What started out a a field trip organised by Rob Yaxley to survey the churchyards of Shotesham for lichens quicky morphed into a bit of a bioblitz!
After a few minutes concentrating on lichens on the church wall at All Saints I quickly realised that I have an enormous amount to learn about them and the lure of insects proved too much!
Shotesham has (or rather had) 4 churches. Only 2 are now in use, All Saints and St Mary's. St Martin's is a picturesque ruin next to St Mary's while the 4th, St Botolph's is a pile of rubble after it's demise in the Reformation.
The majority of the day was spent at All Saints where invert finds included the small ladybird Scymnus interruptus, Cricket-bat Orbweb Spider, the ghostly white Ant Woodlouse, Bristly Millipede, Small Nettle Weevil, Pied Shieldbug, my first Holly Blue of the year, Green Parasitic Fly and Red-bellied Housefly. Andrena mining bees were much in evidence around a flowering shrub late in the morning when the sun came out. Star of the show was Ashy Mining Bee but I was personally very pleased with my first Common Mini-miner. We also recorded Buffish Mining Bee, Grey-patched Mining Bee and Tawny Mining Bee. The eagle-eyed Vanna found a microscopically small pseudoscorpion under a tile of the ground that has subsequently keyed-out to the scarce Dimple-clawed Chthonid.
Others were looking at micro fungi and I personally noted Arum Rust, Hollyhock Rust, Celandine Clustercup Rust, Firerug Inkcap and Xylaria filiformis.
The lichens I paid attention to were Lechanora sulphurea, Tephromela atra, Candelariella vitellina, Verucaria nigrescens and Dirina massiliensis that had the rare fungi Spiloma auratum growing on it.
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After lunch we relocated a mile down the road to St Mary's where I was very pleased to find Shield Pinkgill (confirmed with microscopy by Jeremy), a new fungi for me. 10-spot Ladybird and 24-spot Ladybird followed and I managed to photograph Tawny Mining Bee at last. The main interest here was on the verge just outside the church were the Lesser Celandines and Primroses held Chocolate Mining Bee, Yellow-legged Mining Bee and best of all personally (as it was one I've been looking for) - Gwynne's Mining Bee. Two snails on gravestones proved to be Hairy Snail and Two-toothed Door Snail.
Birds seen during the day included Grey Wagtail, Blackcap and Red Kite.
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