Thirlmere - The 'Waisted' Lake

 

Once upon a time, there was a little lake called Thirlmere, so shallow that you could walk across the middle at times. 'Thirl' probably derives from Old English denoting a narrowing. Then, in the 19^th century, the growing city of Manchester acquired it for a reservoir and built the dam on which we are now standing. The water flows downhill, all the way to the metropolis 96 miles away, without the need for pumps of any kind, flowing over aqueducts and through tunnels in an incredible feat of engineering. If you fancy a ten mile hike, you can walk all the way around the lake but today, we're going to concentrate on the north west section.

There are buzzards and a kestrel high in the sky, wheeling and hovering around Raven Crag to our right, while down here by the lake dunnocks and chaffinches flit from branch to branch and we also have a Chiffchaff. The chiffchaff is a rather nondescript little warbler who rather helpfully calls its name with a repetitive chiff chaff, chiff chaff. Distinguishing between warblers and female finches such as the chaffinch is relatively simple; just look at their bills. Warblers eat spiders and insects and have thin bills adapted to that purpose. Finches, being seed eaters, have thick, powerful bills.

Later in the year, this bank will be covered in dense, green bracken but now is just the right time to see it unfurling against a backdrop of pale moss. At this stage in their development, they always remind me of seahorses, gently floating amid the undulating seaweed.

The bluebells are just starting to come into flower and here we have a lovely Orange-tip butterfly. This is one of the 'White' butterflies in the family Pieridae, as are the common Small and Large Whites. If you look at the underside of the wing, you can see that it is a mottled green, similar to the Bath White.

Here we are at what was once the waist, or thirl, of Thirlmere and we have a lovely view of sunlight on the fells. Apart from the emerging Bluebells and the last of the Daffodils, we've not seen much that is new in the way of flowering plants this morning. The Dog Violets and Golden Saxifrage were both blooming last month, but we do have some Wild Strawberries in flower, much to the delight of this little ant. 

A very pleasant walk, particularly if you are not fond of going up hill and down dale, and we shall return to Thirlmere again to see it in different seasons. Meanwile, do join me throughout the week for Minibeast Monday, Podcast Tuesday, #CumbriaNature on Wednesday, Pic of the Week on Thursday (to introduce the new feature below) and Foraging Friday. All this for free on Steve's Nature Plus

All the best, Steve

Steve's Gallery

I have put selected pictures up for sale as digital downloads or prints, for both private and commercial use. I shall be concentrating on the pictures which show relationships between organisms and their environment and interspecies behaviour. Gallery.

Steve's Books

The Quick Guide to Creepy-Crawlies 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.
The Eggs of Saramova A science fiction novella for those who don't like science fiction. A fast-paced thriller that is, literally, out of this world. Shanaya: At last! A book with a ballsy female lead with no superpowers whatsoever who battles against the odds and wins (or does she?). I really related to her! And I laughed out loud at the last story.	£7.50 Paperback edition
Not Just For Twisted Women by Steve Daniels  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.	£4.99 Paperback edition

Longlands Lake

 

Longlands Lake is more than just a beautiful spot for a picnic, watching the swans, gulls and ducks. There are woodlands to explore, small ponds to investigate and river walks along the Ehen. So, come with me today and we'll do three out of four. Picnics aren't allowed yet... but soon!

