Steve's Nature Plus

 

Nature Diary

Spring has well and truly arrived, and even up here in Cumbria, we have the odd sunny day. April is a great month for getting out and looking for those most colourful of insects, the butterflies. This is a set of four of the commoner European butterflies to be seen this month. Over the whole of Europe there are nearly 500 species to spot in April, with about 70 here in the UK. Don't forget to look out for caterpillars and pupae as well. Many caterpillars are dependant on a particular host plant, or plants, which helps in their identification. The black, hairy caterpillars of the Small Tortoiseshell, for instance, can be found on stinging nettles, whilst further south in Europe, the Swallowtail caterpillars can usually be found on fennel.

The Old Git Bit

The inevitable has happened. I have reached pensionable age and am now, officially, an old git. This means that I am required to answer the platitudinous 'How are you?' with a complete litany of all my ailments (mercifully few as yet) and to point out, vociferously and dogmatically, that things in the 21^st century are nowhere near as good as they were in the 20^th. (This, I shall do with great enjoyment). A lovely quote from Spike Milligan's Puckoon which I always thought would apply to me on my retrement: "He lived on his pension and his wits, both totally inadequate". Fortunately, I was brought up to 'save for a rainy day', which is just as well, seeing as I've retired to Cumbria.

Travels With Ishbel

As a consequence of the above, I can now maintain a comfortable standard of living in my retirement, and indulge my love of travel. Just to update those of you who do not know me from my blogs over the past decade or so, I lived in Crete for the best part of a couple of decades until I lost my wife to cancer. A couple of miserable years followed, I moved here to Cumbria in the UK, met and fell in love with Ishbel, and I'm now happy again. Last month we travelled to the island of Sal in the Cape Verde islands (my first time out of Europe), the highlight of which was paddling with young Lemon Sharks.

Collectors Corner

I've always had a bit of a fascination with old scientific stuff, and since coming to live here, in a converted 18^th century watermill, I have collected a few choice items. I have also developed a taste for other antique and vintage items as well. The trouble is, the flat is quite small, and would soon look cluttered if I let this get out of hand. The solution I came up with, to solve this problem, was to buy things I liked, live with them for a bit, and then sell them on. That way, I'd have constantly changing items of interest around me, without the place looking like a pawnbrokers. That was the theory anyway. I've now turned it into what I believe is called a side hustle nowadays, and sell worldwide on line. True, my study looks like a condensed version of Bargain Hunt and The Antiques Roadshow combined, and I can hardly get into it. Still, it keeps me out of mischief. Come in and have a browse. Antique, vintage and retro presents for housewarming, wedding or virtually any occasion are becoming de rigeur, as they slow the pace of modern manufacturing, and offer far better value for money.

Steve's Vintage Collectables. (click to visit)

Books and Boards

I haven't written any books recently, although I'm still playing around with some ideas. Truth to tell, writing a book is the enjoyable part; but promoting it is a pain. Being from a generation when self promotion was known as 'showing off', and actively discouraged, it doesn't come naturally to me and I'm pretty hopeless at it. Consequently, I don't sell many books. Anyhow, you can find a link to them below, and they're really rather good, if I do say so myself.

The other interest I've revisited since coming back to the UK is treading the boards with the local dramatic society. I've appeared on stage with them once, but find that these days I prefer to be behind the scenes, and you'll usually find me tucked up behind the sound and/or lighting desk, where I don't have to learn any lines.

For those of you who live locally, we do monthly play readings where we sit around in a pub and read a play to the annoyance of other customers. (Actually, we usually use a back room to avoid getting barred.) Our next one is at 7pm on Wednesday 1^st May in The Swan on Kirkgate. It's a fun evening out, so come and join us.

Steve's Books (click to visit)

I hope you like the new format, even if this first edition has been a bit wordy.

All the best,

Steve

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The Badgers of Rydal

 

Last time we chatted, I mentioned that I was starting work on a new book, looking at the state of British mammals in times gone by and how they are fairing now. On rainy days, I've been poring over old texts, but every now and then, I manage to get out and about with Ishbel and Mattie, and take a few photographs. Such was the case last weekend, when we visited Rydal Water.

And this is the reason. For many decades, the staff at the Glen RothayHotel have been leaving kitchen scraps out for the badgers that live in the hotel grounds. On Friday night, I was rewarded with a brief glimpse. The badger approached, cautious as a kitten and as silent as an owl, but was spooked by people leaving the bar rather noisily, and left with great alacrity. On Saturday night, we watched and waited in the comfort of our room (thanks to a webcam provided by Cumbria Wildlife Trust) and when they appeared, we took it in turns to slip out and meet them. I'm 65 now, and this is the first time I've seen a badger in the wild.

