Author Archives: Northwest nature and history

Rewilding in Britain, from Concept to Controversy

(Excerpt) The concept of rewilding seeks to restore self-sustaining ecosystems by reducing intensive human management, reintroducing key species or processes, and allowing natural dynamics greater play.

In the densely populated and long-managed landscape of Britain the concept has evolved from a niche conservation theory into a mainstream yet polarising approach, generating disputes over land-use, rural livelihoods, biodiversity outcomes, and, most recently, wildfire risk.

Northern Shores: Living Relics of the Ice-Age; the Vendace, Schelly and Charr of the English Lakes

(Excerpt) England’s Lake District is home to several species that are considered living relics of the last Ice Age, these include three distinctive cold-water fish: the Vendace, the Schelly and the Arctic Charr. All belong to the salmonid family and depend on deep, cool, well-oxygenated lakes for their survival.

The Duties of a Gamekeeper; High Summer on the Moors

(Excerpt) As July draws to a close across the moors our upland gamekeepers find themselves in the thick of one of their busiest and most critical periods. With The Glorious Twelfth fast approaching their work shifts from protecting nesting birds to assessing populations and preparing for what can be a time of make-or-break for the upland shoot.

The Scotch Argus of Arnside Knott

(Excerpt) The Scotch Argus is a medium-sized butterfly with a wingspan of roughly 44 to 52 mm. Both sexes are predominantly dark chocolate-brown and their upperwings carry a distinctive band of bright orange-brown containing a row of black eyespots, each typically centred with a small white pupil. In flight the butterfly appears almost black, flashing its orange bands as it moves.

The Rise and Fall of Blackburn’s Star Brewery

(Excerpt) In the 20th century the brewery completed several acquisitions included Henry Shaw & Co. (1924), Fountain Free Brewery (1927), Bury Brewery (1949), Preston Breweries (1955), and Yates & Jackson (1984). The Eanam site became the Star Brewery around 1948 and in the 1960s, under Chairman John Yerburgh, a major expansion created a striking nine-storey aluminium-clad tower brewhouse (opened 1966) with ‘Time for Thwaites’ signage and a time capsule. Shire horses were reintroduced for deliveries in 1960, becoming an enduring symbol.

The Barley Harvest 2026

So far 2026’s barley harvest seems to be proceeding more steadily here than in the drought-stressed south and east of the country. While those regions saw some of the earliest starts on record in late June, northern and western crops are following a more typical timeline, benefiting from relatively better moisture retention in many areas.

The Shaded Broad-bar Moth

Biology, Ecology, etc of the Shaded Broad-bar Moth (Scotopteryx chenopodiata) The Shaded Broad-bar (Scotopteryx chenopodiata), a member of the Geometridae family (often called geometer moths or ‘inchworms’ in their larval stage), is a distinctive and relatively common moth across much of the British Isles. First described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, it is a classicContinue reading “The Shaded Broad-bar Moth”