Wildlife in Colesbourne

Another spring beauty....

2009-04-26T18:35:00.003+01:00

Cuckoo flower (Cardamine pratensis)

I seem to say this every time...but this is another of my favourite plants. The Cuckoo flower, part of the Cabbage family, flowers between April and June and loves moist conditions - stream sides, woods and meadows. We have several little colonies in our garden down by the river and where a small spring runs down to the river. The flowers are a lovely delicate lilac colour with slightly darker veins in them, but they can also be closer to white.

In astrology Cuckoo flower comes under the dominion of the moon.

Folklore

According to John Gerard, the 16th century herbalist, the flower got its name because it blooms "....for the most part in April and May, when the Cuckoo begins to sing her pleasant note without stammering." Another story links the name with cuckoo-spit, the foamy substance that often covers the plant. The foam is actually nothing to do with the cuckoo but is produced by the nymphs of the frog hopper.

Another commonly used name for this plant is 'Lady's smock' - my favourite name in fact. In many counties milkmaids used to call the plant 'Cuckoo flower' so you can see there is some confusion as to which common name prevails. Another common name is 'Milkmaids'. A plant of fairies, best left well alone, it was never knowingly included in the May Day garland and if used accidentally it could result in the whole wreath being rewoven.

In Austria it was thought that anyone who picked the plant would be bitten by an adder. In Germany people thought that if the plant was brought indoors the house would be struck b lightening.

Medicinal uses

Nicholas Culpeper, the 17th century herbalist, lists a number of uses - the treatment of scurvy, 'provoking the urine', breaking the stone, effectually warming a cold and weak stomach, restoring a lost appetite and as an aid to digestion.

The plant contains vitamin C and it also has tonic and expectorant properties that makes it useful for treating coughs. It can also be used against dropsy, spasms and chronic skin conditions.

Edible uses

The young shoots, leaves and buds taste like watercress and can be sued in salads and with sandwich spreads.

William Shakespeare refers to the Lady's smock in his comedy 'Love's Labour's Lost':

"When daisies pied and violets blue

And lady-smocks all silver white,

And cuckoo buds of yellow hue

Do paint the meadows with delight"

The author of the book from which I draw these Shakespearean references (Eleanor Sinclair Rohde) goes on to say:

"No botanist would describe lady-smocks (her spelling) as 'silver-white' for, strictly speaking, the flowers are pale lavender, but to those of us who are country folk Shakespeare's phrasing rings true. For when their dainty flowers grow in thousands, the meadows seem agleam with them and in the spring sunlight they look as Shakespeare describes them - silver white. Cuckoo buds are surely buttercups, for what other flower of 'yellow hue' can be associated with lady-smocks to 'paint the meadows with delight"? She is, of course, not quite right as the flowers can often be almost pure white.

A very peculiar plant...

2009-04-10T17:22:00.002+01:00

Moschatel (Adoxa moschatellina)

This is a very peculiar plant - so much so that it is in a family all by itself! Indeed in the past it has defied classification but was at one time placed in with buttercups. The name Adoxa comes from the Greek "a doxa" meaning "without glory". The common name, Moschatel, refers to its scent, which is musk-like and which is stronger at dusk when the dew falls or in damp weather.

It is a very small and insignificant plant - growing between 5-12 cms - and can be easily overlooked. It likes to lurk in woodlands and hedge banks, flowering during April and May before being overtaken by the growth of other plants.

The flower head consists of 5 flowers - four facing outwards and one facing upwards. This arrangement gives the plant its other common name - "Town-hall clock". In Cheshire it is also called "Five-faced bishop" apparently after a church dignitary of days gone by who was constantly changing his mind.

There are no known edible or medicinal uses for Moschatel and strangely I have not been able to unearth any further folklore about the plant.

Still, it is a lovely little plant and well worth keeping your eyes open for.

Sunset......

2009-02-20T17:27:00.003Z

I took these shots at the end of the day after shooting Robins most of the afternoon as seen in the previous post. I had to be quick as the sunset went very quickly. I really liked the way the sun lit up the bottom of the dark clouds. I need to get into this Skywatch thing I supppose.

The Robin [Redbreast]

2009-02-17T16:24:00.004Z

The Robin is one of my favourite birds. It has got to be the most widely recognised bird in Britain - surely even the most disinterested person could correctly identify the Robin if asked. The Robin can be quite tame - I have often stood chatting to one a few feet away when digging the vegetable patch in our garden (or resting more likely!). I often hear the sharp tic tic warning call when Sable (our cat) is wandering around. During the heavy snow we had recently you could see several Robins all together feeding without the usual brawling that often happens when two or more of the birds are in close proximity. The following shots were all taken recently on one of those snowy days when I had nothing better to do!

