'Woodhenge'

Today involved yet another visit to Byfield Pocket Park. The site still has very few spider records and I was hoping to begin rectifying that situation.


My first target was a deeply mysterious 'henge' consisting of timbers in a more-or-less circular arrangement. Was it an early Neolithic or even Mesolithic meeting place of profound ritualistic significance? There are those who believe that it is a ring of logs set up three years ago by the local Boy Scout troop to provide seating around a bonfire, but my gut instinct is that it is far older.

A mysterious 'henge' occupies one corner of Byfield Pocket Park.

17 February, 2020

I was still thinking over this conundrum as I carefully turned over each log, revealing fresh grass beneath some of them.

The creatures revealed were predictable - or almost so. Woodlice, earthworms, centipedes and millipedes were present in abundance. But there was one surprise and it proved to be present difficulties - an ichneumon fly had crept under one of the logs. It was, with little doubt, a species of the type-genus, Ichneumon, but beyond that I couldn't go. Ichneumons - relatives of bees and wasps - are a really difficult group and keys are almost unobtainable so that even though I could get down to the genus it could have been Ichneumon extensorius, I. confusor or several others. Frustrating!



An ichneumon fly had crept under the edge of a log.

17 February, 2020

With all things taken into account it is most likely to be I. suspiciosus but I certainly don't have enough evidence to record it as such. I allowed it to fly away the following morning.

A beetle proved to be more straightforward. The family to which it belongs, the Carabidae, is large, with about 350 species in Britain, but keys are readily available. As children we always called them rain beetles - but I have discussed that matter before.

Unfortunately, and very disappointingly, it was Loricera spinicornis. I have already recorded it from the site on several occasions.

Loricera spinicornis, a common carabid beetle, was found beneath a log.

Byfield Pocket Park. 17 February, 2020

There were two millipede species. One was a flat-backed millipede, five species of which occur in Britain. They are all very similar and microscopic examination of the gonopods (sex organs) is necessary for accurate identification. The specimen photographed is Polydesmus angustus.

Polydesmus angustus is perhaps the commonest of flat-backed millipedes.

Byfield Pocket Park, 17 February, 2020

The other main group of millipede present in Britain is the Julidae. I found one specimen and close examination showed it to be Cylindroiulus caeruleocinctus. It is mainly confined to the southern counties of Britain and seems to be associated with habitats showing some human disturbance. The two millipede species were new to the pocket park.

The millipede Cylindroiulus caeruleocinctus was also present, this time

under stones. Byfield Pocket Park, 17 February, 2020

As I stated in the opening paragraph, I was hoping to gather spiders to gain a better picture of what and was not present. In this aim I was overwhelmingly unsuccessful, for twenty minutes of grubbing around in grass tussocks and so on I secured only one species, the tiny 'money spider', Erigone dentipalpis - and that was already on the list!

So far I have to admit that 2020 has been disappointing, though not for lack of effort.  Crocuses and daffodils are in bloom but astonishingly wet weather (it is raining again as I write) have effectively suppressed insect activity. Things can only get better.