The Heath Spotted-Orchid

The Heath Spotted-Orchid, Dactylorhiza maculata, is one of the most common orchids in the British isles and one of our prettiest upland meadow-flowers. They can be found from May through to August, and grow on damp grasslands, heaths and moors, preferring acidic soils. Like many orchids, the Heath Spotted-Orchid can be variable in colour, but

Bee Boles

Bee holes are essentially holes built into a south-facing wall for placing bee-hives into, they usually date from before the 19th century, when modern, wooden bee-hives were made commercially available. Normally built into dry-stone walls but occasionally designed into brick walls, bee boles are almost always situated in a south-facing wall and usually accompanied a

The Hawthorn

The Hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna, also known as Quickthorn, Whitethorn, or the May tree, is one of the most common small trees, (or large shrubs, depending on how you look at it), to be found in the British isles. Their scientific name comes from the Greek word for ‘strength’; Crataegus, and monogyna comes from mono, meaning

Bird’s Foot Trefoil

Bird’s foot trefoil, Lotus corniculatus, (corniculatus coming from the Latin for ‘with small horns’), is a common flowering plant throughout the British isles that has accumulated quite a collection of common names; ‘crow’s toes’, lady’s slippers’, ‘hen and chickens’ and ‘bacon and eggs’ being just a few that are still in regular use, most of

Bashall Eaves

Bashall Eaves is a small village about 5 miles from Clitheroe on the road to Whitewell and a mile away from Browsholme estate. It’s a very small and cosy place, composed of a handful of pretty cottages, a post-office which is only open from 10 til 2 on a Tuesday, the village hall and, just

The Green Hairstreak

As some of you might know I’m on Twitter quite a lot, mainly following other people who post about nature and history here in the north of England. Today I saw the following video of a kaleidoscope of Green Hairstreak butterflies filmed by Dinesh Patel (@lancsgp) and was inspired to write about this beautiful species,

Slaidburn Silver Band and the march over Waddington Fell

Slaidburn Silver Band were established over 100 years ago in the Hodder valley and have played for many events since their creation, around the world and at home, perhaps most famously when they were honoured by an invitation to play for Her Majesty The Queen during her visit to the Hodder Valley in 1989. They

The Globeflower

The Globeflower, Trollius europaeus, Trollius coming from the German  Trollblume, meaning ‘round flower’, is a large member of the buttercup family and flowers from May to July, producing lemon- coloured, round-shaped flowers around 4cm in diameter on top of tall, slender stems. It grows in damp soils such as can be found in meadows and along

Northwest Recipes; Dandelion Syrup

Recently I published an article about Dandelions, in which we looked at the roles this wildflower plays in nature and its general, all-round usefulness. Included in the article were several of the plant’s medicinal and culinary uses and a promise to publish a recipe for Dandelion Syrup, here it is! Dandelion Syrup This is a

The Gardens and Grounds of Browsholme Hall

Browsholme Hall dates from the 13th century and like many of England’s finest country houses is surrounded by landscaped parkland and gardens. The hall has always been the home of the Parker family who have made many alterations and improvements over the centuries. (See this article for a history of the hall and the Parker