R is for Rare Wild Flowers – that is what R is for ...

Pasque Flower – appropriately flowers at

Easter time; it grows in chalky pastures

Life in general is in need of protection, but our wild flowers none more so – as they are so easily trampled by unsuspecting feet, or plucked by unaware pickers ... we have about the same number of different wild flowers here in Britain, 1,300 ...

...  as there are members in the A – Z Challenge .. not sure what that tells us – but something to ponder?!  Rare wild flowers also become extinct ... much like some of the challengers, who never started or fall away due to other circumstances ... completely understandable.

Drooping Saxifrage – 

to be found only on three 

mountains in the

Scottish Highlands

So often we do not realise what we’re doing – wantonly picking them, digging them up, or destroying habitats through building works, construction of reservoirs, or other types of development.  Do we think about the land beneath our feet that we use in so many ways each and every day ...

Spotting rare plants must be exhilarating, but we need to leave them for others – and ourselves – to enjoy on future occasions.  Each plant may well only exist in a few specific habitats, as we are beginning to realise each tiny organism has its own role to play and so will only support adapted  varieties.

Preferably never pick wildflowers, or disturb the area where they grow, letting the seedlings and mature plants live on.  If there’s an abundance in one area ... then pick cleanly, using scissors or a sharp knife, taking care to leave the roots.   I say don’t pick – leave be.

Spring Gentian – is very rare and

confined to a handful of locations

Use secateurs on woody plants to avoid tearing their bark; while - if picking dead stems for flower arranging – ensure all the seeds have been shed and the stem is really dead.

Our plants are essential to our lives, as are all living things – let us remember to protect those pockets of specialities, those tiny habitats of uniqueness.  There aren’t that many wild flowers here in Britain, but each and every one needs our care.

Here are a few of our Rare wild flowers that need our guardianship ...

These are Rare flowers – that is what R is for ..

Part of the ABC - April 2011 - A - Z Challenge - Aspects of the British Countryside

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Q is for Quern-Stone - that is what Q is for ...

King Arthur's Hall, Bodmin Moor, Cornwall

It is a portable hand-mill used for grinding corn, spices, herbs or similar substances.  They are found in the Celtic parts of Britain ... Cornwall, Wales, Ireland and Scotland.  The lower stone is the stationery Quern, while the upper, mobile, stone is known as the hand-stone.

It is likely that they were invented by the ancient Greeks 2,500 years ago and brought to Britain by Celtic refugees from the Roman invasion of Gaul (France) in the 1^st century BC.

The upper stone of a Scottish
hand quern from Dalgarven Mill,
North Ayrshire

The simplest quern consists of two stone discs – the upper of which is rotated by a small wooden handle; or the two stones can fit into each other ... the upper stone slightly concave, the lower one convex.

The stones were made from mill-stone grit and some places bear the name where many querns were quarried, eg Quernmore Crag near Lancaster.

Various types of querns have been found going back in antiquity, ours originating from the Mesopotamian era ... the ones that are found in archaeological sites are of the simple hand held sort.  They also found many other uses for the grinding mechanism of the Querns.

Revolving beehive quern-stones and

[lower] a saddlestone on display at

Cliffe Castle Museum, Keighley, Yorkshire.

In the Shetlands tobacco was used as snuff after being ground by a Quern held in the user’s lap ... and here a lamb’s horn was used as a handle.

Fortunately mechanisms have made our lives much easier .. the thought of grinding corn using mill-stones is extremely off-putting! but that’s the way life was ...

This is Quern-Stone - that is what Q is for ..    

Part of the ABC - April 2011 - A - Z Challenge - Aspects of the British Countryside

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

P is for Pig – that’s what P is for ...

Iron Age figurines of pigs/boars. British Museum;
at least the one on the left was probably the crest of a helmet– c/o Johnbod – Wikipedia

Proverbially pigs are ‘either muck or money’ and have been wandering the earth for many millennia.  When Britain became an island the boar was already here and over time less aggressive animals evolved.

