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TWIC excursion to Foulshiels Bing and Whitrigg Bing, West Lothian
15th August 2010
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It was a cool misty morning when a large group of recorders converged on Foulshiels Bing (Fig. 1), and the heavy dew covered the cobwebs everywhere, making one realise how abundant spiders can be (Fig. 2). The site is an old bing, mostly planted with trees, but with open bits as well, making a mixture of marsh and meadow, and heath and woodland. Some of the woodland is now sufficiently well established that a good layer of leaf litter is beginning to build up. Notable plants on the site were Stag's-horn Clubmoss, Lycopodium clavatum, and Common Wintergreen, Pyrola minor. Toadstools were common, including some fine boletes alongside the paths (Fig. 3). Although the site was quite dry, a Common Hawker Dragonfly, Aeshna juncea, was seen flying about several times, while Swallows and House Martins circled overhead.
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Fig. 1. Recorders at Foulshiels Bing (© Adrian T. Sumner)
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Fig. 2. Cobwebs covered with dew at Foulshiels (© Adrian T. Sumner)
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In the afternoon, by which time the weather had turned into one of the warmest days this summer, most of the recorders moved to Whitrigg Bing, just to the north of Foulshiels Bing. Again, this consisted of a variety of habitats and was rich botanically. An unusual species here was the Cherry Plum, Prunus cerasifera. Another exciting find was in an area of birch scrub, where a couple of families of Buff-tip Moth caterpillars, Phalera bucephala, had established themselves at the tops of the young birch trees (Fig. 4). Another successful day out!
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Fig. 3. A large boletus at Foulshiels Bing (© Adrian T. Sumner)
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Fig. 4. Caterpillars of the Buff-tip Moth, Phalera bucephala, gathered on a young birch tree at Whitrigg Bing (© Adrian T. Sumner)
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Adrian Sumner
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