On a warm summers’ Saturday a small group met on Callow Lane near the entrance to Minsterley Meadows SSSI to enjoy a walk looking at the wildlife and hearing about the history of the area.
Proceeding into the SSSI, the group enjoyed watching all the invertebrates busy at work moving from flower to flower, Red-tailed Bumble Bee, Hoverflies and Garden Bumble Bees to name but a few. Butterflies were also out enjoying the sun, with Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Large White and Comma Spotted on the way around the meadow, a short stop to look at some Quaking Grass and the various mature oaks around the meadows also inspired some lively discussion. From the Minsterley Meadows the group moved through the recreational fields and towards Callow Crescent and down towards the Parish Hall, watching swifts circling overhead as they went. With a small detour to Minsterley Primary School, the group admired the ‘Meadows Mural’ painted by a local artist upon a shipping container used as storage on the school field. A project involving the school children, the artwork shows all elements making up a meadow and why they are so important, from the soil and mycorrhizal network to the wildflowers and trees.
After hearing a little about the history of the school, the group followed a public footpath crossing the Minsterley Brook and through an arable field towards a new housing estate. Discussion ensued about the wildlife nesting and roosting opportunities included within the newbuilds, including in-built swift and bat bricks, House Sparrow Terraces, House Martin Cups, bat lofts and hedgehog boxes. Moving on after crossing the road the group moved through another new-build estate looking at the meadow grassland areas with ox-eye daisies galore, but unfortunately some dead trees too! Joining another public footpath the group moved through the garden of a RVCWG committee member, hearing about their wildlife gardening aims and methods, plans and aspirations. Onwards following the path of the brook, Scarlet Tiger moths were spotted among the grasses of a grazed floodplain pasture. The group then took a short detour to discuss an old chapel once serving the village and thence following the path of the brook upstream into the village once again.
A short walk back up to the meeting point brought the walk to a close, thankfully before it got too hot!
