The Naturalists' Notebook

After dropping off the half a dozen members to explore the National Trust’s Bodnant Gardens the remainder continued the short distance to the village of Abergwyngregyn and a walk to Aber Falls . The Aber Valley is geologically rich with exposures of Ordovician and Cambrian rocks. The waterfall (Rhaeadr Fawr in Welsh) is formed as the Afon Goch plunges about 120 feet over a sill of igneous rock called Granophyre in the foothills of the Carneddau range.

Red Valerian

We walked up through the picturesque village with stone and slate built cottages and gardens containing some unusual architectural plants such as Gunnera sp. as well as native species adorning the verges – Welsh Poppy Meconopsis cambrica, Yellow Corydalis Pseudofumaria lutea, Maidenhair Spleenwort Asplenium trichomanes, Wall-rue Asplenium ruta-muraria, Navelwort Umbilicus rupestris, Biting Stonecrop Sedum acre, Tutsan Hypericum androsaemum, Common Figwort Scrophularia nodosa, Ivy-leaved Toadflax Cymbalaria muralis, Wood Avens Geum urbanum, Foxglove Digitalis purpurea, Red Valerian Centranthus ruber, Hedge Woundwort Stachys sylvatica and Ramsons Allium ursinum.

Yellow-tail Moth caterpillar

We spotted a hairy caterpillar of the Yellow-tail Moth Euproctis similis the adults sport silky white wings and a white body with a yellow anal tuft. I also saw a Red-headed Cardinal Beetle Pyrochroa serraticornis.

We stopped at Bont Newydd bridge, a magnificent stone bridge that crosses the Afon Rhaedr Fawr and watched as a pair of Grey Wagtails were feeding in the pebbles adjoining the River then flew up and entered a crack in the stones on the bridge where judging by their beakfuls of food they must have a growing brood of chicks. Les Hale spotted a Hummingbird Hawkmoth Macroglossum stellatarum visiting Honeysuckle Lonicera sp. in a garden beside the bridge. Map Lichen Rhizocarpon geographicum that favours mountainous areas of low air pollution was covering the bridge stone work and Shining Crane’s-bill Geranium lucidum and Herb-Robert Geranium robertianum were growing from any cracks.

A Wood Warbler gave a brief trill of song from close to the car park and Yellow Pimpernel Lysimachia nemorum and Ground-ivy Glechoma hederacea were noted. From here the track continued up the valley through Coedydd Aber National Nature Reserve consisting of oak and coniferous woodland and open grassland. Plenty of bird activity with Woodpigeon, Cuckoo, Common Redstart, Blackbird, Mistle Thrush, Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Common Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Goldcrest, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Eurasian Jay and Chaffinch. Dave B and co watched a Pied Flycatcher beside one of the excavated roundhouses of the small Bronze Age settlement. Ron Crossley and co had six Buzzards circling above the falls.

There were a few Knotting Galls on Male-fern Dryopteris filix-mas fronds caused by the Dipteron Gall Fly Chirosia betuleti and a number of members noted the Nettle Rust Puccinia urticata on Stinging Nettle Urtica dioica.

Orchid Beetle

Two-banded Longhorn Beetle

I mooched around the vegetation finding a Longhorn Micro Moth Nemophora degeerella 30+ Wasp Beetle Clytus arietis 1, Two-banded Longhorn Beetle Rhagium bifasciatum 1, Orchid Beetle Dascillus cervinus 8+, Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva 1, Soldier Beetle Cantharis nigra 12+, Green Dock Beetle Gastrophysa viridula 20+ Garden Chafer Phyllopertha horticola 20+ Weevil Phyllobius sp. 4+

Garden Chafer

Slender-footed Robberfly

Common Red-legged Robberfly Dioctria rufipes 4+, Slender-footed Robberfly Leptarthrus brevirostris 1, Scorpion Fly Panorpa communis 2, Nursery Web Spider Pisaura mirabilis 1 and Wolf Spider 6+ females carrying egg sacs.

