The Natural History Of Staffordshire: Fauna and Flora (1 Viewer)

[NickPomiankowski]

Orange Tip

Had an Orange-tip today at Silverdale Colliery

Recent trapping has produced nothing too exciting: Common Quaker, Hebrew Character, Clouded Drab and Early Greys.

 

[minkstone]

PH wetland walk first orange tip of the year for me.
Stu

 

[dwe]

While doing a bit of butterfly watching over on the wetland walk with CS we came across a white butterfly in a clearing, it was about 20 mm and almost ghostly white with oval wings but wot made it different was very weak fluttering flight and going back to the same spot but did not land, i know its early for a wood white but CS was sure it was a butterfly.
Stu

Wood White has only been recorded in the very far south of the county so I doubt it was one of those but I know what you mean about the fluttery flight. I last saw it near Trench Wood in Warks many years ago.

Dave

 

[Adam M]

Got back yesterday from a week in Scotland (If you have never been, then go, it's amazing. If you have been, then go again, it's still amazing!!) and a lot of flora seems to have changed back in Staffordshire.

Hawthorn is now in flower down the old railway lines, marsh marigolds are in full flower in the garden, as are cowslips, my rowan tree is bursting into leaf and I have been told of bluebells in flower in the Churnet.

I saw some garlic mustard this morning which didn't look too far off flowering. This is another great plant for butterflies, both adults and larvae, so well worth planting or not pulling up.

I also saw an umbellifer in flower on a roadside verge this morning. I think it was cow parsley, but not 100% convinced I can ID it without a key. Ah, the Wildflower Key, back after it's winter vacation :-O

Adam

 

[dwe]

Got back yesterday from a week in Scotland (If you have never been, then go, it's amazing. If you have been, then go again, it's still amazing!!) and a lot of flora seems to have changed back in Staffordshire.

Hawthorn is now in flower down the old railway lines, marsh marigolds are in full flower in the garden, as are cowslips, my rowan tree is bursting into leaf and I have been told of bluebells in flower in the Churnet.

I saw some garlic mustard this morning which didn't look too far off flowering. This is another great plant for butterflies, both adults and larvae, so well worth planting or not pulling up.

I also saw an umbellifer in flower on a roadside verge this morning. I think it was cow parsley, but not 100% convinced I can ID it without a key. Ah, the Wildflower Key, back after it's winter vacation :-O

Adam

Cow Parsley is generally the first umbel followed by pignut. The BSBI Umbels handbook is well worth getting - as is the new Collins book.

Dave

 

[Adam M]

Self-heal in flower along the canal by the crane.

Adam

 

[Adam M]

This weekend I have submitted a list of 89 beetle species to the county recorder (well, SER). These were the beetles identified as part of my dissertation project at Coombes Valley: an analysis of factors affecting deadwood beetle populations.

This list includes 4 species new to Staffordshire and several others not recorded for many decades; as far back as 1907, and dozens not recorded for a few years. The list should hopefully be accepted as the identifier was Clive Washington; chairman of Cheshire Active Naturalists and beetle expert, giving the identification a lot of credence. By the way, check out their website for some good invertebrate and plant ID courses http://www.cheshireactivenaturalists.org.uk/

I also have some flies being identified by Dave Skingsley of Staffordshire University (he might also be the county recorder but I am not sure) as a side line of this project. I know these flies include some red data book species, and I will hopefully submit a list of these species in the near future.

I'll post again if these species/records are accepted.

Adam

 

[minkstone]

Foun this in the yard today, is it a ladybird.

Stu.

 

[Topspot]

ladybird

Foun this in the yard today, is it a ladybird.

Stu.

looks like thea 22 punctata ladybird,low vegetation feeds mainly on mildews.......:t:

 

[minkstone]

Thanks for that,
Stu

 

[Rob1991S-O-T]

green veined white yesterday at city general.