Let's start with a look at the woodland plants and then we'll take a walk around the lake. Firstly, the banks of the Ehen are still absolutely lined with snowdrops and there is also plenty of other interesting stuff about. Hart's-tongue ferns along the river bank and around the bases of trees. Turn over their leaves and you can see the neatly regimented lines of reproductive spores. These rather undistinguished leaves are hiding a culinary delight. Roll one between your fingers and take a sniff. The unmistakable aroma of wild garlic. I think we'll take a few of those home with us. And while we're in foraging mode, there's plenty of Lesser Celandine about. Although the leaves are mildly poisonous when eaten raw, cooking them removes the toxic protoanemonin which is released when the raw leaves are crushed. For that reason, the old medicinal practice of treating piles with them is probably best avoided, as is the old Cumbrian practice of cleaning your teeth with them. Those caveats aside, these are one of the first foraging plants of the year and the one that Edmund first sees as winter suddenly turns to spring in C S Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Here in the woods, there are Tree-creepers and Nuthatches, flitting about the trees but keeping their distance from us. Around the lake however, it is a different story. The birds are fed regularly and lavishly, so they are very human tolerant (even of those of us with cameras). I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Here we have a small pond under construction. Nothing has taken up residence yet, but there's something very interesting on these strategically placed logs. Usually, we only notice the fruiting bodies of fungi, such as these Oyster Mushrooms which I'm going to snaffle and omelettize with those Ramsons we found earlier. But where the bark has come off this log, you can see something that resembles a printed circuit board. This is mycelium, the 'roots' of  fungi. These spread beneath our feet connecting the trees and other plants in the wood, swapping nutrients for sugars in what is known as 'The Wood Wide Web'. Recent studies have also revealed that they can also transmit electrical impulses, a little like the neurons in our brain, so the circuit board reference may be closer than we think.

And finally, as we take a stroll along the banks of the Ehen, we're joined by a magnificent buzzard. What a beautiful way to spend the morning.

A little note on something completely different. For those of you who scroll down at the end of these posts, you'll also know that when I'm not looking for insects under stones, I also write books. As none of us can get out and read to you at the moment, I've teamed up with fellow author, Lyn Osbaldeston to create a weekly podcast called 'The Author Reads' where Lyn, myself, and a guest author read to you. It's a great way for you to discover new authors for free and a great way for us to introduce ourelves to you in these restricted times. Have a listen or download it to your iPod for later: 

Steve Daniels and Lyn T Osbaldeston present The Author Reads

And finally... keep an eye on the website throughout the week for News From The Old Cornmill and recipes from Steve's Wild Kitchen involving the Ramsons, Oyster Mushrooms and Lesser Celandine Leaves.

Steve's Books

The Quick Guide to Creepy-Crawlies 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.
The Eggs of Saramova 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!
Not Just For Twisted Women by Steve Daniels  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.

See sample pages of all my books and latest blogs, and keep abreast of latest publications here: http://author.to/SteveDaniels

Crete Nature Catch-up
Series 1 - Welcome to Lasithi	Series 2 - The Rhythm Of Life	Series 3 - A Journey Begins
Series 4 - The Milonas Valley	Series 5 - This Is Ferma	Series 6 - Upland Villages
Series 7 - The Forty saints	Series 8 - Sunday Strolls	Series 9 -Stormy Weather

*********************************************************************

LINKS:

Share your nature thoughts, photos and comments on Naturalists (the facebook page that accompanies this blog)

Aira Force

 

Long ago, in days of yore

Emma fell for Sir Eglamore

Not only fell

But fell right in

And what is more

She couldn't swim

Steve Daniels 2021

Okay, so Wordsworth may have penned a better poem about the tragic love of Aira Force in his The Somnabulist of 1833, but mine's shorter and you get the gist.

This is the famous Aira Force, the upper part of which we'll be exploring today, along with our Intrepid Local Guide and Jack The Navigator Hound. Force is a northern English word for a waterfall and comes from the Old Norse 'fors'. Aira is also Scandinavian in origin, it is the feminine form of Airi, the messenger or herald. I'm not sure what the message is, but it's a very loud one. No words can describe the sheer power of the water as it cascades down the mountainside, through echoing rock chasms, at this time of year.

Leaving Emma and Aira aside for one moment, there are a couple of other girls up here, Holly and Hazel, that are showing signs of life. There's Holly on the far bank, producing a wonderful crop of scarlet berries, whilst over here, Hazel is coming into flower. In last week's Frozen! We saw that the male catkins of the hazel tree had arrived to greet the coming Spring, and now the tiny red female flowers have come out to join them. We'll have to wait until September or October though, to enjoy the fruits of their union.