Other plants noted included Meadow Buttercup Ranunculus acris, Climbing Corydalis Ceratocapnos claviculata, Sessile Oak Quercus petraea, Greater Stitchwort Stellaria holostea, Hybrid Campion Silene latifolia x dioica = S. x hampeana, Red Campion Silene dioica, Broad-leaved Dock Rumex obtusifolius, Tormentil Potentilla erecta, Tufted Vetch Vicia cracca, Broad-leaved Willowherb Epilobium montanum, Wood-sorrel Oxalis acetosella, Pignut Conopodium majus, Hemlock Water-dropwort Oenanthe crocata, Wood Forget-me-not Myosotis sylvatica, Wild Thyme Thymus polytrichus, Foxglove Digitalis purpurea, Wood Speedwell Veronica montana, Heath Bedstraw Galium saxatile, Cleavers Galium aparine, Marsh Thistle Cirsium palustre, Daisy Bellis perennis, English Bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Cuckooflower Cardamine pratensis.

If you are interested in the wildlife of the north-west of England and would like to join the walks and coach trips run by the Merseyside Naturalists’ Association, see the main MNA website for details of our programme and how to join us.

This was a dual-destination MNA coach trip, and six of us softies were dropped off at Bodnant, then the coach carried on with the hardier souls to Aber Falls. As naturalists, we were not particularly interested in Bodnant’s exotic garden plants, so we mostly concentrated on the trees, although the planting is marvellous and the setting is wonderful.

In contrast to bird reserves, where you get a chalkboard of the best birds seen in the last few days, they have “Head Gardener’s Notes”. The Davidia tree (Dove Tree or Handkerchief Tree) was said to be out, but regrettably, we didn’t spot it.

The Laburnum arch was, however, flowering in glory.

On the top lawn there’s a huge Monterey Pine Pinus radiata, a Tulip Tree Liriodendron tulipfera and a massive straight-boled Common Beech Fagus sylvatica. On the far side we spotted a Blackbird and there was a pair of Buzzards against the clouds. Then we examined a Paper-bark Maple Acer griseum and a bent and twisted Sweet Chestnut Castanea sativa, said to be over 200 years old and carrying a sign begging children not to climb or swing on the low branches. The bark was a marvellous twisted network of ridges.

On the Lily Terrace are specimen trees of Blue Atlas Cedar Cedrus atlantica “Glauca” and Cedar of Lebanon Cedrus libani, sadly damaged in a storm some years ago.

Blue Atlas Cedar

Cedar of Lebanon

The long pond by the Pin Mill had delicately placed, perfect water lilies at each end, and also Water Boatmen and Whirligig Beetles. There was a Song Thrush in the shrubbery and a roped-off edge had a sign saying it contained wildflower seedlings. “See our exciting new planting scheme next year”.  Don’t tell me they are going to plant out some wild flowers!

Our next interesting tree was a Magnolia accuminata, the Cucumber Tree. The flowers aren’t very spectacular, but in early autumn it bears erect, shocking-pink “cucumbers”.

Another part of the shrubbery had three or four big fungal fruiting bodies, not long emerged and not yet fully spread out. Although we didn’t notice a ring on the stem (stipe), which there ought to have been, the stipe did have the scaly “snakeskin” pattern which makes me think this was the Parasol, Macrolepiota procera. It was a bit early for it (it’s not supposed to be out until July) but everything else matches.

We lunched in the Dell, where there was a Red Admiral, a Mute Swan on the water and John saw a Raven flying over. Someone had found the empty skin of a Dragonfly nymph at the edge of the river. A volunteer guide, who wasn’t a naturalist of course, was exclaiming on its size and suggesting it was an Emperor. Out came the FSC guide, and we concluded it was something broad-bodied, possibly a Broad-bodied Chaser. Notice the white threads on its back, which are on several other photos of shed skins which I looked up. They must be part of the emergence process.

