Manifold Valley - field trip 11 July

I led a party of seventeen on a very sunny, very warm (later hot), trek through the visual delights of this part of north Staffordshire.

I was pleased to meet John Stanney, Val Riley and Helen Ball - all Staffordshire Wildlife Trust members; in addition Colin Hayes joined us explaining that he is undertaking research at Castern Wood site on behalf of the local Wildlife Trust - including habitat study of our target species - Northern Brown Argus. We spent two and a half hours at Castern and investigated the five site “compartments” as defined for us by Colin.

A total of seven species were found amongst the limestone outcrop habitat: (rock rose, harebell and wild thyme were typical flora seen). Although the most numerous species was Meadow Brown; the second highest count was sixty-nine individuals of the target species seen across the five “compartments”, certainly the highest figure I’ve seen in four previous visits. Two pairings were observed and photographed. Male Common Blues and Small Skippers were also seen in good numbers.

Helen Ball, who knows the site well, told us that both Dingy and Grizzled Skipper also occur on site in the appropriate flying period.

I found another colony of the target species nearby, separated from the Castern Wildlife Trust site by a grazed hillside meadow. This new site had less herbage cover and more limestone rock exposure than the traditional Castern site; however rock rose was present in smaller quantities and I counted thirteen Northern Brown Argus here, plus another record for the Millennium Atlas.

Later, John, Val and Helen accompanied myself and David Jackson to Atlas survey sites at Ossoms Hill and Ecton.

Thought for 2000

The above mentioned area, given good weather, is superb if you haven’t visited before, with splendid walking country, and designated cycle pathway along the Manifold Valley (cycle hire available). Staffordshire Moorlands is rich in limestone-associated flora; also abandoned lead mines and the flora associated with lead spoil heaps. Caves are a prominent landscape feature where prehistoric animal bones have been found. Bed and breakfast accommodation can be found locally and there are the usual countryside pubs. Stoke-on-Trent is only half an hour away, Derbyshire Peak District with Ashbourne and Buxton are close by. Why not give it a try - we still need Staffordshire records for this under-recorded locality in 2000 and beyond.

Philip Hopson