July 2017 — Marsh Thistle and a Golden Plover

I always appreciate hearing of plant of wild life observations and June has been a rich month in this respect. Our Lay Reader, Rosie, awoke in the small hours to muted grunts from her back garden. A family of badgers had occupied an area of rough grass, presenting a fine sight. A dog-walker, Andy, saw a fledgling Tawny Owl making trial flight attempts in local woodland, and Alec, a bat enthusiast, has reported that the Pipistrelle colony which roosts in the roof of the Parish Hall is doing well. One evening at dusk he counted 110 bats leaving the roost. Alec’s survey has been conducted over several years and using the bat detector he can hear the wonderful process by which the bats echo-locate flying insects. They are the most dashing fliers and can be seen side-slipping out from under the Hall roof-cladding with flawless precision.

Golden Plover

   My own David Attenborough moment of the week has been of a more modest nature. One of the wooden fishing platforms at the lower reservoir was occupied this morning by a family of Mallard ducklings. Half a dozen or so were huddled together soaking up the morning sun while guarded by the vigilant female parent. The ducklings were beautifully marked in soft browns and yellows, looking vulnerable yet supremely comfortable.

   June 20 – a short walk in the Piethorne Valley near Ogden. As Britain sweltered this notable beauty spot offered a refreshing breeze. The call of a Golden Plover same in on the wind and as Skylark overhead demonstrated why their song has been such a resounding inspiration to poets and musicians.

Marsh Thistle

   This grassy upland region does not hold a wide flora but as I walked by a collapsed mine and pondered the fate of those who had once toiled there, I could see my favourite thistle, the Marsh Thistle, holding small but bright purple heads above slender grey foliage. On drier ground grew the tiny creeping member of the Rose family which bears the intriguing name Tormentil. I have wondered about the name of this yellow-flowered herb. Apparently, it yielded a remedy for the torment of serious abdominal pain. Culpeper’s Herbal has a lot to say about the uses of Tormentil: ‘The root taken inwardly is most effectual to help any flux of the belly, spleen or blood and the juice wonderfully opens obstructions of the spleen and lungs, and thereby helpeth the yellow jaundice.’

First published in July 2017