All about the Natural History and History of the Northwest of England
Speckled Woods are a familiar butterfly to most of us here in Britain yet are often overlooked in favour of flashier species like the Peacock or Red Admiral.
Understated and widespread they may even appear dowdy compared to their lepidopteran cousins yet, as with any wild creature, patient observation reveals them to possess more beauty and character than you would ever suspect.
A creeping, mat-forming plant Purple Saxifrage possesses small, opposite, overlapping leaves (hence the latin epithet oppositifolia) that are fleshy with a tiny pore at the tip which can exude lime in calcareous conditions. Its solitary flowers, typically 1 to 2cm across, sit on short stalks and feature five petals ranging from a pale pinkish-purple to rich violet, sometimes with darker veining.
For the Upland Gamekeeper spring is a season of intense activity, a critical time of fast change at the fulcrum between the wild & windy months of winter and the more benign months of summer, when the moors become vibrant with life.
Adults are very smart and distinguished in their breeding plumage, sporting a silvery-grey back and upperwings, a clean white underbody, and a distinctive black cap. Their bill is long and orangey-red with a black tip, while their legs are short and red. In flight, they show a buoyant, floating style with narrow, angular wings, often hovering before plunging to catch prey.
Thrift is a member of the Plumbaginaceae (aka Leadwort) tribe, a small and tough family that specialises in harsh habitats, having evolved ‘chalk glands’ that excrete salts, allowing it to flourish in places where weaker plants fear to venture, like our storm-lashed, salt-sprayed coastlines.
Ichneumon sarcitorius is a common and strikingly patterned parasitic wasp belonging to the vast Ichneumonidae family.
Often referred to as a ‘Darwin wasp’ this species is a vital component of its ecosystem, serving as a specialised natural predator that helps manage moth populations in a wide variety of habitats throughout the British Isles.
In December 2023, the Forest of Bowland National Landscape (formerly the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) published its Nature Recovery Plan, a 71-page roadmap with the stated aims of reversing biodiversity declines and building climate resilience across 310 square miles of Lancashire and Yorkshire uplands.
In spring the hill becomes alive with birdsong as smaller birds come into their own, high above, unseen in Pendle’s famous mists, Skylark and Meadow Pipit trill, from a lone Rowan an Ouzel whistles and from the Gorse you may hear the unusual yet unmistakeable call of the Stonechat.
Northwest Nature and History