Can you imagine a hundred pigs running around in the woods, surrounded by vineyards, in the middle of London - yes - this was Bloomsbury as described in the Domesday Book (1086).

A Gloucestershire Old Spots boar

In the Middle Ages they were used to clean the streets by eating the refuse.  But the numbers of pigs became such a nuisance that in 1292 four men were appointed ‘killers of swine’, with a licence to slaughter any pig found wandering along the king’s highway.

The countrymen rejoiced! – as they found an increased market in the towns for pork meats.  Wild pigs were all but eradicated by the 17^th century ... the pigs that survived in medieval times were half-wild and sometimes dangerous.

During the 19^th century with the knowledge gained from journeys overseas, and the necessary transporting of livestock on the exploration ships for food or settlement in foreign lands, the more docile Asian varieties, which were brought to these shores, were crossed with our wild pigs, which gave us today’s breeds.

1885 – 1890  Schweine: (Berkshire; Japanese, Yorkshire, Hampshire breeds).
Meyer’s (1796-1856) Konversations-Lexikon was a major German encyclopedia,
merging with the Brockhaus encyclopedia in 1884

Farming practices in the late 19^th and first part of the 20^th century nearly eliminated most of the pure breeds, fortunately common sense returned and today our artisan farmers realise the value in variety and ensure we nurture our specialist varieties.

Tamworth Piglets

Pigs have always been popular because they are such a versatile provider of foods – pork, bacon and ham, while every part of a pig could be utilised ... as sausage, pigs’ trotters, brawn, fat crackling ... bristles for brushes, and the skin for hides.

Long Live the Pig -

This is Pig - that is what P is for ..    

Part of the ABC - April 2011 - A - Z Challenge - Aspects of the British Countryside

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

O is for Oak – that’s what O is for ...

Green Oak Moth

The teeming world of the Oak – a veritable haven for wildlife – just one tree which can live for up to 250 years ... think how much can happen in that time.

One tiny acorn from its first sprouting can survive hundreds of attacks coming at it in all directions over the years as it reaches skywards.  Organisms of all sorts – weevils, mildew fungus, gall wasps, green oak-roller moth and its silk-threaded spinning caterpillar, to name a few.

Silk button gall on pedunculate oak

As it matures this strong Oak may be invaded by mistletoe and ivy, and in wetter districts by lichens, mosses, algae and ferns ... giving the Oak a ghoulish cladding.

Its fruits, the acorns, provide both a home and a food supply for the acorn weevil, the squirrel and others below.  Eventually fungi will invade the oak causing its slow demise.

The many insects living on the Oak tree attract many birds.  Woodpeckers excavate nesting holes in the decaying stems, search for the grubs of wood boring beetles or other insects.  Squirrels build their nests high in the crown ... as they can be predatory ... other birds build their nests elsewhere.

Primrose – scented flowers bloom

in Spring, before the oak’s Summer

leaf canopy cuts off the light.

Beneath the light canopy a wide range of plants flourish. Grasses, bracken and brambles may completely cover more open Oak wood.  These attract grazing and browsing animals – from field voles, shrews and rabbits to deer.

Tawny owls nest in the trunks of rotting oaks, while foxes scrub around below ... both taking advantage of the wildlife population in and around the tree itself.

Tawny Owl

Before the Oak can fully spread its wings letting nature take its course, man over the centuries often intervenes .... this magnificent traditional tree has long been known to provide lasting building timber.

We were invaded by Oak sailing ships from across the North Sea, and we now appreciate Oak in many guises – still used in ships, as floor boards, church pews, staircases and panelling in mansions and public buildings.  Beer barrels and wine casks are made of it because oak is impervious to alcohol.  Its wood is still much appreciated and valued today.

An old English oak in Baginton,

Warwickshire, England

The mighty Oak deserves its accolades ... it has lived on through the centuries adapting to our man made world ... colonising cleared woodland, neglected commons and pastures, hedgerows and waysides.

