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”
Tag Archives: #Northwestnatureandhistory
Spring on the Upland Farm
Spring is rapidly approaching and it’s the busiest time for our upland farmers. The dairy and cattle farmers will be welcoming the year’s new calves, while lamb farmers will up at all hours helping their ewes deliver lambs. Our upland moors and pastures have looked the same way for centuries, and this is largely becauseContinue reading “Spring on the Upland Farm”
Halton’s Mechanical Elephants, or The Polish-built Petrol-powered Pachyderms
Halton’s heritage Just up the river Lune, a couple of miles from the city of Lancaster, sits the historic village of Halton, once a bustling hub of industrial activity powered by the waters of the Lune. In the area’s hay-days, which lasted from the 17th to 19th centuries, the water-wheel powered mills, the oldest ofContinue reading “Halton’s Mechanical Elephants, or The Polish-built Petrol-powered Pachyderms”
The Emperor of the moors, Saturnia pavonia
The Emperor moth 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, andContinue reading “The Emperor of the moors, Saturnia pavonia”
Lichens, and how they can be used to measure air pollution
Lichens There are many rare and exotic species of Plants, Lichens and Bryophytes (mosses and liverworts), which call the British isles home and they all have their charms and important roles to play in our ecology, for me one of the the most interesting families has to be the Lichens. Lichens are not what youContinue reading “Lichens, and how they can be used to measure air pollution”
St Hubert’s at Dunsop
St Huberts The Gothic, and slightly Moomin-like, Roman Catholic church of St Hubert’s sits just outside the village of Dunsop Bridge in the Langdale valley in the Forest of Bowland. It was built to the design of English architect Edwin Pugin and opened on the 2nd of May 1865 by Bishop Richard Roskell of NottinghamContinue reading “St Hubert’s at Dunsop”
The Grey Wagtail
The Grey Wagtail The Grey Wagtail’s scientific name is Motacilla cinerea, Motacilla originates from the Latin word mota, meaning ‘move’ or ‘shake’, which is the root for words such as ‘motive’ and ‘mobile’, and cinerea comes from the Latin for ‘ashes’ or ‘grey’, being the root for ‘cinders’ and ‘incinerated’. Unlike a lot of scientificContinue reading “The Grey Wagtail”
Northwest Nature and History 