The Robin has a well documented place in our folklore and a quick trawl of the Internet threw up the following. The Robin has always been seen as an emblem of charity and piety. Shakespeare described the Robin as the "Ruddock with charitable bill" and William Wordsworth asked, "Art thou the bird whom man loves best/The pious bird with the scarlet breast/Our little English Robin?"

The are a number of tales about how the Robin got his red breast and these primarily have religious themes and involve acts of kindness. It is said that a Robin picked one of the thorns from the crown worn by Jesus on his head when he was crucified. The bird was either splattered with Jesus' blood or pricked its own chest depending on which version you prefer. Another tale says that the red breast resulted from the bird being singed when it was taking water to sinners in hell. Yet another says that it happened when a Robin was fanning a fire to warm the baby Jesus at Christmas.

Robins are also associated with dead bodies! Apparently, if a Robin came across a dead body it would cover it with moss or leaves. John Webster wrote in his play, The White Devil,

"Call for the Robin Redbreast and the Wren'

Since over shady groves they hover,

And with leaves and flowers do cover,

The friendless bodies of unburied men."

In the fable, "The babes in the woods", (not to be confused with a later pantomime) two young children come to a sad end. The last verses of a poem by Thomas Percy goes:

"Thus wandered these two prettye babes,

Till death did end their grief;

In one another's armes they dyed,

As babes wanting relief.

No burial these prettye babes,

Of any man receives,

Till Robin-redbreast painfully,

Did cover them with leaves."

Robins are are also supposed to be reliable - or otherwise - weather forecasters. If a bird sang on top of a bush then the weather would be warm but if the bird sang from within the bush then rain was on the way. Check it out next time you see a Robin singing!

Killing a Robin was meant to be bad luck - your hands would not stop shaking. Breaking the birds eggs was equally bad, resulting in something valuable belonging to the person responsible being broken.

Perhaps the most obvious link is between Robins and Christmas, particularly as a subject of Christmas cards (I am thinking of making my own this year!!). Apparently postmen in Victorian times were called "Robin Redbreasts" because of the uniforms they wore.

In his poem, Winter, James Thomson (1726-1744) described the tameness of Robins at Christmas:

"The redbreast sacred to the household gods,

Wisely regardful of the embroiling sky,

In joyless fields and thorny thickets leaves

His shivering mates, and pays to trusted man

His annual visit. Half afraid, he first

Against the window beats; then brisk alights

On the warm hearth; then, hopping o'er the floor,

Eyes all the smiling family askance,

And pecks, and starts, and wonders where he is-

Till, more familiar grown, the table crumbs

Attract his slender feet."

Hmmm. I have never had one alight on our hearth but have seen them feeding from peoples hands.

Robins are truly a beautiful bird and I, for one, am glad that they have developed an affinity for people. Perhaps I will leave the patio doors open (if not in deep winter!) one time to see if I can entice a Robin in to feast on some lovely bird seed by our hearth..........!

A winter stroll....

2009-01-07T15:58:00.011Z

We had a bit of snow the other day and so I decided to take a stroll with the trusty Canon to see what was out there.

I have it in mind to reinvigorate my artistic ways and thought to start with a landscape, perhaps featuring our local pub - The Colesbourne Inn. The first three shots are of the Inn just to give you an idea. The Inn dates back to 1827 and was originally a coaching inn - the section to the left of the main part being stables but are now rooms.

I inevitably headed towards Pen Hill on my stroll and the remainder of shots are taken from various points on or near the hill. I would have gone to the top but from the first shot you can see that there was a small herd of cows munching on the rank grass poking through the snow. You have to be careful with cows! I recall watching a programme about helicopter rescues sometime before Christmas which featured an item about a man who was attacked by a herd of cows. He was quite badly beaten about and kicked. The helicopter rescue team was alerted and on arriving at the scene were forced to hover the helicopter between the man and the cows as they were coming back for some more!! There was one particularly stroppy cow which strode up to the helicopter for a face off - I think it must have been their time of the month. Anyway, needless to say, I considered discretion to be the better part of valour and turned around.

By now my fingers were frozen so it was time to head home for a stiff whisky by the fire.

Through the windows.....