The sturdy seedling tolerates a wide range of soils and competes vigorously to survive, while it has become so well-adjusted to British soils and climate that it can support over 200 organisms during its 250 year lifetime.

A true British great ...

This is Oak - that is what O is for ..    

Part of the ABC - April 2011 - A - Z Challenge - Aspects of the British Countryside

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

N is for Naturalist – that’s what N is for ...

Cirl Bunting – named by Montagu

Human curiosity might have set the ‘old world’ explorers off in search of new things that became known as the Age of Exploration, but as important was the Age of Discovery at home particularly during the 1600s – 1800s when four Naturalists really contributed significantly to knowledge of the environment.

Britain’s rich, diverse plant and animal life has always encouraged the study of natural history.  These four Naturalists stand out in the three hundred year period of the 1600s to the end of the 19^th century.

The scholar John Ray (1628 – 1705) has been called the father of English natural history, as his influence on naturalists was profound ... despite the fact that he wrote in Latin.

Selborne House, Hampshire: Gilbert White’s
home is now his museum; but also contains
 Lawrence Oates’  memorabilia – he was the
Antarctic Explorer known for the manner of his
death, when he walked from a tent into a
blizzard, with the words "I am just going
outside and may be some time".

Ray, the son of a blacksmith, went to Cambridge University, from where he published his history of plants; he was working on a system of natural classification – which became the foundation for the Swedish naturalist, Carolus Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), to base his classification system of naming every living thing with two Latin words: the system we use today.

Gilbert White (1720 – 1793) was one of the first to bring a trained and inquiring mind to bear on the simple but profound events of his native countryside – he wanted to know why things happened.  He wrote all his observations down in the form of letters, which to this day give pleasure to amateur naturalists and set the pattern for accuracy and attention to detail on which modern science is built.

Combtooth Blenny – named by Linnaeus

commonly known as Montagu’s Blenny

George Montagu (1751 – 1815) was one of the most capable and wide-ranging naturalists of the 18^th and 19^th centuries.  He was famous for his Ornithological Dictionary (1802) and a classic textbook on British molluscs.

Montagu is particularly known for his knowledge of birds, because of his rational approach and keen knowledge of the subject, he exerted a considerable influence on the development of bird study.

Montagu corresponded with White .. but his letters lack the charm of the scholar, White, from Selborne, Hampshire; Montagu’s style was vigorous, an acute observer who recorded in plain descriptive writing.

Last but by no means least, Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882), who despite his international reputation, was a countryman at heart.  After his studies, and travels on HMS Beagle, he settled in Kent writing, recording and studying a range of subjects ... including the strange forms developed by orchids; insect eating plants; the role of earthworms; and the humble bumble bee.

Darwin's "sandwalk" at Down House

was his usual "Thinking Path"

Darwin established that each orchid flower was so adapted to ensure cross-fertilisation of a particular type of insect; the fact that the earthworm was essential in the production of vegetable mould; while the male bumble bee had regular flight paths which did not vary greatly from year to year.

These four Naturalists with their observational methods, detailed reports and careful recording of living experiments gave us the environmental knowledge platform that we continue to utilise and learn from today.

These are Naturalists - that is what N is for ..    

Part of the ABC - April 2011 - A - Z Challenge - Aspects of the British Countryside

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

M is for Manor – that’s what M is for ...

The moat of Ightham Mote

(mote means meeting place).  

Ightham, dating from 1320, has been ambitiously

restored – dismantling much of the building

and recording its construction methods

before rebuilding it.

The Romans brought with them the villa system for organising rural life – the ‘English’ lived beyond the walls ...  but once the Romans had left “Limes Britannicus” as they knew Britain, the English started adopting their way of life.

The lord of the manor owned a large tract of land, known as the demesne, around his house, and local people were obliged to work on this land for a certain number of days a year.

Beyond the demesne was arable land, divided into several (often three) large fields and cultivated on a strip system.  Beyond these were the common land – the forest and heath used by the commoners for grazing their animals and gathering wood.