Rather than go straight home on Sunday, we popped next door to Rydal Mount, where Wordsworth spent his final years. He was born in Cockermouth, just upstream from where I am now living, so it seemed rude not to pop in while we were in the area. I fell in love with his garden. Totally unstructured, with paths, lawns and little hideaways all over the place. Plenty of birds... but no mammals.

Until we got back to the car park. And there, in the middle of the day, hopping about without a care in the world, was a wood mouse. Leastways, I'm pretty sure it's a wood mouse. The back legs look too big for a house mouse, but I've yet to have it confirmed.

Illustration from Cassell's Natural History, Martin P Duncan Vol.1 (1896)

The other little fellow that I've been studying is the mole. Fascinating, solitary little creatures. Did you know that a mole's home is called a fortress and that they all follow the same design? No, neither did I. Anyone have any moles on their land, up here in Cumbria, that I can come and photograph?

Steve's Vintage Collectables. (click to visit)

Whilst wandering around Wordsworth's house, I noticed a number of antiques similar to those that I have on sale. Nice to see them in their original settings. Retro, vintage and antiques are tipped to be big sellers on the Christmas present market this year, as people shun modern manufactured goods. Just a thought.

Steve's Books (click to visit)

And books make great Christmas presents. Easy to wrap. Easy to post.

Until next time, all the best,

Steve

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Or why not join the 3.3k members of our Naturalists group?

All the best,

Steve

Wet and Dry

 

It had been my intention, on returning from my summer break from blogging, to bring you a whole series of blogs, featuring the diverse wildlife of Scotland, Hungary, Austria and Germany. However, the best laid plans and all that. As we all know, the weather has become ever more unpredictable, and to cut a long story short, Scotland was too wet for wildlife and central Europe was too dry.

The first picture above shows the Falls of Dochart at the western end of Loch Tay where Ishbel, Mattie and I spent four days studying clouds... from the inside. It was only on our return journey, when we visited the lower reaches of the Tay in a vain attempt to find some Bearded Tits, that we spotted a few Fallow Deer. Other than that, a couple of Buzzards, pretending to be Golden Eagles, and a lone Kestrel were all that we could find.

A week or so later, my mother, my sister and I, took a cruise up the river Danube. Here, I was hoping to bring you something along the lines of My Family and Other Animals, but unfortunately, the other animals were conspicuous by their absence. Apart from a handful of wasps, three butterflies and a dragonfly, the only other insect I saw was this Green Shieldbug, who hitched a lift with us somewhere near the Hungary/Austria border.

Of birds, mammals and amphibians there was scant sign, even though I walked the river banks at various stops. This may, in part, have been due to the long dry summer in central Europe. So dry, in fact, that the cruise had to be abandoned at Passau as the river level had dropped so much that the Danube had become unnavigable above that point.

This got me thinking. We are being bombarded with information about climate change and the state of the planet. So much so, that it's hard to take it all in. What I wanted was a short, readable, book that would put everything into context. So I've decided to write one. It will be called British Mammals: Then and Now.

I have a number of antiquarian natural history books that tell me the state of British mammals in days gone by, which I will contrast and compare with current information to try to establish what has happened, why it has happened, and what will happen in the future if we either intervene or let things continue as they are. Give me a few weeks to get the initial research done, and then I'll be back with some updates and a few fascinating tidbits about the 100+ mammals that we have in the UK. (No, I didn't realise we had that many either).

All the best for now.

Steve

PS When I've finished with some of my antiquarian sources, I''l probably put them up for sale, so keep an eye on Steve's Vintage Collectables (which is also a good place to look for Christmas presents. Vintage and antique items are a lot more environmentally friendly than modern, manufactured stuff).

Steve's Vintage Collectables. (click to visit)

Steve's Books (click to visit)

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Or why not join the 2.5k members of our Naturalists group?

All the best,

Steve

Thyme for a Cumbrian Cassoulet

 

The botanists are trying to confuse me again! The plant on the left used to be known as Mediterranean Thyme, Thymus capitata. It looked like thyme, it tasted like thyme and, as far as I was concerned, it was thyme. Now it has been reclassified as Thymbra capitata. It is still known as Mediterranean Thyme, but also as Spanish Oregano, despite the fact that it looks and tastes nothing like oregano. OK, there are biological differences between the genera, but in culinary terms there's not much difference between Mediterranean Thyme, which was a mainstay of my Cretan diet when I was out there, and good old British Wild Thyme, Thymus praecox britannicus. Both go well with fish, and if you're in France – sausages.