2008-12-23T19:41:00.019Z

It has been pretty murky and horrible weather here for the last week and a bit so no outdoor expeditions have happened. So the other day I thought I would try to take some shots through the living room windows. The following is the result. Let me apologise first for the somewhat dodgy standard - a number of factors came into play:

1. It was quite dark, 2. The windows are, in fact, less than clean (!), 3. The shots were taken hand held, and 4. I was trying to focus manually! So no excuses then....

We put out a range of food for the birds - nuts and sunflower seeds in holders, mixed seed, bread, cheese and left-over mashed potato on the ground. The variety attracts a wide range of birds.

First we have the very sociable Blue Tits, Great Tits, Coal Tits and Long Tailed Tits (my favourites), although the latter seem to be very comfortable on the floor as well!

We also get the Goldfinches, Chaffinches and Green finches but only the first two were seen that day.

Ooops, another Blue tit!

The Greater Spotted Woodpeckers have become very proficient at pecking nuts from the holders and they spend an age doing it too.

The Blackbirds love the bread but on this occasion they were determined to gobble up some of the crab apples available. Male and female are shown here.

The lovely Robin generally hops around pecking up anything available but also tries now and then to land on the seed holders - it all looks very frantic and is usually unsuccessful.

This Magpie was nosing around trying to spot where the squirrels had buried their nuts and acorns.

Another new visitor to our patio was this lovely Jay. It has been pouncing on the larger bits of bread and flying off to its favourite perch to gobble away. However, it too has learned to take nuts from the holders although it did not happen this time.

We also get visited by many Pheasants and one in particular has become almost tame. My mother calls it and sometimes it comes running up the garden to get its daily intake of seed. This one was just wandering around looking beautiful!

Then suddenly all the birds disappeared in a flurry of feathers...what had happened??

Oh yes! Dead-eyed Dick Sable had made an appearance and that was the end of my photo shoot for a while.

Autumn woods....

2008-12-07T19:02:00.016Z

Guys - sorry to have been away so long....I'll try to do better!

Trees are wonderful things. Witness the following quotes:

"You will find something more in woods than in books. Trees and stones will teach you things that you can never learn from masters." (St Bernard - French Abbott and Saint - 1090 to 1153)

"As the poet said, "Only God can make a tree" - probably because it is so hard to figure out how to get the bark on." (Woody Allen - Actor, Director and comedian - 1935 and still going)

I prefer the first. There is really nothing like walking through a good wood or forest.

Anyway, I went walking the other day in the hills above Colesbourne where there are lots of small woods shaped by the surrounding fields (or maybe it is the fields shaped by the woods!). The idea was to get some shots of fungi but in the end I only saw a few - I think I was a bit late to be honest. So, undeterred, I took at look around and noticed all the different sorts of bark - smooth, rough and everything in between - as well as the different colours and markings. I am not sure what types they were but I think Beech, Silver Birch and some kind of fir tree were around. It was also an opportunity to check out my new tripod......so none of the following photos was taken using flash.

I did manage to get a few shots of the remaining fungi and here they are. No names I'm afraid - my knowledge of these is even less than my knowledge of trees!

Leaves....

2008-10-26T16:52:00.014Z

John Muir (1838-1914), an American (Scottish-born) naturalist and conservationist, once commented:

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn."

What a wonderfully and timely inspirational thought, although my mountain climbing days are over....however, it makes me want to trek up Pen Hill straight away!

I love leaves and there is no better time of year to look closely at the myriad types, shapes, and colours on show. I took a stroll the other day when the sun was shinning but on its way down to the horizon. I hope you enjoy these few shots.

Some multi-coloured leaves....

Some green leaves....

Some yellow leaves....

Some leaves with back lighting....

Some leaves with blotches....

Some leaves on their way to the great leaf pile in the sky...!

Some red leaves....

Oh, and one grey leaf....!

PS...I got the order a bit wrong towards the end there but I could not face deleting it all and starting again!!

The ivy league....

2008-10-21T17:43:00.007+01:00

Ivy (Hedera helix), perhaps one of the most overlooked of plants in that it is so common place in the country and in urban areas, growing along the ground, up trees and shrubs or up any wall or post wherever it takes root. It is just there and not really noticed or remarked upon. In fact it is quite a complicated plant.

The are numerous variations in shape and colour of the plant's leaves depending on the pertaining environmental factors but there are basically two types of leaf as seen in the first three shots below. The more widely recognised leaves in the first two shots are the juvenile leaves on non-flowering stems, generally at the bottom of the plant and have 3-5 lobes. The mature leaves (third and fourth shots) have no lobes but can be wavy. They appear towards the top of the plant and carry the flowers.

