The Early Purple Orchid, Orchis mascula, is, as its name implies, one of the earliest orchids to appear in the British countryside, flowering in April, all the way through to June. Its scientific name; mascula, derives from the shape of its tubers and roots which are, not to put too fine a point on it,Continue reading “The Early Purple Orchid”
Tag Archives: #Summer
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 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”
Northwest Nature and History 