#Forestofbowland – Page 32 – Northwest Nature and History

The Red-tailed Bumblebee

The Red-Tailed Bumblebee The Red-tailed Bumblebee’s scientific name is Bombus lapidarius, bombus simply meaning bee and lapidarius meaning ‘relating to stones’, referring to the small mounds of tiny gravel found where the bumblebee has dug a nest. Common and easily identifiable It is a common and easily identifiable Bumblebee found all across the British islesContinue reading “The Red-tailed Bumblebee”

The Hodder Bridge Hotel

The Hodder bridge hotel The Hodder Bridge Hotel was once a very popular country Inn overlooking the Hodder near the village of Chaigley, It sits next to the Higher Hodder bridge at the foot of Kemple End. The hotel has now been converted into private houses but was once locally famous, with the views fromContinue reading “The Hodder Bridge Hotel”

Some of the breeds of Hill Sheep that can be found in the Northwest

This is a guide to some of the Hill Sheep breeds that can be found in the Northwest of England, (for an explanation of some of the terms used please see this article) ; The Derbyshire Gritstone This hardy breed of hill sheep was originally bred by Peak District hill farmers to survive in harshContinue reading “Some of the breeds of Hill Sheep that can be found in the Northwest”

The Lapwing

The Lapwing, Vanellus vanellus, also known by various onomatopoeic names, most commonly ‘Peewit’ or ‘tew-it’ and, rarely, as the Green Plover, is resident to the British isles and in winter huge flocks (a group is called a ‘deceit’) can be seen on our coastal estuaries, mudflats and nearby farmland. Enchanting and enigmatic Lapwings are enormouslyContinue reading “The Lapwing”

The Oystercatcher

Oystercatchers, Haemotopus ostralegus, used to be commonly known as ‘sea pies’ (describing their black-and-white ‘pied’ plumage, in a similar way to Magpies) and are a large and very distinctive looking wader with a long red bill, red legs, black head, black back and brilliant white front. They are one of the largest waders in theContinue reading “The Oystercatcher”

The Controversial practice of Controlled Burning

Controlled burning, also known as Prescribed burning, Muirburn or Heather burning, has long been used as a method of managing the heather moorlands of the British Isles. Every year, from the 1st of October to the 15th of April in upland areas and from the 1st of November to the 31st of March in otherContinue reading “The Controversial practice of Controlled Burning”

The Rocks beneath our feet, Part 1

The Ice Age and Glacial Erratics The Ice Age As with all parts of the British isles the Northwest of England owes the current shape and form of its landscape to the geological processes of many hundreds of millions of years, some of which we‘ll look at in this series of articles. The most obviousContinue reading “The Rocks beneath our feet, Part 1”

The Emperor of the moors, Saturnia pavonia

The Emperor moth, Saturnia pavonia is one of the most spectacular insects you could hope to see in the British isles and the only member of the Saturniidae family to be found here. The large ‘eyes’ on its wings give this moth its scientific name; ‘pavon’, which is Latin for Peacock, and it is indeedContinue reading “The Emperor of the moors, Saturnia pavonia”