The flowers appear at the top of the plant the light is good - woodland varieties and those creeping along the bottom of hedges do not flower. They are unremarkable at first glance but a closer look will reveal a quite handsome flower with 5 greenish petals and 5 yellow stamens. In Autumn they release abundant nectar and are visited by a wide range of insects - the caterpillars of the Holly Blue butterfly feed on the leaves. The berries appear later in Autumn at first as green nodules which increase in size and turn black - John Gerard records the berries as being ripe after the Winter Solstice.

Edible and medicinal uses

The plant has no edible use - the berries are poisonous. John Gerard recorded an infusion of water in which the leaves have been "steeped" as being a treatment for "...sore and smarting waterish eies [eyes]." Nicholas Culpepper recorded a number of uses for the flowers leaves and berries as treatments for lax and bloody flux, a prevention / treatment of the plague, a provocation of the urine and women's courses, problems of the spleen, ache or stitch, long standing headaches, old ulcers, burns and scalds.

More recently the use of the parts of Ivy has not been recommended as it can cause blood-cell destruction or if the berries are used externally skin blisters can result. However, an infusion of dry leaves in water can be used to treat gout, rheumatic pain, coughs and whooping cough. A warm compress can also be used to treat burns and cuts.

Folklore

There is quite a bit of folklore relating to Ivy...too much to relate here. This was often in conjunction with Holly, the medieval carol, The Holly and the Ivy, being an obvious and well-known example. There were also allusions to the ever present and ongoing battle between the sexes. The Holly, dominant and prickly, was the male plant. Ivy, clinging and compliant, was the female flower (not my interpretation I hasten to add!).

Ivy was sacred to Dionysus and Bacchus, the gods of wine. It was often hung outside inns or vintners to indicate that good wine could be had within. A trail of ivy leaves laid across a drunkard's path was though to bring him (or her??) to his senses. Ivy (as the feminine plant) was thought to bring good fortune to the women of a household. A leaf taken from the leftovers of church decorations apparently promoted the birth of twins. Ivy growing vigorously on a house was meant to protect the occupants from witchcraft and the evil eye. Conversely, if the plant withered it cold mean disaster for a household - infertility, lack of heirs or financial problems. There is more but I think you get the picture!

Shakespeare makes three references to ivy. In "A Winter's Tale" the Shepherd says, "They have scared away two of my best sheep; if anyhow I find them 'tis by the seaside browsing of ivy". Shakespeare twice draws similes from ivy. In A Midsummer Night's Dream (Act iv, Scene 1) Titania, when caressing Bottom, compared herself to "female ivy enringing the barky fingers of the elm". In The Tempest (Act i, Scene 2), Prospero said of his usurping brother, "He was the ivy which had hid my princely trunck and suck'd my verdure out on't".

Again, don't ask me to attempt to delve into the deep and dark thinking behind Shakespeare's usages here!

Field Poppy.....facts and fables....

2008-09-29T16:21:00.004+01:00

The Field (or Wild) Poppy (Papaver rhoeas) - a beautiful sight in the fields, by the roadside or anywhere where the soil has been recently disturbed - next time you see some major roadworks just watch to see which plant is first to show itself in the roadside soil. The flowers shed their petals after only one day but a vigorous plant an produce more than 400 flowers in succession during the summer. Field Poppies are not so widespread as they once were due to the use of pesticides and more thorough cleaning of corn seed. Another name for the plant is corn-rose due to its longtime association with corn fields - Ceres, the Roman Goddess of corn was depicted wearing a wreath of field poppies.

Medicinal uses

John Gerard seems to have been somewhat sceptical as to the efficacy of the field poppy - "Most men being led by false experiment than reason, commend the floures [flowers] against the Pleurisie, giving to drinke as soon as the paine comes, either the distilled water or syrup....And yet many times it happens, that the paine ceaseth by that means, though hardly sometimes." In other words - it seems to work but not always very effectively!

Culpepper refers to wider use in the treatment of catarrh and coughs, hoarseness of the throat and loss of voice. He also states that, "Boiled in wine and drank, the black seed stays the flux of the belly and women's courses. The poppy heads, boiled in water, are given to procure rest and sleep."

Modern uses are for the treatment of coughs, asthma, bronchitis, catarrh, whooping cough and angina as well as inducing sleep.

