noticed a number of very nice large oaks around the farm, so it is quite plausible the fly came from one of those, if not, most likely it came from an old tree on nearby land. This is the first time I have found this very scarce fly other than by flight interception traps put up in veteran trees.”
 
 We could have spent the rest of the day inspecting these margins. But the time had come, and some of us made a break for the other side of the field, ostensibly as a route to an area of acid grassland farther on, but also because it offered the prospect of some enticing shade from the already energy-sapping sun and heat. But… the flowery splendour inevitably caused distractions.

Among the showier blooms there were subtler delights, including this Heath Groundsel.

photo: John Martin

Reaching the shade of the boundary at last, the trees were examined. Among the finds, a female Oak Bush-cricket nymph was tapped from the foliage

But a Black and Yellow Longhorn (Rutpela maculata) needed nothing more than patience while it hovered about indecisively, trying to decide where it wanted to land. It eventually rejected all the available hogweed and settled on a spent rose instead. I suppose it knew what it was doing!

The ultimate aim of our trek came into sight: the acid meadow. This needed to be climbed into, over a gate which had been tied closed with rope. On sloping ground and with an interesting sandy cliff at the top end, it was home to Roesel’s Bush-crickets

And Field Grasshoppers.

In Nigel’s words: “The bare banks and mini-sand cliff in the acid meadow had quite a lot of solitary bee and wasp activity. I was only able to capture a few specimens, but these features will very likely host a good range of nesting solitary bees and solitary wasps.”
The thistles therein were being carefully inspected by a rather faded Painted Lady. I think she was ovipositing, but when I managed to capture a picture of her she was doing nothing more than having a breather atop an unopened flowerhead.

At this point there was a rare appearance by a mammal (other than a human), who came in, had a look at us, decided they didn’t particularly approve of us and legged it again…

The remainder of our day involved a return to the main group. Unfortunately, this meant an uphill slog in the full glare of the sun. We arrived panting, to find them huddled in the shade – the same trees that during last year’s visit had sheltered us from a ferocious and very wet storm. They had of course been busy, some of their many finds including both Small and Essex Skipper butterflies, numerous bugs and, inevitably, “The Boy”. Among the bugs was a tiny shieldbug nymph: another Turtle Bug, of a similar size to the one found a fortnight earlier in Shrewsbury.

Those of us who had brought lunch proceeded to eat it in the shade. The rest had to watch! Either way, this was the last action of the day and we made our way back to our vehicles, parked fortuitously in the shade of a barn, and departed before the thermometer rose any higher.  
 
The combination of a day truncated due to the heat, a rather linear progression and lack of photos has produced a shorter than average report. But this very much does not reflect on the quality of this site, which must surely be an exemplar of what can be achieved in farming with the right attitudes and skills. We are very grateful for the opportunity to explore what it has to offer. We will be back…again! 
  
 
Photographs © the author except as noted.