Ishbel and I were wandering around the auction house last week when I spotted a box of pots and pans which looked strangely familiar. “I think those are French,” I said to her, enthusiastically. “Hmm?”, said a man standing close by. Ishbel had wandered off somewhere. I turned a pot over, and sure enough, stamped on the bottom, were the words L'incomparable – Vallauris Co – Made in France. I'd last seen a pot like this in 1969, when visiting the rest of the family, who were living in a village near Toulouse. It was in our concierge's kitchen, and she was making the local variation of the French dish, cassoulet.

Cassoulet has many regional variations, but is basically a meat and bean stew, flavoured with garlic and herbs. Mme. Caner was making hers with local sausage and duck, and the herb she was using was thyme. Anyhow, I bought the pots and pans at auction, and determined to make a Cumberland Cassoulet, using our local Cumberland sausage and a few sprigs of British Wild Thyme. If I say so myself, the result was excellent, and I've posted the recipe in Steve's Wild Kitchen. I'd recommend a good Côtes du Rhône Villages to go with it.

A couple of weeks ago, when we were in Sunderland, I spotted a chrysalis, partially wrapped in a bramble leaf. It wasn't one I immediately recognised, so I put it in my pocket and brought it home. Yesterday morning, I came into my study-cum-lab to find a Red Admiral sitting at the computer. Even at my age, I still get excited by the hatching of a butterfly.

Steve's Vintage Collectables. (click to visit)

The cassoulet pot can be found here.

Steve's Books (click to visit)

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All the best,

Steve

Where in the World?

 

If you follow me on facebook or instagram, then you'll know that I've been teasing you all week with clues as to where this week's blog post is set. The first picture I posted gave rise to guesses of Crete and Cyprus. Sandy beach, brilliant blue sky, fantastic rock formations. It is, in fact, Marsden Beach, on the north east coast of England, between the mouths of the rivers Tyne and Wear. Given the ridiculous temperatures around the Mediterranean at the moment, it makes sense to stay in England for the summer holiday and leave the Med for a bit of winter sun. Besides, there's a wealth of sea birds to see. Great Cormorants sunning themselves on the rock stack, Black-legged Kittiwakes nesting on the cliffs, gulls and terns a-plenty, and the occasional Guillemot or two.

Human history, as well as natural history, is also well represented, with the Beamish Living History museum. A grand day out for all the family. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing some of Steve's Vintage Collectables in their natural setting, and I learnt a thing or two. Last year, I wrote a series of blogs called Steve's History of Things. I think it's time to resurrect it. (Just follow this blog to get notifications of new posts from both blogs).

Staying with the historical theme for a moment, The National Glass Centre in Sunderland is well worth a visit. Sunderland has been the centre of the British glass making industry ever since Benedict Biscop brought French glaziers over from Gaul in the 7^th century to make some stained glass windows for St. Peter's church (which is still standing and is one of the oldest churches in England). Again, I found that there was more to glass than I ever knew, so you can expect an expansion in SVCs Glorious Glass section, as I hunt around for interesting items.

But to return to natural history; my final teasing picture appeared to be a picture of The Acropolis, which I said was taken from Washington. It is Sunderland's Penshaw Monument and the picture was taken from Washington Wetlands, which is where we're off to next. Incidentally, there is not only a Washington in Tyne and Wear (George Washington's ancestral home) but also a Philadelphia and a New York. But back to the wetlands, which is a full day out and, as you would expect there are plenty of waterfowl, both native and non-native species, bird hides from which to view them and a good scattering of information boards, so you know what you're looking at and why. At the furthest point of the reserve, tucked away in a quiet corner, are the amphibian ponds. Here you will find the rarest of Britain's three newt species, The Great Crested Newt. Their numbers have declined drastically in the past fifty years, as their ponds have been filled in, built over, or just polluted.

And finally, a walk around the estate. By which, I mean housing estate. I was greatly impressed by the amount of green spaces around Sunderland. This massive hay meadow, surrounded by houses and tower blocks, provided a wealth of insects from all different orders – Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), Hymenoptera (bees, ants, wasps and sawflies), Hemiptera (true bugs), Diptera (flies) and Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies). Sunderland may not be the first place you think of for a summer holiday, but it certainly shouldn't be the last.

Steve's Vintage Collectables. (click to visit)

Steve's Books (click to visit)

Follow me on Steve's Nature Plus and also on Twitter (@Steve's Nature), Facebook (Steve Daniels),and Instagram (Steve Daniels Cumbria)

Or why not join the 2.5k members of our Naturalists group?