Folklore

In his book, "The Folk-lore of Plants". T F Thiselton Dyer refers to a romantic use for the poppy when talking about love charms - "Among some of the ordinary flowers in use for love divination may be mentioned the poppy, with its 'prophetic leaf'....."

The best known reference to the Field Poppy is, though, as the flower of remembrance. In her book, "The Folklore of Plants", Margaret Baker states, "Poppy, the memorial flower, springs up quickly after soil disturbance, sometimes within twenty four hours. When the field of Waterloo was ploughed, millions of scarlet poppies grew just as they would one hundred years later in Flanders after the First World War.

William Shakespeare also makes a reference to the poppy. In Othello, Act iii, Scene 3, Iago has says

"........Not poppy, nor mandragora,

Nor all the drowsy syrups of the world.

Shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep

Which thou own'd'st yesterday."

Don't' ask me to explain the context....my knowledge of Shakespeare is very limited! However, clearly this is a reference to one of the poppy's medicinal uses. The reference to mandragora is thought to be to the opium poppy (Papaver Somniferum). In Shakespeare's day, and before then, the opium poppy, which is mauve, was cultivated for its beauty as a garden plant, as it is today.

Bluebell......facts and fables

2008-09-20T19:02:00.004+01:00

The Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) - part of the Lily family, has got to be one of our most evocative flowers. In fact, when Plantlife did the County Flower survey a few years ago - people could vote for the flower they wanted to represent their County - overall the Bluebell was actually voted as England's flower if I recall correctly. There is nothing more wonderful than a stroll through a wood carpeted with Bluebells in Spring. Indeed, it is said that the wife of Hamada, a well-known Japanese potter, used to come to England every year just for the sight.

If you do take such a stroll then take care to keep to the path - it is not the picking of the flowers that kills the plant it is the crushing of the leaves, which feed the bulbs. Bluebells are one indicator plant of ancient woodland and are protected under the law - Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and countryside Act 1981.

Bluebells often hybridise with the Hybrid Bluebell (a garden plant) or the very vigorous Spanish Bluebell but there is no mistaking the true Bluebell with its classic drooping long dark blue trumpets (as above). A hybrid is shown below and these sub-species can often have pink or white flowers.

The plant has no edible or medicinal uses - a previous Latin name for the Bluebell was Scilla non-scripta, Scilla being derived from the Greek, Skyllo, meaning to annoy, referring to the bulbs being poisonous. However, William Turner, in his herbal (published in 1568) reported that, "The boyes in Northumberland scrape the roots of the herbe and glew [glue] theyr [their] arrows and bokes [!] with that slime that they scrape off." Bluebell bulbs also provided starch for stiffening the ruffs favoured by men and women in Elizabethan times (Elizabeth I, 1558-1603).

The Victorians believed that the Bluebell blossomed on 23rd April, St George's Day, and that its flower was as blue as the ocean, over which Britain ruled.

In Scotland, they use the term Bluebell for an entirely different plant - the Harebell (Campanula Rotundifolia) - see below. In certain parts of Scotland it was called "The aul' [old] man's bell" and was, for reasons unknown to me, regarded with a sort of dread and left un-pulled.

Wood-sorrel.....facts and fables.....

2008-09-07T18:07:00.008+01:00

Wood-sorrel (Oxalis Acetosella) is another beautiful Spring flower (April to May) often seen with Primroses and Wood Anemones in shady woodlands. A wonderful sight in Spring! There are a number of plants in the Wood-sorrel family but this is the only true native species. The white flowers have lovely lilac or mauve veining and they droop at night or when it rains to protect the pollen. The plant has a strange reproductive cycle in that it has two flowering periods. The white flowers appear in April lasting to May producing a capsule from which seeds are discharged. However, during the summer a second flowering occurs - a large number of buds close to the ground which seldom or never open. These self-pollinate producing many seeds.

Folklore

The veins on the flowers are said to be the marks of Christ's blood. Wood-sorrel appears in the forefront of crucifixion scenes painted by Fra Angelico and other 15th Century painters. In Dorset, Wood-sorrel is also known as the "Alleluiah" plant as it flowers between Easter and Whitsun when psalms ending in Alleluiah were sung in churches. Wood-sorrel is one of the plants claimed to be the Shamrock used by St Patrick to illustrate the doctrine of the trinity.

