#Northwestnatureandhistory – Page 5 – Northwest Nature and History

Blackpool Illuminations

Often dubbed the “greatest free light show on Earth,” Blackpool Illuminations have been dazzling visitors to the Lancashire seaside resort for nearly 150 years. The annual spectacle transforms the town’s promenade into an extravagant display of light, colour, and creativity, drawing millions of tourists each winter.

The Spindle Tree

The spindle tree, Euonymus europaeus, is an attractive-looking deciduous shrub, or small tree, that graces hedgerows, woods and wasteland throughout the British isles.

The Herald Moth, inc. notes about the Dangers of Hibernation including Predation and Entomopathogenic Fungi

The Herald moth, Scoliopteryx libatrix, is a common native species known for its striking appearance and unique life-cycle that spans seasons in a way few other moths do. Belonging to the family Erebidae, it is often one of the first to emerge in spring and one of the last to be seen in autumn, earning its common name as a “herald” of changing weather.

Cotton Chronicles: The Cotton Mill

Hum, whirl, click, click, clatter, Rolling, rambling, moving matter: Whizzing, hissing, hitting, missing, Pushing, pulling, turning, twisting.

Buntings in Bowland

Snow Buntings are true Arctic specialists, thriving in barren, open habitats with sparse vegetation. They breed in high-latitude tundras but undertake impressively long migrations southward during winter to avoid the perpetual darkness and sub-zero temperatures.

The Controversial Practice of Controlled Burning (v2)

Version 2 of an article originally published in 2023, looking at the land management practice known as controlled burning, heather burning or muirburn, updated and amended with latest research, data, policy and regulations

Tommy Stroo’s Ghost by John Charles Twist

Th’ moon wur sheignin’ rare, an’ breet,

An’ stars wur twinklin’ o’er mi heyd,

When aw wur walkin’ deawn th’ owd street,

Wi’ Tommy Stroo’s ghost bi mi seyd.

Unnatural Histories; The Crier of Claife

For generations, ferrymen operating the historic crossing betwixt Ferry Nab and Sawrey knew better than to heed these unearthly cries after dark, for they knew that these were no ordinary pleas but rather the desperate howls of a damned soul.