Fourteen of us met for the Rea Valley Community Wildlife Group’s inaugural monthly wildlife walk. After a friendly introduction we set out to explore around the Lead Mines at Snailbeach – an interesting site of industrial history managed by the Shropshire Mines Trust. We continued up along the top of the Hollies Nature Reserve to Blakemoorgate cottages at Stiperstones then circling back down through Resting Hill woodland to the start point at Snailbeach.

Highlights of fungi including collared earthstar; black earth-tongues, witches’ butter, turkey-tail and scarlet elf cup, and giant puff ball as well as liverworts, lichens, and mosses such as: white earwort (a first iRecord in our area); ciliated fringewort, dog lichen and big shaggy moss!

For the botanists among us – seeing spurge-laurel in flower was a lovely highlight. The non-botanist among us saw plenty of birds including raven, jay, nuthatch blue and great tits. Towards the end of the walk most of us were happy to glimpse a fox at the top of the hill.

A successful walk for a cold January day!

 

Group photo at Blakemoorgate

Scarlet Elf Cup

Witches Butter

Earth Tongue