Holly and Hazel are both flowering, vascular plants. That is, they reproduce via seeds (nuts in the case of Hazel and berries in the case of Holly) and they conduct water around their tissues via substances called xylem (which transports water from the soil to the stems and leaves) and phloem (which transports the sugars manufactured during photosynthesis to wherever the plant happens to need them at the time). Ferns, like this Common Polypody, which you can see growing on the trees, are non-flowering, vascular plants. They also conduct water around their tissues but reproduce using spores, much like mushrooms do. As you can see, there is also plenty of moss about (which we also looked at in last week's Frozen!). Moss is a non-flowering, non-vascular plant. It simply soaks up water but has no means of actively transporting it.

Going further back along the evolutionary scale, as it were, we come to the unicellualar algae which, among other things, are responsible for making rocks slippery (otherwise they'd just be wet). Diatoms, in particular, (which we met earlier this month when we went Half Way To Sunderland) produce slime to facilitate locomotion when they want to move, and to stick themselves to things when they don't. Very useful stuff, slime, unless you're trying to walk over slippery rocks, of course. It is the diatoms and other unicellular organisms that provide the very basis of the food web which makes all the rest of life on Earth possible. Under the microscope, watching these tiny bundles of life, ponderously grazing like sheep or whizzing around like flies, is truly mesmerising.

I hate to tell Jack, but if he's waiting for the food web to evolve into something more meaningful, he's going to be there an awful long time.

Aira Force finishes its hectic descent at Ullswater, which I'm sure we'll explore at a later date. Meanwhile, it's a beautiful location to sit and have lunch. There's a Tree-creeper making his way up that tree, just there, using his legs and tail in a sort of tripod arrangemnet for extra stability. Notice the curved beak for getting in behind the rough bark of the tree. If I just prise a bit of bark off here, I can show you what he's looking for – pupating insect larvae.

Someone asked me recently, in the Naturalists Facebook group that accompanies this blog, “How can I become a naturalist?”. The answer I gave was simple: “Never grow up. Continue to see nature through the eyes of a child and always ask: What's that? What's it doing? Why is it doing it? Everything else will follow.”

That's all for this week but if you visit my webpage at Steve's Nature Plus I've made a video of Aira Force so that you can see it in all its glory.

Steve

Steve's Books

The Quick Guide to Creepy-Crawlies 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.
The Eggs of Saramova 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!	£7.50 Paperback edition
Not Just For Twisted Women by Steve Daniels  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.	£4.99 Paperback Edition

See sample pages of all my books and latest blogs, and keep abreast of latest publications here: http://author.to/SteveDaniels

Crete Nature Catch-up
Series 1 - Welcome to Lasithi	Series 2 - The Rhythm Of Life	Series 3 - A Journey Begins
Series 4 - The Milonas Valley	Series 5 - This Is Ferma	Series 6 - Upland Villages
Series 7 - The Forty saints	Series 8 - Sunday Strolls	Series 9 -Stormy Weather

*********************************************************************

LINKS:

Share your nature thoughts, photos and comments on Naturalists (the facebook page that accompanies this blog)

Explore the region with the #CreteNature interactive Hiking and Nature Map

Cretan Flora Flowers of Crete BIRDS OF CRETE Crete Birding

Greek Butterflies and Moths Aquaworld Aquarium

Visit Greece (National Government Tourist Office)

The Puddle Hills - Crummock Water

 

As we are in the Lake District, it’s high time that we visited one of these overgrown puddles to see what all the fuss is about. About 8 miles to the south of Cockermouth lies Crummock Water, and it is there that we shall take a stroll to Hause Point [pronounced Haw’s], one of the lower promontories which won’t tax the leg muscles too much. It’s a beautiful day, so let’s see what we can find.