Amongst the Hostas was a very weird flower spike, labelled Arisaema victoriae. It’s a rare Chinese Arum which is IUCN Red-listed. What an alien monster it is!

Along the bottom of the Dell is the Redwood collection. One is a California Redwood Sequoia sempervirens, planted in 1886 and which is now 129 years old. It is the tallest in Britain, last measured at 49 meters, 160 feet 9 inches.

They also have Giant Redwood Sequoiadendron gigantea, Wellingtonia Sequoiadendron gigantea “Pendulum” and Dawn Redwood Metasequoia glyptostroboides, one of which is the golden variant “Goldrush”, which we have also seen in Chester Cathedral cloister garden. One Giant Redwood had a sign asking people not to touch the bark “to prevent further damage” and there was a bee nest high up in a hole in the soft bark. It might be on its way out.

At the Waterfall Bridge there were Red-tailed Damselflies in their mating dance. John and Frances saw a mammal swimming under the water to the far bank and then it disappeared. It was about eighteen inches long including the tail, dark brown, almost black, with white feet. Was it a Polecat? Or a feral ferret? They thought it probably wasn’t an Otter (too small) or a Stoat (wrong colour).

As we climbed up the opposite bank of the Dell on the way to the “Poem” (the Mausoleum) we spotted a Treecreeper and one of the only really wild flowers of the day, Wall Pennywort Umbilicus rupestris.

In the Shrub Borders there was a spotty young Blackbird which dived out of sight into the undergrowth, a Chiffchaff calling, a Speckled Wood and two Blue butterflies over the grassland and a cheeky Robin. The Robin at the Dell had been pretty tame too, so it looks like they are indulged here.

From high on the north side of the Dell we looked back over the giant trees in the sunshine on the south side. For scale, notice the very small people at the path junction at the bottom right.

We looked at a pretty young Judas Tree Cersis siliquastrum “Bodnant”, planted in honour of Lord Aberconway of the resident family, who died in 2003.

What about this! A Chilean Fire Bush Embothrium coccineum.

One tree was labelled Tetradium danielliae, which is a very rare tree from China and Korea, with no English common name. Its leaves were like Ash leaves, and it has white flowers. The one at Bodnant wasn’t flowering, sadly, and it looked a bit hidden and overshadowed. There were two species of Sweet Gum, the more common Liquidambar styraciflua, and the rarer Oriental Sweet Gum Liquidambar orientalis. Both had leaves which gave off an aromatic smell when crushed.

Oriental Sweet Gum

Oriental Sweet Gum foliage.

Nearby was a Smooth Japanese Maple Acer palmatum “Atropurpureum”, whose leaves look very similar to the Sweet Gums, but have no smell. The young seeds are obviously Acer/Sycamore type, too.

We couldn’t avoid all the “garden” plants, and we admired this Kousa Dogwood Cornus kousa, which is native to Japan and Korea.

Our last bird was a briefly-spotted Bullfinch, and then we gave ourselves up to tea, cakes and shopping!

If you are interested in the wildlife of the north-west of England and would like to join the walks and coach trips run by the Merseyside Naturalists’ Association, see the main MNA website for details of our programme and how to join us.

John Clegg took some pictures of Great Crested Grebes nesting at Carr Mill Dam in early May.

Richard Surman, Ron Crossley, DaveB and I headed over to Coed Llangwyfan, a broad-leaved and coniferous woodland below the Iron Age hillfort on Pen-y-Cloddiau in the Clwydian Range AONB.

A cool start as we parked up with Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Wren, Blackbird and Chaffinch in song and a Raven croaking further along the valley. A few common plants with Gorse Ulex europaeus, Wood Forget-me-not Myosotis sylvatica, Red Campion Silene dioica and Daisy Bellis perennis. The trail took us up through a stand of Scot’s Pine noting Blue and Long-tailed Tits and our first Redstart of the day calling from one of the smaller deciduous trees towards the rear of the Pines.