All the best,

Steve

Breaking Rocks in the Hot Sun

Before we go off on our travels, I just want to lead you down the garden path. Last year we created a wildflower meadow in one corner of Ishbel's garden. It was not a roaring success, but this year we tried flower bombs; balls of seeds packed in nutrients, that you just lob on to the bare earth and add water. As you can see, the result has been quite magnificent. There are cornflowers, poppies, borage, ox-eye daisies, and numerous others. The honey bees that live two yards away seem to have totally ignored this largesse but the bumble bees love it.

And now to the breaking rocks in the hot sun bit. Just down the road is Parton Beach. This particular stretch of the Cumberland coastline around the Whitehaven area is our Carboniferous Coast and is famous for its plant fossils. An hour's rock splitting produced a selection of fish scales and possibly an insect wing (centre). 

Last time out, I introduced you to the Cumbrian tarns with a trip to Devoke Water. This week, I'll take you to another one, the ridiculously beautiful Tarn Hows. There's a great walk all the way round, and we'll stop for a picnic half way. 

Maybe I've got fossils on the brain, but surely those are lines radiating out from a point on the left? Looks a bit like the imprint of a leaf. 

This looks like an ideal spot to sit and sandwich. We're surrounded by clouds of Blue Damselflies, drifting fairylike, among the reeds and Mattie seems happily fascinated by the Mallard ducklings, navigating their way through the waterlilies. Could anything be more idyllic?

Steve's Vintage Collectables. (click to visit)

Keeping the nature theme going...

Steve's Books (click to visit)

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All the best,

Steve

Rivers, Lakes, and Tarns

 

Firstly, let me wish you all a happy summer. The solstice passed last week, so where better to start our journey than at a stone circle. No-one has come up with a definitive reason as to why these were built, but solstices and equinoxes figure in most theories. 

Cumbria is particularly rich in these megalithic monuments, with over fifty of them. This is probably a numbers game: given Cumbria's climate, there's a reasonable chance that an errant shaft of sunlight will fall upon at least one of them on Midsummer's Day. This one is Blakely Raise, near Ennerdale, which is where we're off to next. It's pretty well windswept moorland up here, but there are odd patches of Cotton Grass dotted about. It's quite a useful little plant of the sedge family, having been used for candle wicks, paper making, wound dressings, and pillow stuffing. The leaves and roots are edible, and it has been used medicinally for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. It is also the county flower of Greater Manchester. The last two facts are probably unconnected.

Meanwhile, over at Ennerdale, the Lepidoptera are out in force. Meadow Browns are two a penny, and the Burnet Moths are hatching in great abundance. Unfortunately, the Cleg Flies are also pretty numerous. Although attractive to look at (as flies go), they have a vicious bite. It is only the females that bite; they need a blood meal in order to reproduce (and who would begrudge them that?).

Let's head south now to Devoke Water. Although the Lake District is famous for its sixteen lakes, there are also nearly two hundred smaller bodies of water; the tarns. This is the largest of them and it is magnificently remote. Buzzards wheel in the sky overhead, Swallows skim the water, and the occasional Northern Wheatear stands guard. In the drystone walls that line the lane, Pied wagtails and Wrens are nesting and escort us down the road, politely asking us to be on our way. The shallow puddles around the edge of the tarn are a great place for dragonflies, a true harbinger of long, hot summer days.

Heading north via the village of Ulpha, we run alongside the upper reaches of the River Duddon (the estuary of which, we visited last summer). A lovely spot to stop and have a picnic. There are minnows in the shallows, and a Grey Wagtail flitting about. Growing on a rock, down in the rapids is a lonely little Selfheal. A nice little pot herb that can be eaten raw or boiled, it's name derives from its use in traditional medicine. Good for cuts, scratches and boils apparently.

And finally... some news from the Old Corn Mill. We have a new young Heron on the block, possibly the offspring of Harry and Sally. One of the Mallards has had five ducklings, and she's sharing our neck of the Derwent with a Goosander and her brood of four. It's a veritable avian soap opera outside my front door.

Steve's Vintage Collectables. (click to visit)

I've just opened a new section in the shop this week: Terrific Toys & Games. Pretty self indulgent really, as I love old board games. Pop in and take a look.

Steve's Books (click to visit)

Keep an eye out for me at Wordsworth House on Saturday lunchtime. Poets Out Loud are part of Cockermouth Live and I may even give you a blast of comic poetry from Chubby's Crematorium and Burger Bar.

Follow me on Steve's Nature Plus and also on Twitter (@Steve's Nature), Facebook (Steve Daniels),and Instagram (Steve Daniels Cumbria)

Or why not join the 2.5k members of our Naturalists group?

All the best,

Steve