Cloudless Skies, Clouded Yellows

Before we arrive in Bicton, a brief return to Middle Spoad. The wonders of the IT age caused some photos of last week’s visit to arrive late, as they spent a couple of days loafing about in cyberspace before landing in my inbox….
You may remember the exceptional haul of creatures that were extracted from the River Clun. Well, here is another one: a River Limpet

Near, rather than actually associated with it, was a Walnut Orb-weaver spider

And this is a shot of what remained of the otherwise dry pond that was examined at the end of the day. The low water level had caused the pond-dipping platform to assume rather vertiginous proportions!

Photographs © Liz Roberts
 

Wednesday 8th July 2026, Dingle Farm, Bicton

This week saw a return visit to an arable farm, with free range chickens, sheep & Zebu cattle among other animals, and bounded to the north by the River Severn. It was another hot, sunny day, so we were keenly aware that there was also significant, shady woodland on site. Which was just as well, because the arable looked like this:

We nevertheless began in the fields, but chose a spot at the margin of one which was shaded by a line of mature trees. These were, of course, examined (from the shaded side) and produced a couple of photogenic species.
Hazel Leaf-roller

Oak Bush-cricket (a female nymph).

Down at ground level, vacuuming produced Target Number One from the grassy margin: The Boy aka Callitula pyrrhogaster

photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Among a number of bugs were Capsus ater

photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

And a Hairy Shieldbug

photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Two small ladybirds next. Firstly a 16-spot

photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Next an even smaller ‘micro’ species, Scymnus haemorrhoidalis, the Red-rumped Ladybird

A Swollen-thighed beetle (this one is a female; only males have the big thighs)

photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Oulema obscura,

photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

And a spider, Neottiura bimaculata.

photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Meanwhile, some of us had retraced our steps to the polytunnels, bravely (or insanely) intent on examining them before the day heated them up any further. The only invertebrate which I photographed before escaping to the outside world, which suddenly seemed remarkably cool in comparison, was a Painted Lady larva, chomping its way through what I think was a Globe Artichoke but might have been a Cardoon. Either way, something like a giant thistle, their usual foodplant of choice.

Next destination was the farm’s dung heap, something else which generates heat. What was I thinking?? My target was the Lesser Earwig, a species which lives in such places. Within a couple of minutes I’d seen one but it dived into the depths and was gone. Much further fruitless searching followed before Sonia, our host, spotted one, a female, and grabbed her. And here she (the earwig) is.

Triumph! Sonia departed to clean up, having bravely gone in bare handed. I removed my gloves and did similar. I’d just about finished when I received a call: back at the polytunnels a Clouded Yellow had appeared on the thistles and was posing, slightly skittishly, for photos. Off I hurried. It was still there. Some mediocre shots of it sat on the thistles having been bagged, attempts were then made to capture it in flight. This proved to be rather challenging, my best being this one of it about to exit from view. There is a similarly flighty skipper in there too.

Oh, and who had initially spotted it and raised the alarm? Sonia, of course!

Time moved on and the day grew hotter. A plan was hatched to move to the shade of the woodland near to the river. This would also serve as the lunch spot. Our baggage was ferried across the parched fields in the farm’s Land Rover, as indeed were some of the participants. Others walked it, slightly downhill and relieved of the burden of their backpacks. Arriving at our destination, the field margin against the woods was a sea of flowers, mostly thistles.

photo: Keith Fowler

Butterflies abounded here, particularly Painted Ladies.

photo: John Martin

Also spotted here were several White-legged Damselflies, a sign of the proximity of the river.

Other, vital items had also also ported in the Land Rover: a magnificent lunch, laid on by our hosts! As we had also brought our own lunches, an extremely jolly time was had over the next hour! We didn’t, in truth, move a great deal for the rest of the day, the attractions of the shade and the food rather outweighing the desire to explore. But our spot did have a river view…

photo: Keith Fowler

…complete with a small, sandy beach which we explored instead. This beach afforded views of duelling male Banded Demoiselles, as well as more White-legged Damselflies.

It also produced some finds for the vacuum, notably this ground beetle, Asaphidion curtum.

Further finds from either the beach or the adjacent woodland included Pithanus maerkelii

photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A rove beetle, Tachyporus obtusus 

Another rove, Tachynus cf rufipes

And a spider weevil, Exomias araneiformis.

photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Late in the day a large harvestman was captured and proved fiendishly tricky to identify. Eventually, after much scrutiny and photography, it has been declared to be a female Mitopus morio.

With that, we exited the woods and reverse-migrated across the fields, some using the Land Rover, others under their own steam. Those on foot were rewarded for their efforts by an encore Clouded Yellow performance. The same one? A different one? Who knows? It appeared, posed on a thistle and was gone again. A super end to a hot, not very active but thoroughly enjoyable day. Many thanks to our hosts for allowing us to do what we do and for feeding us, transporting us, and finding most of the best finds!

 
  
 
Photographs © the author except as noted.