A brief Geology interlude raking through the mound of Ordovician Siltstone weathered from an exposed outcrop. Some interesting egg-shaped and spheroidal iron-rich areas had formed within the beds. Unfortunately no fossil Graptolites though.

A Siskin perched briefly on one of the Pines, A Whitethroat sung from a scrubby Gorse bush and a male Bullfinch flew ahead of us as an escort out of his patch. Pheasant, Robin and Linnets were added to the list along with Germander Speedwell Veronica chamaedrys and Cuckooflower Cardamine pratensis.

Silurian sediment outcrop

We headed out on the moorland passing outcrops of crumpled Silurian sediments. We found a number of delicate flowers of Wood-sorrel Oxalis acetosella looking rather incongruous amongst the Bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus, Tormentil Potentilla erecta and mosses. It is considered an ancient woodland indicator – a possible clue to the area’s ancient habitat. A few murky bog pools had Floating Sweet-grass Glyceria fluitans with one home to a few Pond Skaters Gerris sp.

A Cuckoo shot across looking rather raptor-like being chased by half a dozen Meadow Pipits. Mepits were in great numbers over the moor along with Skylark, a few Wheatears, Mistle Thrush and Yellowhammer. Our ‘Corpse Of The Day’ was the remains of a lamb – skull missing. With spots of rain in the air we crossed the earthen mound defences of Pen-y-Cloddiau (Welsh for “hill of the trenches”). This is the second largest hillfort in Wales and the ramparts enclose an area more than a half-mile long.

Burial Mound

We continued along to the Bronze Age burial mound at the north end of the fort that was restored in 2010 where half a dozen Swifts were circling overhead and a Hoverfly later identified as Sericomyia lappona was resting on a stone. The larvae of which are of the ‘long-tailed’, aquatic type and are associated with peaty pools and boggy stream-sides in moorland.

Hoverfly Sericomyia lappona

We began our descent noting a couple of Carrion Crows chasing a Buzzard close to a ramshackle farm with rusting vehicles piled outside the outbuildings. St. Mark’s Flies Bibio marci were on the wing legs dangling beneath them and a Garden Tiger Arctia caja caterpillar was spotted beside the path. A group of kids on their D of E sped past us carrying large rucksacks.

We stopped for lunch beneath a large Ash tree that was just coming into leaf. An idyllic spot with a Raven flying by, Swallows circling overhead, another Redstart giving brief snatches of song, Song Thrush belting out its repetitive notes, a Yellowhammer asking for its lunch of bread and no cheese and tinkling Linnets.

I spotted a pair of mating Soldier Beetles that were quite distinctive being all black, except for the edges of the neck shield which are red or orange. There are two identical species around fitting this description, which can only be told apart by examining their genitals: Cantharis obscura and Cantharis paradoxa.

Mating Soldier Beetles

With the sun now peeking through the clouds we continued along the track which gave wide views across the Vale of Clwyd. A Small Heath Coenonympha pamphilus flitted by, a Cuckoo called, another couple of Redstart sang but remained hidden, a pair of Stonechat perched obligingly on fence posts and thoughts of India flooded back as a Peacock called.

Common Vetch

A few more plants were noted with Common Dog-violet Viola riviniana, Thyme-leaved Speedwell Veronica serpyllifolia and Common Vetch Vicia sativa.

Vale Of Clywd

A few Jackdaw joined a clamour of Rooks sporting this Spring’s latest look of black feather trousers. At a small deciduous copse Richard had a brief glimpse of a Redstart, a Great-spotted Woodpecker briefly drummed; Wren, Willow Warbler and Great Tit were in song. I continued and had a couple of Ravens overhead, a hovering Kestrel and two Red-legged Partridge which shot up from an adjacent field and flew off low to the ground.

