Wednesday 26th August 2026, Abbey Manor,
Buildwas
This week saw a return trip to Abbey Manor, a
private residence and event venue, which we visted last November. Its long
history started in the 12th century when it was originally the
abbot’s lodging and infirmary of the adjoining Buildwas Abbey. After the
abbey’s dissolution it became in turn a private mansion, a farm and, much more
recently, Ironbridge Power Station’s social club.
Our investigations began in the car park, an
extensive Box hedge proving irresistible to those armed with beating trays. An
initially puzzling caterpillar was dislodged.
Eventually, the light of realization dawned,
helped by two rather large clues in the form of the host plant and an adult
moth which was beaten out alongside it: it was a Box Moth larva!A different moth also appeared:
This is
Metalampra italica, a species
which has moved into the area quite recently and is still represented in
Shropshire by relatively few records.
A Green Crab Spider,
Diaea dorsata, was
another find.
 |
| photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett |
We moved into the garden proper, where another
crab spider, the familiar Goldenrod Crab Spider,
Misumena vatia was an
early discovery.
 |
| photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett |
Our Dipterist had a good day. His best finds
came later, but the garden produced several nice flies. This is
Palloptera
(Toxonevra) muliebris. It has a habit of holding its ornate wings out at right angles to its body, which I believe leads it to be known informally as the Dame Edna
fly!
The second fly to have its photo taken was this
small Conopid,
Thecophora atra.
Among the shieldbugs, a single Woundwort
Shieldbug was vacuumed,
 |
| photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett |
whilst a Gorse Shieldbug was beaten from oak
(of course!).
The smaller ladybirds were well represented.
The first of these ‘micro ladybirds’ to appear was the smallest of the lot: a
couple of Dot Ladybirds, extracted from an apple tree. At around 1.5mm long,
this, along with the similarly diminutive Horseshoe Ladybird, is our smallest
species.
Dwarfing it, at a mighty 3mm or so, is this
Meadow Ladybird, extracted from the uncut edges of the lawn.
We moved on, into an area of flood meadow
nearer to the Severn.
 |
| photo: Neil Nash |
Here, a third Micro Ladybird appeared, the Red-rumped
Ladybird,
Scymnus haemorrhoidalis.We had noted Small Teasel back in November.
Here it was again, mostly gone to seed.
 |
| photo: John Martin |
More flies attracted attention. The Tachinids Tachina
fera…
 |
| photo: John Martin |
… and Linnaemyia picta,
 |
| photo: John Martin |
plus a number of hoverflies, of which the
largest was
Volucella inanis.
Also having a good day was our plant gall
expert, who found sixteen species including
Didymomyia tiliacea  |
| photo: John Lyden |
Adelges cooleyi, the Douglas Fir Adelgid
 |
| photo: John Lyden |
The Butterbur Rust, Coleosporium petasitis
(only the second county record)
 |
| photo: John Lyden |
Hawthorn-Carrot Aphid, Disaphis crataegi,
also rarely recorded - this was the fourth Shropshire record.
 |
| photo: John Lyden |
Hawthorn Gall, Gymnosporangium sp., one
of two or three species that can only be separated by DNA. |
| photo: John Lyden |
Lunch beckoned. The day had threatened rain,
but what it actually delivered was warmth and high humidity. We therefore
camped in the shade of a large tree to munch on our sandwiches. Whilst we did
so, a brief commotion overhead drew our attention to a pair of Sparrowhawks
circling over us. This is the male.
 |
| photo: John Martin |
Lunch over, we decided to head for the river.
Finds continued to be made en route, including a smart bug, Malacocoris
chlorizans.
 |
| photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett |
A Cream-spot Ladybird was also recorded around
this time.
 |
| photo: Neil Nash |
Next, more botanical interest. This is Creeping
Yellow-cress…
 |
| photo: John Martin |
Our route took us into woodland at
the edge of the site. In an adjacent field was a stunning display of Colchicum
autumnale, known rather inaccurately as Autumn Crocus, or less misleadingly as
Meadow Saffron. Another name is Naked Ladies, which might possibly have lead to
a cry of “lots of Naked Ladies in the field!” from the person who first spotted
them. I hope they feel suitably disappointed in themselves..!
 |
| photo: John Martin |
We reached the river and climbed down onto the
exposed shingle.
Unstable river shingle has proved to be a happy
hunting ground for us in the past and today was no exception. Two county first
flies were discovered, though neither was photographed on the day: Lonchoptera
meijerei, a very scarce fly of stony streams and rivers and Dolichopus
vigutorlum, a formerly very scarce fly that has been spreading in recent
years but is still only sparsely recorded over the UK. Also found but not
photographed was the beetle Anthicus antherinus which we believe to be
only the second Shropshire record.
Among those species which were photographed
were a rove beetle, Paederis littoralis,
 |
| photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett |
A caddisfly, Mystacides cf. azurea
 |
| photo: Neil Nash |
A Water Measurer,
 |
| photo: Neil Nash |
A shore bug, Saldula saltatoria,
 |
| photo: John Martin |
A Banded Demoiselle,
 |
| photo: John Martin |
and a snail, Bithnia tenticulata.
From here the only route was to retrace our
steps, taking us back through the grounds and past a fine view of the abbey
ruins.
 |
| photo: Neil Nash |
As per our visit last November, the abbey
proved an irresistible draw, so in we went, via a (usually) locked door from
the Manor’s gardens. Vacuuming soon produced a 2-spot Ladybird.
Earlier in the day, in the flood meadow area,
we had seen some rather early Ivy Bees, out well ahead of the flowering of
their preferred plant. Here in the Abbey grounds, a Medieval herb garden
display had been planted. This included some sort of fancy variety of mint,
which was absolutely covered in them.
Also present was another species which we had
seen in the flood meadow, a Bee-wolf. This is a male.
The lavender was also proving attractive, here
to a Small White.
By now the sun and humidity had sapped our
resolve to continue, so we didn’t! To finish this post, here is a fancy photo
showing the herb garden attracting the attention of both insects and
entomologists.
 |
| photo: Liz Roberts |
Many thanks to our hosts for allowing us to
return and indulge ourselves once again.
Photographs © the author except as noted.
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