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.

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Steve

The Ice Fields of Kilnhill

 

Another cold January morning up here in The Lake District, but Bassenthwaite, surrounded by snow capped peaks, looks marvellous. An eldritch feel to the shoreline, with mosses threatening to engulf the young saplings, Hairy Curtain Crust Fungus, Stereum hirsutum, colonising the sawn wood, and a pair of Mallards, Anas platyrhynchos, out on the lake. The lake itself, is beginning to freeze, with ice extending about a metre from the bank. The temperature is hovering around the 0^oC mark, but the morning sun is providing a little warmth.

Going east, into the farmlands, gives us an opportunity to see a bit of the local bird life. Common friends like Wood Pigeons, Columba palumbus, and Carrion Crows, Corvus corone, are our constant companions, whilst a Mistle Thrush, Turdus viscivorus, observes our progress from an overhead wire. Higher still, a Common Buzzard, Buteo buteo, quarters the sky. Meanwhile, back on the ground, the flooded fields have become ice rinks and Jack the Navigator Hound goes through his routine for Dancing On Ice, which is somewhat worrying as he's only got little legs and I'm not sure how thick the ice is. Luckily, it's thick enough to support the weight of a Jack Russell!

Into a flooded woodland now, somewhat reminiscent of the Florida Everglades, but without the heat. A lovely bank of snowdrops greet our arrival. There are five different UK species, plus subspecies and hybrids. There is an excellent guide to identifying them here. Up in the trees, outcroppings of an Ascomycete fungus, probably Witch's Broom of the Taphrina genus, adorn the branches. This is the same genus that causes some leaves and catkins to curl and are part of the wonderful world of fungi, without which, nature as we know it would not be nature. Incidentally, there is a fantastic book by Merlin Sheldrake called Entangled Life, which I'm reading at the moment, which is a real eye opener.

And now we emerge out onto the road into the village of Kilnhill, with the snowy fells behind us. Back in the summer, you may remember that we counted 43 different plants and 22 different insects in a stretch of hedgerow like this (see Fell Walking For Wimps 1 - Slate Fell). Nothing in flower today and no insects but it's a good time to look for last year's bird nests and if you look inside, you can see this year's Spring growth taking advantage of the nutrient rich nest floor and the shelter that the nest provides. Nothing is wasted in nature, even this crevice between the branches provides a cosy nook for this Garden Snail, Cornu aspersum.

Back to the car now for a reviving cup of hot soup which our Intrepid Local Guide has been lugging around in her backpack all morning for some reason best know to herself. Personally, I'd have left it in the car.

News From The Old Cornmill

Minibeasts are a bit thin on the ground in the UK during the winter months, so I was delighted beyond reason when this Ground Spider (Gnaphosidae family) turned up in my bathroom this morning.

And finally... some important news: there is far too much going on to fit into one little blog post, so now you can join me throughout the week at the Old Cornmill by subscribing to updates from my brand new web site: Steve's Nature Plus

See you there,

Steve

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