PUBLISHED BY RUGBY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY www.rugbynaturalhistory.org.uk
Newsletter No 242 PRESIDENT – Mr F Pearson August 2016 CHAIRMAN Mr T Landless, 27 Spicer Place, Rugby. VICE – CHAIRMAN Mr L Classey, 13 Orson Leys, Rugby. HON SECRETARY Mrs W Classey, 13 Orson Leys, Rugby. HON TREASURER Mr D Knapp, 44 Orson Leys, Rugby. PROGRAMME SECS Mr P Hodges & Mrs J Tolley-Hodges 30 Rupert Brooke Road, Rugby. NEWSLETTER EDITOR Mr M Slater, 44 Bucknill Crescent, Hillmorton.
With this issue of the newsletter it is time again to look forward to the winter programme of talks, we start on 15th September with Sea life, followed by subjects as diverse as harvest mice, bees and dragonflies. Our year ends in December with the ever popular Photographic competition. We also have field meetings at Crackley Wood, Wappenbury Wood and a fungi foray to round off our summer programme.
Brandon Marsh SSSI – 7.April.2016
Eleven members attended – Paul Hodges, Tony Landless, Ted Pearson, Lyn Classey, David Champion, Bernard Smith, Roger & Kath Jones, Jan & Kay, also Peter Reeve. The weather was typically sunny but with April Showers.
The highlight birdwise was a Summer plumaged Black-tailed Godwit on Teal Pool that most members of RNHS Saw through Paul’s Telescope. Also good close up views of 4 Snipe & 5 Redshanks. Summer Migrants included Swallows, Sand Martins, Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers and Blackcaps.
Residents included- Cetti’s Warblers, Reed Buntings, Kestrel, Stock Doves, Lapwings, Oystercatchers, Teal, Mallard, Gadwall, Common Gull, Black-headed Gulls, Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Pied Wagtails, Great Spotted & Green Woodpeckers, Chaffinches, Greenfinches, Great Tits, Blue Tits, Coal Tits, Marsh Tits, Wrens, Dunnocks, Robins, Song Thrushes, Mistle Thrushes, Blackbirds, Carrion Crows, Jackdaws, Magpies & Rooks, Water Rails, Moorhens, Coots, Canada Geese, Greylag Geese, Tufted Ducks, Great Crested Grebes, Shovelers and Winter migrants Pintails.
Flora- Primroses, Cowslips in flower, Ground Ivy in flower, Alexanders in flower, lesser Celandines in flower, White Dead Nettles, Red Dead Nettles, Blackthorn in blossom. Sallows with catkins, Hazel with Catkins, Hornbeam with Catkins, Alder with Catkins and Lombardy Poplar with bud burst.
Fungi- Scarlet Elf Cups, Green stain/Elf cups fungi, Jelly Ears, White Oysters, Grey Oysters, Glistening Ink Caps, Turkey Tails, Blushing Brackets, Orange Jelly Spots.
Lichens – Xanthoria paritina, Evernia prunasti,
Bees – Buff Tailed Bumble Bee Queens, Honey Bees. P&JT-H
Ryton Wood – 23.April.2016
Ten people, sunny but cool to start with. Warmed up as we explore sheltered glades and rides. We even stumbled over an example of Industrial archaeology.
Flora
Cherry in flower, Bluebells, Wood Anemone, Leaves on Hazel, Common Dog Violet, Early Dog Violet, Wild Clematis, Aspen, Ladies Smock, Holly, Primroses, Honeysuckle, Dandelion, Willowherb, Lesser Celandine, Greater Stitchwort, Blackthorn, Wavy-leaved Bittercress, Lesser Spearwort, Horse Chestnut, Ash, Vetch, Wild Strawberry, Common-spotted Orchid in leaves, Bugle, Selfheal, Wood Sorrel.
Birds
Woodpigeon, Crow, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Song Thrush, Wren, Robin, Green Woodpecker, Stock Dove, Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tits, Black-headed Gulls, Sparrowhawk, Nuthatch.
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Butterflies
Orange-tip (male and female), Peacock, Speckled Wood.
Insects
Poplar Beetle, Bee Fly, Huntsman Spider, Leaf Miner, White-tailed Bumblebee.
Fungi
Willow Polypore, Turkey Tail, Sulphur Tuft.