 

[Adam M]

Fancied my chances of finding green hairstreak at Marshes Hill after two days of sunshine, and I was not disappointed; despite today's wind. Took me a while to locate them, and once I did I didn't go any further for fear of disturbing breeding birds (as if I could have done any more damage than dogs running freely through the heather), so impossible to say just how many are out. Most I saw was 3 at once, but like I said, there could possibly have been more further along the road side of the reserve.

No emperor moths though.

Adam

 

[Jane Turner]

I just bought an 1686 copy of Robert Plot's natural history of Staffordshire. Its a bit of a stunner though in need of a large amount of light restoration. Some fascinating records in there though - including breeding Shrikes and this

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-XPPtLLHlggY/T5Azh4W43bI/AAAAAAAAFhk/I_xMJhm9uVQ/s640/SANY0056.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Zg1Upor_duc/T5AzinhXPbI/AAAAAAAAFhs/vXRFHGm-UTE/s640/SANY0057.JPG

the collecting of breeding "peewits" on Shebben Poole, Norbury Manor. The illustration is typically17th C and not much use for identification

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-EaBuZdE8YV4/T5Azj4nkrHI/AAAAAAAAFh0/3F-3MC2Y7cU/s640/SANY0058.JPG

but I think they are Black-headed Gulls as opposed to the expected Lapwing... Peewit is used interchangeably with black-headed Mire-hen and Larus cineria.

 

[dwe]

I just bought an 1686 copy of Robert Plot's natural history of Staffordshire. Its a bit of a stunner though in need of a large amount of light restoration. Some fascinating records in there though - including breeding Shrikes and this

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-XPPtLLHlggY/T5Azh4W43bI/AAAAAAAAFhk/I_xMJhm9uVQ/s640/SANY0056.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Zg1Upor_duc/T5AzinhXPbI/AAAAAAAAFhs/vXRFHGm-UTE/s640/SANY0057.JPG

the collecting of breeding "peewits" on Shebben Poole, Norbury Manor. The illustration is typically17th C and not much use for identification

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-EaBuZdE8YV4/T5Azj4nkrHI/AAAAAAAAFh0/3F-3MC2Y7cU/s640/SANY0058.JPG

but I think they are Black-headed Gulls as opposed to the expected Lapwing... Peewit is used interchangeably with black-headed Mire-hen and Larus cineria.

Black-headed gull eggs used to be "harvested" from colonies close to Aqualate; they were then sent to London as "Plover" eggs.

dave

 

[Adam M]

Just seen my first speckled wood butterfly of the year just down the road from me in Sandyford.

Also saw a fox up at Berryhill earlier on today.

Adam

 

[Topspot]

bat id

no grasshopper warblers this evening Caverswall marsh,but a rather fast medium sized bat along the hedgerow at caverswall park farm at dusk first one this year...at a guess a noctule, looked slim winged.

 

[Adam M]

I think it is worth a mention that Staffs Wildlife Trust have found Herb Paris at a site in the Staffs Moorlands. This is an incredibly rare plant for the county (by the looks of SER anyway), and according to SWT it has only been recorded at 10 sites in the county. It is an ancient woodland indicator plant, only found on sites that have been wooded for centuries (I think 400+ usually constitutes ancient woodland), and once it has gone from a site, it won't be coming back due to its habitat requirements and poor dispersal abilities.

So quite a good find, well done to the SWT team for locating it :t:

Adam

 

[Adam M]

Muslin moth in my garden trap last night. New species for me and the garden.

Adam

 

[Adam M]

For you moth-ers wanting to add a 'few' species to your garden list (and probably your 10km square) you might want to look into buying this http://www.britishwildlife.com/bwpbooksview.asp

Adam

 

[Adam M]

For those of you looking to help wildlife in your garden, you can get up to 3 free packets of wildflower seeds (per household) from here.

http://www.co-operative.coop/planbee/freeseeds

"This year's seed mix was specially created to include flowers that are beneficial for honeybees, bumblebees, solitary bees, butterflies and moths and includes Wild Marjoram, Scentless Mayweed, Field Poppy, Oxeye Daisy, Red Campion, Self Heal, Wild Carrot, Birdsfoot Trefoil, Cornflower, and Wild Red Clover."

Adam