Medicinal uses

The leaves and flowers are the parts used and the active ingredients are muscilage, vitamin C and oxalic acid. Using various preparations it was used to hinder the putrefaction of blood, quench thirst, strengthen a weak stomach, prevent vomiting and to treat fevers. Crushed leaves were also applied to cuts and bruises. It was also used as a laxative.

Modern uses are for treating fevers, catarrh, urinary tract inflammation, skin infections and mouth ulcers.

Edible uses

As early as the 14th Century the leaves were used to add flavour to salads, green sauces and soups. They have a sharp acidic taste - Oxalis comes from the Greek, Oxys, meaning sharp. However, because of the high acid content the plant should be used sparingly.

Other names for Wood-sorrel were Cuckow Sorrell, Cuckowes Meate (because cuckoos fed on the plant or it flowered when cuckoos were singing), Wood Sower, Sower Trefoile, Stubwort and Sorrell du Bois (French).

Colt's-foot....facts and fables...

2008-09-03T17:31:00.006+01:00

Colt's-foot (Tussilago Farfara) - a favourite of mine because it is one of the first to come out when the sun shines in late winter / early spring, just after the snowdrops. It provides a lovely sulphur yellow splash of colour when all else is still pretty drab. Colt's-foot grows pretty much anywhere - waste sites, dry banks, fields or other places with a little loose soil, but it particularly likes clay. The flower heads close up as evening approaches. It is a strange plant because the leaves, which are hoof-shaped giving the main common name, only come out once the flowers have finished - hence the folk-names "son-before-father" or "Son of the father".

Folklore

William Coles, in his book, " The Art of Simpling: An introduction to the gathering and knowledge of plants" (published in 1656) states that, "if the down [seed heads] flieth off colt's-foot, dandelion and thistles when there is no wind, it is a sign of rain." Gypsies are said to believe that wherever the brilliantly yellow Colts-foot grows, coals will be found below.

Medicinal uses

Colt'sfoot had (and still has) a number of medicinal uses. These were best described by John Gerard in his book, "The History of Plants" (1597) and Nicholas Culpepper in his book, "The Complete Herbal" (1649). The plant, in various types of preparation could be used to treat coughs - Tussilago comes from the Greek, Tussis, meaning "a cough". It could also treat hot swellings and inflammations, "St Anthony's fire (whatever that was!!) and wheals that arise through heat. It could also treat the "burning heat of piles or privy parts" according to Culpepper.

Today, Colt's-foot is still an important ingredient in many cough medicines and can be used to treat tracheitis, bronchitis and asthma. It is also said that the bruised leaves can be applied to slow-healing cuts and grazes.

Edible uses

Apparently, the young leaves, flower buds and young flower heads lend salads a distinctive flavour and can also be used for soups or like spinach (leaves).

Other things...

The underside of the leaves was once (and could still be I suppose) scrapped off and used as tinder. The leaves could also be dried and used as a substitute for tobacco (Pliny recommended Colt's-foot smoke as a cough chaser).

What an amazing number of uses for such a small plant! Watch this space for more fantastic facts and fables about our common wild flowers (until the rain stops and we get a day's worth of sun so I can go out with my camera again!!).

Geraniums galore...!

2008-08-15T18:01:00.009+01:00

The Geraniums are one of my favourite family of plants.....after orchids. The family includes the Crane's-bills and the Stork's-bills. I have managed to see and photograph nearly all the Crane's-bills but have not [knowingly] seen a Stork's-bill as yet. I think my all-time favourite Crane's-bill has to be the Meadow Crane's-bill. It is such a lovely blue colour but viewed close up one can see the paler red/white veins in the petals. When you see masses of them with the sun shinning through the petals it is just a magical sight.

When Plantlife did a survey to find out what flower people wanted as their "County Flower" the Wild Daffodil was chosen for Gloucestershire. I always though (and think) this was a mistake - it should have been the Meadow Crane's-bill as it is so widespread throughout the County and easy to see as it often occurs on roadsides. Never mind, you can't win them all I suppose. Anyway, the following are shots of the Geraniums I have captured to date.

Herb Robert

Wood Crane's-bill

Shinning Crane's-bill - so-called due to its shiny leaves.

Meadow Crane's-bill....my favourite!

Long-stalked Crane's-bill - a tiny plant, very easy to miss.

Hedgerow Crane's-bill

French Crane's-bill - introduced from the French Pyrenees.

Dusky Crane's-bill

There are several more species of Crane's-bill as well as the Stork's-bills still to collect and I live in hope of doing so in the fullness of time. Perhaps you would be kind enough to say which is your favourite!