As the habitat became more wooded we added a few more sightings with Blackcap and Garden Warbler in song, Noonday Fly Mesembrina meridiana, Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria, Hoverfly Heliophilus pendulus, Hoverfly Rhingia campestris on Herb-Robert Geranium robertianum and Cranefly Tipula sp.

Continuing along on the edge of a coniferous plantation there was the ubiquitous Coal Tits also Greater Stitchwort Stellaria holostea, Lesser Celandine Ranunculus ficaria, English Bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta the odd Spanish Bluebell Hyacinthoides hispanica, Hart’s-tongue Phyllitis scolopendrium, Broad Buckler-fern Dryopteris dilatata, Dog’s Mercury Mercurialis perennis and Holly Ilex aquifolium.

We stopped at the base of the hill admiring three flitting Orange Tips Anthocharis cardamines before the final climb back to the car park. A Damselfly flitted overhead and landed – despite quickly changing to macro lens it flew off again high into the trees. Absolutely gutted! it was a teneral male Beautiful Demoiselle Calopteryx virgo a stunning sight. A Small Tortoiseshell Aglais urticae was sunning itself on the path and a day-flying Moth hunkered down in the grass. All too soon we were heading back to civilisation.

If you are interested in the wildlife of the north-west of England and would like to join the walks and coach trips run by the Merseyside Naturalists’ Association, see the main MNA website for details of our programme and how to join us.

A wide photographic selection of birds, marine life, insects, mammals, orchids & wildflowers, fungi, tribal people, travel, ethnography, fossils, hominids, rocks & minerals etc. is available on my Alamy webpage

We visited a new venue on our MNA Coach Trip – Manifold Valley in Staffordshire’s White Peak area. The track ran along the former route of the Leek and Manifold Light Railway through a wooded valley beside the Manifold River. A picturesque location with a varied selection of birds, insects and plant life to satisfy all members interests keeping us busy during our visit.

Bird-wise I noted Peregrine Falcon, Common Pheasant, Common Swift, Green Woodpecker heard, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Grey Wagtail, Common Redstart heard, Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Common Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Blue Tit, Coal Tit, Jackdaw, Rook, Raven, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Common Bullfinch and Reed Bunting.  Chris B had seen Grey Heron, Nuthatch and heard Wood Warbler with Richard Surman adding Spotted Flycatcher and Dipper to the day’s list. Dave B & co had Marsh Tits close to the tea-room at Wetton Mill.

Butterflies on the wing included Green-veined White Pieris napi, Orange Tip Anthocharis cardamines and a Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas.

Orange Tip

Leucozona lucorum

A striking hoverfly with a white band across the upper abdomen, black wing patch and a yellow-orange scutellum was later identified as Leucozona lucorum. Other Hoverflies included Drone Fly Eristalis tenax, Hoverfly Rhingia campestris and Hoverfly Syrphus ribesii.

Syrphus ribesii

Mating Craneflies

Flesh Fly

Insects included Scorpion Fly Panorpa communis, a pair of mating Craneflies Tipula vittata,  Dance Fly Empis tessellata, Flesh Fly Sarcophaga sp. St. Mark’s Fly Bibio marci, Nursery Web Spider Pisaura mirabilis, Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum, Green Dock Beetle Gastrophysa viridula, a Click Beetle and a Weevil.

Red Campion Smut Fungus 

A few clumps of Red Campion were suffering from a smut fungus Microbotryum silenes-dioicae which infects the anthers of male flowers causing them to become black. This anther smut disease is transmitted by insects as it visits the flowers to collect nectar. Nettle Rust Puccinia urticata was noted on Stinging Nettle Urtica dioica

Toothwort

Plant find of the day was Toothwort Lathraea squamaria which is parasitic on the roots of hazel and alder. Its common name is said to derive from the resemblance of the flowering and fruiting spikes to rows of teeth.

