The Green Tiger beetle, Cicindela campestris, is a beautiful looking, strikingly iridescent, green beetle about 1 to 1.5cm long with yellow spots on its wing cases, they are superb and voracious predators and have the large eyes and mandibles needed to keep this appetite satisfied. Their scientific name originates from the Latin word cicindela, meaningContinue reading “The Green Tiger Beetle”
Tag Archives: #Northwestnatureandhistory
Part Two of The Bluebell, in which we look its lifecycle and the problem of the invasive Spanish Bluebell
Part Two of The Bluebell In Part 1 of this 2 part series about the Bluebell we looked at where and when you might see this beautiful spring flower bloom, in this part I’ll write more about the lifecycle of this plant and one of the main threats to its existence, the Spanish Bluebell. Fragrant,Continue reading “Part Two of The Bluebell, in which we look its lifecycle and the problem of the invasive Spanish Bluebell”
A rough guide to some of the various bits of farm machinery you might see around the countryside of Northern England
Types of farm machinery This is a basic and non-exhaustive guide to some of the various bits of agricultural machinery you might see in use in the fields, trundling in front of you on a narrow country lane, or rusting away in a farmyard around the countryside of Northern England. Balers, little, square, and roundContinue reading “A rough guide to some of the various bits of farm machinery you might see around the countryside of Northern England”
The Swift and its fleeting visit to our isles
The Devil’s bird The screaming, soaring Swift, Apus apus, has always seemed a magical bird, in the way of all of the natural phenomena in the world whose nature has always been mysterious to us, they were once known as the ‘Devil’s bird’ as the screaming flocks of black crosses around church spires seemed toContinue reading “The Swift and its fleeting visit to our isles”
The role of the Sheep in shaping Britains Landscape and History, Part Two; The breeds of sheep that made Britain prosperous
Part Two, The breeds of Sheep that made Britain prosperous In Part 1 of this 3-part series of articles I covered how sheep farming became a major industry in the British isles, in this post I’ll look at some of the breeds of sheep that made Britain prosperous, in particular wool breeds, see the articleContinue reading “The role of the Sheep in shaping Britains Landscape and History, Part Two; The breeds of sheep that made Britain prosperous”
The Cuckooflower
The Cuckooflower The Cuckooflower, or ‘Lady’s Smock’, has the scientific name; Cardamine pratensis, loosely translating as ‘peppery tasting herb of the meadows’ with Cardamine deriving from the Greek ‘kardamon’, meaning ‘pepper grass’, and the source of many plant names, especially ones used in cooking, and pratensis meaning ‘of the meadow’. It is a very pretty,Continue reading “The Cuckooflower”
Padiham Town Hall
Padiham town Hall was officially opened on the 26th of February 1938 by Herbert Morrison, the leader of London County Council (which was replaced by Greater London Council in 1965) and the grandfather of labour politician Peter Mandelson. A need for a new Civic Centre In the decades leading up the 1930’s the town hadContinue reading “Padiham Town Hall”
Tower Lodge, Abbeystead
Tower Lodge, Abbeystead If you are familiar with the road from Dunsop bridge through the Trough of Bowland to Lancaster, you might recognise the building above, it’s a well known landmark in the area and you might, like a lot of people, have idly wondered what its history is. It’s a private house now, situatedContinue reading “Tower Lodge, Abbeystead”
Northwest Nature and History 