For those of you in the UK, if you want to find out what your County flower is then click on the link at the bottom of my sidebar to enter the Plantlife website. Enter the UK web pages (button at the bottom of the Home Page); click on "Discovering wild plants and fungi" and the link for the county flowers is there. Enjoy!

A few ferns....

2008-08-13T21:37:00.011+01:00

Well, yet another awful rain filled week has gone by - it's been too miserable even to consider going out; any self-respecting wildlife would be well tucked up in bed! Much more of this and we wont have to worry about rain forests disappearing in South America - we'll be developing our own!! In the circumstances, I thought I would share some of the shots of ferns I have taken over time. I don't know much about ferns, mosses, liverworts etc, but I definitely want to get into them more. What I like about them is that you can normally find one in the most unlikely little nooks and crannies.

The first one here is called Wall-rue. It likes walls and limestone pavement and I took this one at one of my favourite sites in the Yorkshire Dales...Winskill Stones. This lovely area was saved from destruction as a result of a campaign by Gardener's World presenter, Geoff Hamilton (before he sadly passed away) and Plantlife, the wild plant charity (check out the website via the link on the sidebar). At one time there was massive demand from gardeners for limestone to create rockeries and sites like Winskill Stones were rapidly disappearing. Thankfully it is now a Plantlife Reserve.

This next chap is called Maidenhair Spleenwort, another one that likes walls or a rocky environment.

Next comes the lovely Hartstongue - our only fern with evergreen leaves....apparently. It seems to favour damp places - walls, woods or hedge banks.

I think this next one is a Common Polypody but I am not going to swear to it. I really need to get a good Fern book!!

Finally, I am pretty sure this one is called Hard Fern. The bottom shot shows nicely the overwintering clump of leaves, a darker grey-green colour. The light green being the new growth.

Hopefully, the rain will start to relent sooner rather than later and normal service can be resumed. My library of shots of plants and things is rapidly running out!

Places I have been - Isle of Skye

2008-08-05T20:00:00.019+01:00

Friends of mine recently moved from running hostels for the Youth Hostel Association in various parts of Yorkshire to running a Bed and Breakfast on the Isle of Skye. Of course, I have taken complete advantage of their generosity and stayed a couple of times now...at a vastly reduced rate!

The most important thing to know about Scotland - and the Isle of Skye is no exception - is only to go out of midge season! That is, before the end of May or after the end of September. Otherwise be prepared to get eaten to pieces! The island is so beautiful with breathtaking scenery at every turn. Not least of these are the inspiring Cuillin Hills with some of the hardest climbing in the country, although I have no pictures to share as yet. However, I have a few shots to show.....

A while ago a bridge was built between the mainland and the Isle and this is a shot of it. I have to admit that I have tinkered with it a bit but this is not far from what it was like at the time.

The B&B is in a tiny place called Dunan, just a few cottages really set along the coast. These next four shots show the views from the cottage itself. If you think you might fancy a visit then have a quick look at the website http://www.dunmara.co.uk/. My friends - Adrian and Helen - really do provide a warm welcome and the food is excellent home cooking....not that I am biased and no, they have not paid me a retainer for these comments!

The next shots are some I took at a place called Armadale, towards the south end of the island. My friend Helen works at an old castle - the seat of the MacDonald clan. I was there for a couple of lovely days trying not to spend too much money in the gift shop...which is where she works. I spent some time down at the small harbour just watching the clouds go by and soaking up the warmth. I took a few "portrait" shots as I thought the view was better or more interesting than in "landscape". See what you think.

Next time I will really try to get some good shots of the Cuillin Hills - they are quite spectacular. There are two ranges of hills - the Black and the Red Cuillins - the variation in the colour being caused by different rocks I suppose. There are also two beers named for the Hills. I only tried the Black Cuillin - I liked it SO much I never got round to trying the Red Cuillin!!

Places I have been - The Yorkshire Dales

2008-08-01T19:19:00.016+01:00

The Yorkshire Dales - one of the most beautiful areas of England. I holiday every year in a little village called Clapham on the western edge of the Dales and use the Inn as a base for walking. The village is nestled at the base of Ingleborough (see below). The scenery is just terrific and the wild flowers are really good too.

One of the well known features of the Dales are the "Three Peaks" - Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent. They are the highest peaks in the Dales at 736, 723 and 694 meters respectively....hardly giants but spectacular all the same. Hardy types will climb all three peaks trying to complete the set within 24 hours. The peaks are sort of clustered together but Pen-y-ghent is a wee stroll from the other two! Here are some shots I have taken over time....