Others
Bat boxes, Dormouse boxes, Froglets, Rabbit droppings, Lichens, evidence of Grey Squirrel and Muntjac activity. MS
Dunchurch Meadows – 14.May.2016
Twenty one members and two guests attended the meeting at Dunchurch Meadows. In Warwickshire Draycote Meadows SSSI was celebrated as the coronation meadow and a receptor site at Dunchurch was chosen to be restored using the green hay from Draycote, the trust manages the meadow by cutting and grazing.
Flora
Green Winged Orchids, Yellow Rattle, Common Field Speedwell, Field Forget-me-not, Wood Forget-me-not, Pignut, Meadow Buttercup, Ground Ivy, Red Clover, Broad-leaved Dock, Sorrel, Creeping Thistle, Spear Thistle, Ragwort, Creeping Buttercups, Bulbous Buttercup, Lesser Celandine, Cut-leaved Cranesbill, Cleavers/Goosegrass, Common Nettle, Perennial Rye Grass, White Clover, Thyme-leaved Speedwell, Meadow Foxtail, Meadow Fescue, Ribwort Plantain. Sweet Vernal Grass, Timothy, Cocksfoot, Cow Parsley, Great Willowherb, Hedge Woundwort, Spring Beauty, Soft Brome, Creeping Bent, Cowslips.
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Birds
Whitethroat, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Robin, Blackbird, Song thrush, Greenfinch, Buzzard, swallow, House Martin, Swift.
Mammals
Fox, Badger, rabbit.
Hedgerow
Guelder Rose, Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Oak, Hazel, Norway Maple, Bird Cherry.
Beetles
Cardinal Beetles – Red Headed- Pyrochroa serraticommis. 7- Spot Ladybird – Coccinella 7- punctata
Fungi Petticoat Mottlegill- Panaeolus papilionaceus (Panaeolus sphinctrinus)-Weathered Dung of Herbivores Dung Roundhead – Stropharia semiglobata var. stercoraria Dung of Herbivores on Grassland.
P&JT-H
RNHS Moth Morning, 10th June 2016 at Roy and Biddy Allen's
26 members enjoyed a warm but cloudy morning and looked at and identified the following moths from moth traps belonging to Roy and Biddy Allen, Graham Robson, Paul and Janice Hodges and David and Sue Knapp. (Graham's trap was the star performer!)
Angle Shades, Bright line Brown Eye, Brimstone, Brown Rustic, Buff Ermine, Clouded Bordered Brindle, Clouded Silver, Common Marbled Carpet, Common Pug, Common Swift, Common Wainscot, Dark Arches, Elephant Hawkmoth, Eyed Hawkmoth, Flame, Flame Shoulder, Foxglove Pug, Garden Carpet, Ghost Moth, Green Pug, Grey Pug, Heart and Dart, Ingrailed Clay, Large Nutmeg, Large ~ - 4 - ~
Yellow Underwing, Lime Hawkmoth, Marbled Minor, Middle Bar Minor, Mottled Pug, Orange Footman, Pale Tussock, Peach Blossom. Riband Wave, Rustic Shoulder Knot, Scorched Wing, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Shoulder Strip Wainscot, Silver Ground Carpet, Silver Y, Small Clouded Brindle, Small Fan-foot, Small Square Spot, Smoky Wainscot, Spectacle, Tawny Marbled Minor, Treble Lines, White Ermine, White Spotted Pug.
Several Micro-moths were identified but the only ones with English names were Diamond- back, Small Magpie and Bee Moth. Scoparice ambigualis, Epinotia biluana and Notocelia cynosbatella were three with only Latin names, there were plenty of unidentified others! There were also some Cockchafer beetles and a water beetle in Graham's trap. An interesting drama, witnessed by several members, was an Eyed Hawkmoth that flew off being taken by a frog leaping up from the pond. The Eyed Hawk eventually escaped (with a little human intervention as it was rejected by the frog) I think it was just too big for the frog!
Biddy Allen
Tasker's Meadow & Stockton Cutting -25.June.2016
Approximately 11 Members arrived for the trip and managed to get very wet! It was good to see several new members. We carried on with the trip despite some heavy rain.
Everyone was pleased to see plenty of Butterfly, Bee and Common Spotted Orchids in Tasker's Meadow and an abundance of Yellow Rattle was evident. In Stockton Cutting we saw a good number of Common Twayblade plants just finishing flowering.
When the sun came out briefly, so did a Common Blue, several Ringlet and Marble White butterflies. We also saw two Blue Damselflies and a Cinnabar moth in flight.
