The Swallows are back in the British isles and although the saying goes “Two Swallows do not make a summer” quite a few have been seen around the country so I think we can safely say that summers on its way! I always like to tip my hat, (so to speak as I don’t usuallyContinue reading “‘Tis true, ‘tis true, the Swallow’s here”
Tag Archives: #Spring
First Swallows of the year!
I just heard and then saw two Swallows flying over on my way into work here in Padiham in Lancashire. It’s always means a lot to me when I observe this as it’s a sure sign that summer is not far off and I have always been in awe of the enormous distances and tribulationsContinue reading “First Swallows of the year!”
Guide to Geese, Part One
Guide to Geese, Part One Around about this time of year you might see, or hear, Skeins of geese flying overhead, as they head back north to their summer breeding grounds. In this two-part series of articles we look at how to identify some of these species, including the migrant species which call these islesContinue reading “Guide to Geese, Part One”
The Cuckoo
The Eurasian Cuckoo, Cuculus canorus, has an onomatopoeic name, cuculus simply refering to the sound of its call and canorus means ‘pleasant sounding’. The call of the Cuckoo is indeed very pleasant to hear and evocative too, conjuring images of spring in the minds of most people, even those that might never have heard theContinue reading “The Cuckoo”
Lesser Celandine
Lesser Celandine, Ficaria Verna, (ficaria meaning ‘of a fig’ and being a reference to the root structure of the plant, and verna being a girl’s name of Latin origin meaning ‘springtime’), is one of the first flowers to raise its head in the spring. Its common name Celandine comes from the Latin chelīdonius, which inContinue reading “Lesser Celandine”
Down on the Dairy farm in March
Dairy farming Whilst I write a fair bit about sheep farming on here there are of course other ways in which the land of the Northwest is farmed, after all we produce over 15% of the UK’s farmed food and ¼ of the nation’s milk! With this is in mind I’d like to write aContinue reading “Down on the Dairy farm in March”
The Alder
The Common alder Alder glutinosa, is a very hardy species of tree found all along the cloughs, streams and riverbanks of the Northwest, with some areas of Alder woodland traditionally referred to as ‘Carr’. As it does not usually suffer from late spring frosts and is hardy to early autumn frosts it has been plantedContinue reading “The Alder”
In like a Lion, out like a Lamb
The expression ‘In like a Lion, out like a Lamb’, is recorded as far back as the 1600’s but is thought to be much older. It is used to describe the tendency of the month of March to begin with stormy weather yet end with calm, after all March marks the start of meteorological springContinue reading “In like a Lion, out like a Lamb”
Northwest Nature and History 