The great hall at Penshurst Place, Kent,

mid 14th.c. The hall was of central importance

to every manor, being the place where the lord,

surrounded by dependants,

expressed his position of dominance.

As rulers started organising their lives – the Crown proclaiming ownership of land – the heyday of the manorial system was from 1,000 AD to 1,300 AD before it largely disappeared two hundred years later ...

... as the Crown exchanged land for armies of men or taxes - more power was given to the Church and Knights of the realm - when the feudal society finally transitioned into a cash for labour system.

Remnants of stone manor houses dating back to the 1100s have been found; these would consist of one large room where lord, family, servants and even livestock lived side by side.

Stokesay Castle, viewed from the church yard,

showing the north tower, with its Tudor residential

additions, in the foreground.

Over time these rooms were divided and larger additions added to the Manor giving new wings, minstrel galleries, a chapel, kitchens, pantry, buttery, wardrobe etc, while outside there would be servant’s quarters, stables, barns as required.

Some manors were fortified, but most became ever larger houses on estates, or within moated walls, as their domains and grounds were already established.  The manor house is usually still the largest house in the village or town and often provides a leadership role in the neighbourhood.

This is Manor - that is what M is for ..    

Part of the ABC - April 2011 - A - Z Challenge - Aspects of the British Countryside

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

L is for Lakes – that’s what L is for ...

Derwentwater from the northern shore near Keswick

I was (and am!) going to write about lakes .. but I note that Wikipedia tells me we only have one in England, and six in Scotland!  I thought we had a Lake District ... but who am I, a mere blogger, to know!

Lakes, meres (lakes that are broad in relation to their depth), waters,tarns, lochs or ponds – we all have our own terminology and understand our countries’ differences  - the word ‘lake’ comes from Middle English for lake, pond or waterway and from the Proto-Indo-European root ... to leak, drain.

Glenridding and Ullswater

Lakes – worlds doomed from their creation.  Feeder streams fill them with silt and their outlets cut every deeper drainage routes.  For plants and animals, lakes form isolated, ever-changing worlds.

Most natural lakes in the British Isles were formed by the action of the Ice Age glaciers.  Each lake is virtually a closed system – an independent world with its own shifting balance of plants and animals.

The sun ‘layers’ the still water and heats the first twenty feet or so, then there’s an intermediate layer of about ten feet of cooler water, before the unheated cold layer:

• Life in a lake depends on oxygen, which enters the surface either from the atmosphere or as a by-product of plant respiration; 

• The warming sun heats the still surface water, which floats on the denser cold water; 

• As the sun warms the top layer up, an intermediate layer forms, through which the temperature drops rapidly;  the three layers do not mix; 

• Therefore the bottom layer receives no oxygen, though it does receive a constant rain of organic debris from above; 

• Then, in winter, the surface cools and the water circulates until it is thoroughly mixed with oxygen being evenly distributed throughout, and dissolved nutrients from the bottom debris are returned to the upper levels.

The vendace (Coregonus vandesius)

is England's rarest species of fish, 

and is only found in the Lake District.

(A freshwater whitefish now

only found in Derwent Water.)

Animals vary from lake to lake, and from primitive forms of life (water fleas, phantom midge larvae) to those we more easily recognise ... mussels, worms, shrimps and water boatmen; to reed feeding animals – dragonflies and damsel flies; to fish ... brown trout, pike, perch, minnows and eels.

Lakes support local wildlife, and attract a variety of water birds ... insect feeders, divers, herons etc and migratory birds find a haven on their journey.

Sadly pollution and our demand for drinking water are causing problems in some of our lakes ... as the water levels rapidly fluctuate ... this destroys the shore vegetation upon which so much animal life depends.

There is as elsewhere in on this earth ... a web of life in a lake ... all to an extent interdependent on each aspect of the flora and fauna, which as a whole rely on their tiny self-contained ecosystem that was created millennia years ago to exist within this world of ours.

These are Lakes - that is what L is for ..    

Part of the ABC - April 2011 - A - Z Challenge - Aspects of the British Countryside

 Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories