Two shifts

Wednesday 3rd August 2022, Longden Road Cemetery, Shrewsbury

This outing was our third visit to the cemetery in support of Caring for God’s Acre’s effort to encourage churches to cherish the flora and fauna of thekir churchyards. 

Each visit has been at a different time of the year to try and maximize the range of species that we are able to find. Unfortunately this year’s extended warm and very dry weather has probably limited this range. I have noticed within the families that I look for, Hemiptera and Psocoptera, the larger or more robust species are about but I find very few of the more delicate species. 

We parked and met in the area between the chapel and the cemetery at our usual time to be greeted by one of the group who had already been there for a couple of hours!

Work commitments meant that they could only be there for a short time, so rather than miss the outing altogether they arranged to get to the site early. Thus creating our first ever outing involving two shifts on the same day.

Here are a few of their early discoveries:

An ant from the Myrmicinae family;

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A micro-moth, Blastobasis adustella;

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

A Juniper shieldbug nymph;

Photograph: David Williams

A Harlequin ladybird;

Photograph: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

And an “inconspicuous ladybird”, Scymnus frontalis.

Photograph: David Williams

By now everyone had arrived and kitted up. We were quite a numerous band of about two dozen. A magnificent turn-out. But as everyone seemed to be in deep conversation about this and that, getting them to move into the body of the cemetery proved difficult.

Eventually I suggested the direction we should go.

And to my surprise everyone (except the lichenologists who did their own thing) agreed and followed me.

Eventually!

Making this decision had been made very easy as that was where the early shift was camped.

So it was not my “leadership” skills that got them there but the opportunity to see what the first shift were up to.

Our investigation of the area soon yielded results:

A very large hoverfly, Volucella zonaria;

Photograph: John Martin

A rhopalid bug, Stictopleurus punctatonervosus;

Photograph: David Williams

A tachinid fly, Eriothrix rufomaculata;

Photograph: Jim Almond

A Denticulate leatherbug;

Photograph: David Williams

And Eurydema oleracea.

Photograph: Jim Almond

This shieldbug has garnered a number of common names – Crucifer shieldbug, Brassica Shieldbug and Cabbage bug. We tend to call it Crucifer shieldbug.

By now the group had spread over quite a large area. Some had stayed almost where they had started but others had wandered far and wide.

Time was moving on so I set about trying to find everyone and suggest a spot where we could gather for that great social occasion …. LUNCH.

I found the lichenologists.

On our visit last year they had located the grave of William Allport Leighton. He had published "A Flora of Shropshire" in 1841 and then "Lichen Flora of Great Britain" in 1871. When found it was very overgrown. During this visit, with permission, they set out to clear the area around it. 

In doing so they were very surprised not to find a headstone. Had it been removed? Had it been stolen? Or was there never one in the first place? More investigation is required.

I soon met up with some of the others who pointed out a moth posing on a leaf, Ancylis badiana.

Photograph: Jim Almond

Another moth had been photographed a few minutes earlier, a Large yellow underwing.

Photograph: Jim Almond

As well as a Tortoise shieldbug nymph.

Photograph: David Williams

By now everyone (I believe) knew of the lunch spot so I returned to it and had lunch. The others drifted in over the next quarter of an hour or so.

Lunch consumed and lunchtime topics discussed to exhaustion we said goodbye to the Early Shift then set off, not with purpose, but more of a drift towards the lower area of the cemetery.

An Eyed ladybird was beaten from a tree. This is a large ladybird as can be seen in the following photograph where it is side by side with a 7-spot ladybird.

Photograph: David Williams

A Southern hawker dragonfly was observed resting on a dead branch.

Photograph: Jim Almond

A harvestman Odiellus spinosus was found wandering about the leaf litter.

Photograph: John Martin

It was around this time that the best find of the day was noticed. A further new species for Shropshire, not that we knew it at the time! 

A wasp was located in a tree but the finder was having difficulty netting it. Help was at hand and it was eventually captured. Later examination revealed that it was a parasitoid wasp, Brachymeria tibialis.

Photograph: Clare Boyes

We arrived at a Rhododendron bush. On our last visit we saw the colourful planthopper Graphocephala fennahi in the foliage, and we found more on this visit.

Photograph: Jim Almond

A hoverfly, Volucella pellucens, decided to take a break on the same bush.

Photograph: Jim Almond

Time for a look at the cemetery from this vantage point.

Photograph: David Williams

Someone pointed out an area where there was more floral interest. There were some plants still in flower. We wandered over to it.

On the way a Field grasshopper was observed.

Photograph: Jim Almond

Having arrived at the area with flowers an attempt to capture a flying insect failed but, accidentally, netted the most popular find of the day. A Six-belted clearwing.

Photograph: David Williams

Remarkably on being removed from the net it did not fly away!

It rested on the edge of a tray for several minutes while most of the group gathered around to see it and take many, many photographs. Then it allowed itself to be moved onto some vegetation to be photographed some more. Eventually it flew off.

After that fortunate highlight all that was left to do was return to the cars. 

But, for me at least, there was a further highlight.

On the way from the site we passed some mistletoe.

Mistletoe is home to four specialist bugs and, with help from others who could reach the mistletoe that I could not, we found all four. I was a happy chappie. 

Finally, the Wednesday Weevil of the Week - Stenocarus ruficornis. This was actually found at Pasford Farm but was not included in the report of that visit. This weevil normally lives on Poppies, however, I am not sure on what it was found at the farm.