Ingleborough

Pen-y-ghent

Whernside (and the Ribblehead viaduct)

These two photographs were taken near to a village called Muker, a short walk up the valley of the river Swale. It's a lovely spot and the barns in the fields are typical of the Dales. The hay meadows are allowed to develop properly before being mowed and are therefore rich in wild flowers.

The Dales are my favourite place to go in England and I am already looking forward to my trip next year! I hope you enjoyed the views.

Another walk to The Green Dragon and back....

2008-07-30T21:03:00.013+01:00

Today I went on my weekly walk to The Green Dragon through the fields and back down the main road. It was really hot and I felt like I had been in a sauna when I got to the pub....soggy shirt an all! Fortunately they have some seating outside so I took my pot of tea in the cool shade and read the Daily Telegraph for an hour to dry off! Very civilised.

Here are some of the things I saw today....

Mugwort

Wild Marjoram

Woolly Thistle

Six-spotted Burnett Moth

I chased one of these spotty guys around for about five minutes before I realised that there were hundreds of the little fellas around me!

Gatekeeper (female)

And lastly......this is our cat, Sable -she is always on the lookout for little mice, voles, shrews to bring in as presents!

Going about their business....

2008-07-24T22:42:00.020+01:00

I was waiting for dinner to arrive (mushroom strogonof) so thought I would just pay a visit to the other side of the road to see what I could see.

Unfortunately, it was a bit windy and the little beasties did not always co-operate but I hope you enjoy these shots anyway. Some bees...

Some hover flies...

Some little beasties I cannot name...

Finally, a couple of snails tucked up for the night.

Plants in the shots are - Field Scabious, Hog Weed and Stinging Nettle. All very common roadside flowers.

To Pen Hill and back...

2008-07-21T19:31:00.022+01:00

Yesterday I walked to the top of Pen Hill, which you may recall is one of the highest points in the Cotswold Hills at 267m above sea level. The views from the top on a sunny day are wonderful. The use of wide angle has flattened thing s a bit but I think the following shots speak for themselves. They represent a sort of panorama of the view facing south and from west to east.

On the way up I found a few old friends....

Lady's Bedstraw

Self-heal

Common Restharrow

Red Clover

Dwarf Thistle and Tormentil.

Sitting on the top of Pen Hill is just marvellous. No traffic noise, a lovely gentle (ish) breeze and big skies to contemplate as you try to forget the job interview you have coming up later in the week! Fingers crossed...

To the Green Dragon and back....

2008-07-15T17:49:00.034+01:00

Well, this is my first proper posting. Previous version of text about Colesbourne have been moved to the right hand column as subsequent attempts to post went pear-shaped!

Today I did my usual walk to the Green Dragon pub at Cockleford. It's about 4 miles there and back....just a nice stretch to work up a sweat as part of my ongoing [unsuccessful] attempt to lose some weight! The Green Dragon is a 17 Century inn nestled next to the River Churn and is hidden away from the main road.

The furniture in the pub was all made by Robert Thompson, "The Mouse Man of Kilburn". He carves his trademark mice into the furniture he produces, including the gate in the car park!

The walk goes through fields along a track that is officially a road, through to Cockleford and the Green Dragon and back along the main road (A435) to Colesbourne. Walking down the main road is fun even if a bit dodgy at times. Eyes in the back of your head would be useful! Even though I was walking quite hard I still managed to see loads of wild flowers...too many to mention here...as well a number of butterflies and other critters. Here are a few pictures...

Meadow Crane's-bill

Pineapple Weed

Pyramidal Orchid

Common Centaury

Pineapple Weed and Common Centaury both have medicinal uses. Pineapple Weed has been used as an infusion to treat intestinal worms and also as a sedative. Common Centaury can be used as an infusion to treat arthritis and anaemia or in homeopathy it is given for liver and gall bladder ailments. It was worth the trip simply to see the Common Centaury, which I have not seen here for some time.

The sun today also brought out some lovely butterflies, although it was a bit windy for easy photography. Anyway, here are a few....

Marbled White and Meadow Brown (female)

Ringlet

Meadow Brown (female)

I also saw these critters but have no idea what they are....pretty though!

Many of the flowers and butterflies shown above I saw on a piece of grassland forming a wide verge on the main road. It just goes to show that you do not necessarily have to go into the back of beyond to see wonderful wildlife. Walking down a main road does have its benefits!