We’ll start by walking towards the back of this block of rock, known as Rannerdale Knots, then follow a beck down towards the lake, before finishing up on that little hillock in the middle distance. There are a couple of very common flowers that you’ll see all over the place at the moment: Tormentil, the little yellow one with 4 petals in the shape of a cross; and Harebell, the blue droopy, bell shaped one. The tall job, with the yellow flowers drying to brown is Woodland Germander, sometimes known as Wood Sage. Don’t bother picking the leaves, it’s a totally different plant to the sage in the kitchen. Same family, but that’s as far as it goes.

This is Squat Beck, looking like it’s posing for a calender, and dancing about in that Willow tree that we just passed was an Ichneumon Wasp. These really are good guys as far as the human race is concerned. They lay their eggs in other insects, such as the beetles that infest the crops that we grow to eat. The big problem is that we don’t know how many types there are, or which ones control which harmful crop pests. If we did, we could manage our farms to encourage the right Ichneumons in as pest controllers, and not have to spray the crops with goodness knows what. The world needs more biologists and less financial analysts. Enough soap-boxing, I’ve just spotted an Oil Beetle scurrying into the grass. They’re called oil beetles because they release tiny droplets of oil, which can burn the skin, if you pick them up. They aren’t so useful to us, as in the larval stage they attach themselves to bees and eat the bee’s offspring. Now, if we knew which ichneumon fly attacked the oil beetle that attacked the honey bee… the world definitely needs more biologists.

There’s Hause Point, up there to our left, but we’ll go round and take the easy way up. We often chat about flowers on our walks, but before flowering plants came into existence, about 140 million years ago, ferns had already been about for a couple of hundred million years and mosses probably about a hundred million years before that. They really are successful organisms. This one, growing in the wall, is a Parsley Fern, because its fronds look like parsley leaves, and this, at the base of the wall is Haircap Moss. What looks like a tiny red flower sticking out of it is a spore bearing capsule. No pollination required as ferns and mosses reproduce in a simpler way (but still too complex to go into, here and now).

Here we are, back at the water’s edge and that seventeen hundred foot pile of rubble on the far side of the puddle is Mellbreak. Ah, how sweet; a Robin has come to join us. Terrible things really, fiercely territorial, probably why they have red breasts, doesn’t show the blood. You wouldn’t want one as a neighbour, if you were another robin, that is. You see that tree, along the bank? There are a couple of Canada Geese foraging around the base of it. The first pair of these geese came to live in St. James’s Park in London in the late 17^th century, where King James II kept his waterfowl collection. They bred and spread, slowly at first, but now there are over a hundred thousand of the beggars in the country. I use the term advisedly because, although they are naturally herbivorous, searching around for choice plants as these two are doing, we have taught them to beg for food. For city birds, we have become their chief source of sustenance. They, in return, give us a rich source of fertilizer (a fact not always appreciated when you tread it into your carpet back home).

So, having walked along by the waterside, and up the gentle slope, we have now arrived at Hause Point. A commanding view over Crummock Water, from which the River Cocker flows down to Cockermouth. I have to admit, for all I mockingly call them the puddle hills, The Lake District truly is scenically spectacular.

Until next week

Stay safe and be happy,

Steve

Steve's Books

The Quick Guide to Creepy-Crawlies 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.
The Eggs of Saramova 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!
Not Just For Twisted Women by Steve Daniels  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.

See sample pages of all my books and latest blogs, and keep abreast of latest publications here: http://author.to/SteveDaniels

*********************************************************************

LINKS:

Share your nature thoughts, photos and comments on Naturalists (the facebook page that accompanies this blog)

Explore east Crete with the #CreteNature interactive Hiking and Nature Map

Crete	Cumbria
Cretan Flora Crete Birding Greek Butterflies and Moths	Cumbria Wildlife Trust Cumbria Bodiversity Data Centre Carlisle Natural History Society