Photograph: Emm Cane-Honeysett

My thanks to Shropshire Council for giving us permission to do what we enjoy doing and Caring for God’s Acre for making the arrangements on our behalf. My gratitude to the photographers for providing their excellent images and I am sorry that I could not use them all.

The Three Amigos

Wednesday 27th July 2022, Pasford Farm

This outing was a return to Pasford Farm, a gem of a site on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border. The area we looked at was a valley running more or less north – south. The habit is grassland with a stream running its length. It is damp grassland near the stream grading to dry on the valley sides. 

Having parked and met in Staffordshire we were greeted by our host accompanied by a very friendly sheep. Usually as I get near a sheep it runs away, but this one just got closer and started nuzzling people looking for attention. After a while it got bored (if sheep can get bored) with our conversation and wandered off.

Time was pressing so I set off and wandered into Shropshire. As usual, very few followed.

Pausing by a farm gate to ensure it was shut after we had all come through I noticed that the vegetation around the bridge over the stream was the centre of attention.

I never did find out what was so interesting. I had noticed some Banded demoiselles on the vegetation but there must have been some other attractions that passed me by.

Eventually we regathered. Whilst most of us wandered to the south, one person went to explore a grassy bank in the opposite direction. And what a great decision he made.

His reward was finding not only the second county record of Scymnus femoralis (the first was last week at Crossways).

Photograph: David Williams

But also this shieldbug nymph.

Photograph: David Williams

We were at a bit of a loss as to what it was. At first it was thought to be the nymph of a Bishop’s Mitre shieldbug but this was quickly dismissed. Our second guess was a Small grass shieldbug, but this was still not convincing.

Dedicated research overnight by the photographer hit upon Podops inuncta, Turtle shieldbug, as the most likely species and this was subsequently confirmed by an expert.

This is the first time it has been recorded in the county.

The shieldbug is most frequently found south of the line from the Severn Estuary to the Wash but it has been creeping north and west from this area. 

The adult has a couple of peculiarities: its scutellum is very large and tongue-like reaching almost the tip of the abdomen; it has two small projections from the front of its pronotum. Here is a link to the British Bugs website for more information: Podops inuncta. 

Whilst all this excitement was happening on a small patch of grassland to the north the rest of us were working our way slowly to the south.

Then a rare event occurred …

There was an alignment …

In close proximity and at rest …

Of three vacuum samplers.

The three Amigos!

Whilst the amigos rested more traditional methods of searching were producing results.

A wasp, Tiphia femorata, only the second time it has been recorded in the county.

Photograph: Nigel Jones

An impressive soldierfly, Stratiomys potamida, definitely a member of the higher ranks!

Photograph: Nigel Jones

A micro-moth, Phycita roborella, dislodged from an oak tree.

Photograph: John Martin

And a Peacock butterfly feeding on ragwort.

Lunchtime was approaching. 

Refreshments had been laid out in a small picnic area close to the pool. However we had only progressed to about the halfway point from where we started to the pool!

We needed to get a move on.

We did!

Arriving at the lunch site we found that a large beetle had taken advantage of our absence and was on the table, eyeing up the treats.

Photograph: David Williams

A longhorn beetle, Leptura quadrifasciata.

Lunch over we continued our searching in the vicinity of the pool.

Insects commonly associated with water are “damsels and dragons”. On the day, we were not disappointed:

Brown hawker;

Photograph: John Martin

Black-tailed skimmer;

Photograph: David Williams

A Southern hawker.

Photograph: John Martin

A special treat was in store as there were two sorts of red-eyed damselflies settled on the surface vegetation of the pool:

Red-eyed damselfly;

Photograph: John Martin

And Small red-eyed damsel fly, which is a very recent arrival to the county.

Photograph: John Martin

The most obvious difference I can see between the two species is that the blue tip to the abdomen is more extensive in the Small red-eyed damselfly.

The site was home to an impressive number of grasshoppers and bush crickets. A couple of species that posed long enough to be photographed before disappearing were a Speckled bush cricket;

Photograph: David Williams

And a Lesser marsh grasshopper, which has only been found at a handful of sites in Shropshire.

Photograph: David Williams

A patch of White dead-nettle was observed. We frequently search this species of plant looking for Pied shieldbugs and are usually disappointed, but on this occasion a nymph was found.

Photograph: David Williams

Beating a large oak close to the pool yielded another inconspicuous ladybird, Scymnus aurita.

Photograph: David Williams

Somehow a caterpillar had decided that one of the group’s arms was a good place to explore:

Photograph: David Williams

This is the larva of a Bright-line brown eye moth (and not to be confused with the Brown-line bright-eye moth!).

It was time to wander back towards the cars. If progress reflected the speed at which we had set off it would be a further two hours before we returned home.

However, we went back a bit quicker!

But it did not stop us looking on the way, especially at a patch of thistles and ragwort where there was a great deal of invertebrate activity.

Meadow brown;

Bee-wolf.

Photograph; David Williams

Female Bee wolfs (should it be Bee-wolves) prey on honey-bees. After killing them they place them in the nest to feed their larvae. A number of honey bees will be placed in a single nest chamber and an egg laid on one of them. On hatching the larva works its way through this store of food.

Our final sighting of the day was the impressive large hoverfly Volucella zonaria.

Photograph: John Martin

Home we went after an excellent day on an excellent site.

My thanks to the owner of the farm for giving us permission to do what we enjoy doing and providing excellent refreshments at lunchtime. My gratitude to the photographers for providing their excellent images and I am sorry that I could not use them all.