LC Snitterfield Bushes - 9.July.2016
Flora
Herb Paris- Paris quadrifolia, Enchanters Nightshade- Circaea lutetiana, Yellow Pimpernel- Lysimachia nemorum, Hairy St John’s Wort- Hypericum hirsutum, Perforate St John’s Wort- Hypericum perforatum, Wood Millet Grass, Hedge Woundwort- Stachys sylvatica, Marsh Bedstraw- Galium palustre, Pendulous Sedge, Bugle- Ajuga reptans, Selfheal- Prunella ~ - 5 - ~
vulgaris, Common Figwort- Scrophularia nodosa, Meadowsweet- Filipendula ulmaria, Wood Dock- Rumex sylvatica, Common-spotted Orchids- Dactyrhiza fuchsia, Greater Butterfly Orchid – Platanthera chlorantha, Pedunculate Oak – Quercus robur, Hawthorn – Cratageus monogyna, Scaly Male Ferns, Lady Fern, Holly – Ilex aquifolium, Birch – Betula pendula, Fragrant Agrimony- Agrimonia procera, Great Willowherb- Epilobium hirsutum, Black Bryony- Tamus communis, Marsh Thistle- Cirsium palustre, Yellow Rattle- Rhinanthus minor, Wild Angelica- Angelica sylvestris, Red Bartsia- Odonties vernus, Thyme-leaved Speedwell- Veronica serpyllifolia, Orpine- Sedum telephium, Horseshoe Vetch- Hippocepis comosa, Nipplewort- Lapsana communis, Zig Zag Clover- Trifolium medium, Yellow Meadow Vetchling, Ash- Fraxinus excelsior, Guelder Rose – Viburnum opulus, Smooth Tare – Vicia tetrasperma, Common Valerian- Valeriana officinalis, Wild Strawberries- Fragaria vesca, Parsley Piert- Aphanes arvensis, Scarlet Pimpernel- Anagallis arvensis, Wych Elm- Ulmus, Blackthorn – Prunus spinose, Gorse – Ulex europeaus, Salad Burnet.
Birds
Bullfinches, Great Tits, Blue Tits, Nuthatch, Robin, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Blackbird, Long Tailed Tits.
Insects
Silver Washed Fritillaries, Speckled Wood, Large White, Comma, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Hoverflies, Tree Bumblebees. P&JT-H
Loxley Church Meadow SSSI – 21.July.2016
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Flora
Meadowsweet – Filipendula ulmaria, Meadow Cranesbill – Geranium pratense, Great Willowherb – Epilobium hirsutum, Grey Poplars – Populus x canescens, White Poplar – Populus alba, White Willows – Salix alba, Ash – Fraxinus excelsior, Pedunculate Oak – Quercus robur, Field Maple – Acer Campstre, Yellow Meadow Vetchling – Lathyrus aphaca, Hedge Bindweed – Calystegia sepium, Woody Nightshade (Bittersweet)- Solanum dulcamara, Common Knapweed- Centaurea nigra, Hogweed- Heracleum sphodylium, Hedge Woundwort- Stachys sylvatica, Black Bryony- Tamus communis, Hazel- Corylus avelana, Dogwood- Cornus sanguinea, Dog Rose- Rosa canina, Elder- Sambucus nigra, Brambles- Rubus fruticose agg. Hawthorn – Cratageus monogyna, Blackthorn – Prunus spinose, Spear Thistle- Cirsium vulgare, Creeping Thistles- Cirsium arvense, Tufted Vetch – Vicia cracca, Wood Avens, Mistletoe – Viscum album, Nettles – Urtica diocea.
Birds
Swifts – Apus apus, Bullfinches – Pyrrhula pyrrhula, Buzzards – Buto buto, Raven – Corvus cora, Blue Tits – Cyanistes caeruleus, Great Tits – Parus Major.
Butterflies
Marbled White – Melanargia galathea, Large White – Pieris brassicae, Meadow Brown – Maniola jurtina, Gatekeepers – Maniola tithonius, Large Skippers – Ochlodes venata, Small Skippers – Thymelicus sylvestris, Ringlets – Aphantopus hyperantus, Small Tortoiseshell - Nymphalis urticae.
Dragonflies & Damselflies
White Legged Damselflies, Common Blue Damselflies – Enallagma cyathigerum, Large Red Damselflies – Pyrrhosoma nymphula, Common Darters.
Bees & Wasps
Ashy Mining Bee, Common Carder Bee. P&JT-H
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