In
Fell
Walking For Wimps 1
we tackled Slate Fell. We’re just a bit to the north of that today
at Watch Hill. A slightly stiffer climb to begin with, but nothing
too strenuous, and it’s downhill all the way after we’ve reached
the top. If
you are wondering what people were watching for on Watch Hill, it was
probably the Scots. Cumbria and Scotland have an interesting history
between them and, as you’ll see when we get to the top, the
Scottish region of Dumfries & Galloway is clearly visible across
the Solway Firth.
Last week we were delving into cow pats on our way up, but today, by contrast, I thought I’d introduce you to a few common meadow flowers. The first of these is the Creeping Thistle, so called because it produces new shoots from the underground roots. These roots, and the stems (when despined) are edible, but have a tendency to cause flatulence. The second is Mouse-ear Chickweed. There are several common chickweeds which are difficult to tell apart, the closest of which is Sticky Mouse-ear who’s leaves are, would you believe, sticky. Then we have Yarrow, one of many similar plants called umbilifers, with large flat heads made up of many florets. The scientific name for the genus is Achillea, after Achilles, who used it to soothe his wounds in battle. Modern pharmacological studies show that it does have anti-inflammatory properties, so the old Greek knew a thing or two.
Last week we were delving into cow pats on our way up, but today, by contrast, I thought I’d introduce you to a few common meadow flowers. The first of these is the Creeping Thistle, so called because it produces new shoots from the underground roots. These roots, and the stems (when despined) are edible, but have a tendency to cause flatulence. The second is Mouse-ear Chickweed. There are several common chickweeds which are difficult to tell apart, the closest of which is Sticky Mouse-ear who’s leaves are, would you believe, sticky. Then we have Yarrow, one of many similar plants called umbilifers, with large flat heads made up of many florets. The scientific name for the genus is Achillea, after Achilles, who used it to soothe his wounds in battle. Modern pharmacological studies show that it does have anti-inflammatory properties, so the old Greek knew a thing or two.
Here
we are at the top and you can see Dumfries & Galloway away to the
right. When I was in Crete, I learnt very quickly, that you couldn’t
have a conversation without mentioning goats. I’ve found the same
here in Cumbria, but with sheep. These, I’m reliably informed, are
Texels,
named after a Dutch island where they were first bred. Dear little
things aren’t they? Very dear, in fact. One lamb fetched £367,500
at auction recently, a world record price (so expect a supermarket
price hike – any excuse).
We’re
off into the woods now. These
trees at the beginning are Birch but as we get a bit further in,
we’re into a conifer plantation. Not much grows beneath conifers as
their needles make the soil too acidic, and being evergreens, no
light reaches the woodland floor. It’s a good place to look for
fungi and lichens though. This first one is a Pixie Cup Lichen. The
cups are empty at first, then filled to overflowing with the red
fruiting body, and then bubble over into a great mass of fluff. All
far too frivolous for the golden Yellow
Stagshorn fungus that you will only find growing on roots and stumps
of conifers. Like most fungi, it is neither poisonous nor edible,
this one’s just greasy and tasteless.
But
what have we down here behind the lichen? It’s a Darkling Beetle.
One of the few beetles I’ve seen in Cumbria, apart from lady
beetles like those two over there (Why
Lady Beetles, not Ladybirds? See Lucky
Insects).
Which begs the question: Whatever happened to the Beetles? I did a
quick analysis and found that back in Crete, a quarter of the insects
I met with were beetles, but here in Cumbria it’s only 12%. OK, I
thought, maybe Crete has loads of beetles. But no, World Observations
on iNaturalist showed that beetles account for 25% of insect
observations as well. So I checked everybody’s insect observations
in Cumbria, after all I haven’t been here long, and sure enough
Beetles only account for 12%. So what have you done with them? Eaten
them? Some secret Cumbrian recipe, unknown to us offcomers? Answers
on a postcard please (or in the comments box below).
A
nice,
pleasant country lane back to our start point and a view of the hill
– technically, a marilyn – and there’s a bird of prey
quartering the ground that is just a bit too distant to identify.
Back at ground level we have some Purple Foxgloves. These
are the ones I warned you not to confuse when making Rosebay
Willow Herb & Mint, Dessert Sauce
as
the heart drug, Lanoxin, is derived from it. Making a dessert sauce
from this would probably kill you. As you can see, the flower shape
is very different to Rosebay Willowherb. All of which doesn’t
bother this Common Earwig nestling among the flowers. This
looks to be a female, the pincers of the male are more curved, and
they are unusual among insects in that they care for their young
until they are old enough to fend for themselves. Fruit and rose
growers tend not to like earwigs because of the damage they do to
their plants, but the odd earwig or two is actually beneficial. They
are only a nuisance in large numbers, but they have many predators,
including birds, bats, amphibians and tachinid flies, which
keep their numbers down. On the plus side, they are very partial to
aphids, which do far more damage to fruit and roses. And that just
about brings us back to where we started.
Until
next week,
Stay
safe and be happy,
Steve
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All
you need to know to identify any type of insect, spider, worm or
snail very simply and find out more about it.
Yvonne:
This
was a gift for a family so that the children can understand what
they see on days out. The second was for me. Logical and easy to
use. If you know anyone who likes nature you can be confident that
gifting this book will give years of pleasure.
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A
science fiction novella for those who don't like science fiction.
A fast-paced thriller that is, literally, out of this world (and
it starts right here in Crete).
Too
new for reviews yet!
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A
light-hearted look at life through the eyes of the fairer sex.
Janet:
If
you are short on time but enjoy reading and are maybe not into
long extended novels then Not Just For... Twisted Women provides
readers with concise stories that stand alone and most certainly
entertain with their ultimate twists. Loved it.
Helen:
A
very good read! Well written and entertaining!
Margaret:
Each
quick tale gives a glimpse into a character's life and has an
often humorous twist at the end. I would love to read more.
Yvonne:
These
days many people find it hard to find the time to read a novel, so
this book of short stories is ideal to dip into. It is also makes
a good gift.
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See
sample pages of all my books and keep abreast of
latest publications here:
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Crete
Nature Catch-up
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