Dave B & co had Roseroot Rhodiola rosea growing from a limestone slab. Roseroot’s colloquial name comes from the rose-like fragrance of the root (when crushed or splitted), which has been used in the past as a perfume and also a medicinal herb.

Water Avens

Another highlight were the groups of Water Avens Geum rivale, the drooping heads of the five purplish brown sepals hiding the buff-coloured petals of the flower. We found a few Hybrid Avens Geum x intermedium a fully fertile hybrid between Water Avens Geum rivale x Wood Avens Geum urbanum

Hybrid Avens

There was much discussion on the identity of a species of Saxifrage growing amongst stone chippings, the botanists eventually deciding it was a slightly stunted Mossy Saxifrage Saxifraga hypnoides that was growing from its more familiar moss mounds nearby.

Pink Purslane

Other plants noted included: Marsh-marigold Caltha palustris, Wood Anemone Anemone nemorosa, Bulbous Buttercup Ranunculus bulbosus, Goldilocks Buttercup Ranunculus auricomus, Lesser Celandine Ficaria verna, Welsh Poppy Meconopsis cambrica, Hornbeam Carpinus betulus, Hazel Corylus avellana, Pink Purslane Claytonia sibirica, Greater Stitchwort Stellaria holostea, White Campion Silene latifolia, Red Campion Silene dioica, Hybrid Campion Silene latifolia x dioica = S. x hampeana

Hybrid Campion

Field Pansy

Sheep’s Sorrel Rumex acetosella, Broad-leaved Dock Rumex obtusifolius, Common Dog-violet Viola riviniana, Field Pansy Viola arvensis, Garlic Mustard Alliaria petiolata, Winter-cress Barbarea vulgaris, Water-cress Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum, Cuckooflower Cardamine pratensis, Primrose Primula vulgaris, Cowslip Primula veris, Stonecrop Sedum sp. Meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria, Wild Strawberry Fragaria vesca, Blackthorn Prunus spinosa, Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna, Bush Vetch Vicia sepium, Gorse Ulex europaeus, Dog’s Mercury Mercurialis perennis, Shining Crane’s-bill Geranium lucidum, Herb-Robert Geranium robertianum, Dusky Crane’s-bill Geranium phaeum, Cow Parsley Anthriscus sylvestris, Sweet Cicely Myrrhis odorata, Hogweed Heracleum sphondylium, Giant Hogweed Heracleum mantegazzianum, Green Alkanet Pentaglottis sempervirens, Water Forget-me-not Myosotis scorpioides, Creeping Forget-me-not Myosotis secunda, Field Forget-me-not Myosotis arvensis, Yellow Archangel Lamiastrum galeobdolon, White Dead-nettle Lamium album, Red Dead-nettle Lamium purpureum, Bugle Ajuga reptans, Ground-ivy Glechoma hederacea, Wild Thyme Thymus polytrichus, Ribwort Plantain Plantago lanceolata, Thyme-leaved Speedwell Veronica serpyllifolia, Germander Speedwell Veronica chamaedrys, Woodruff Galium odoratum, Cleavers Galium aparine, Crosswort Cruciata laevipes, Common Valerian Valeriana officinalis, Dandelion Taraxacum officinale, Daisy Bellis perennis, Oxeye Daisy Leucanthemum vulgare, Colt’s-foot Tussilago farfara, Butterbur Petasites hybridus, Lords-and-Ladies Arum maculatum, Common Sedge Carex nigra, Bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Ramsons Allium ursinum and Early-purple Orchid Orchis mascula.

Dog-violet

If you are interested in the wildlife of the north-west of England and would like to join the walks and coach trips run by the Merseyside Naturalists’ Association, see the main MNA website for details of our programme and how to join us.

A wide photographic selection of birds, marine life, insects, mammals, orchids & wildflowers, fungi, tribal people, travel, ethnography, fossils, hominids, rocks & minerals etc. is available on my Alamy webpage