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The Historic
Welsh Gardens of Plas Tan y Bwlch - The Countryman
Looking after
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Making Wildlife
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Mull - a Centre for Birds of Prey - The Countryman
A New Garden for
Wildlife with Butterflies in Mind - Butterfly Conservation
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Extraordinary Wildlife Art of Ian and Richard Lewington - Limited
Edition Magazine
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Magazine
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Wild Side of Town - New Consumer Magazine
Peter Parks and the Great Rainforest Project -
Limited Edition Magazine
The Countryside
in January - Limited Edition Magazine
The Countryside in May - Limited
Edition Magazine
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Contact Jenny to find out more about her freelance writing
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THE COUNTRYSIDE
IN JANUARY
Apple tree prosper, bud, bloom and bear
That we may have plenty of cider next year
January can be a
bleak month when low, grey cloud dominates our skies and the countryside
seems damp and drear. Birds are foraging for whatever food
they can find, but many mammals and insects are sitting tight in protected
places, waiting for a clear bright day and a little warmth from the sun
before leaving their shelter. But for us, Christmas has passed and we all
naturally start to look ahead with optimism to spring. In the past
country folk saw this month as important in many respects. The farming
year started now and many traditions reflect that fact. ‘Wassailing’,
from the Anglo Saxon for 'good health' has been associated with Christmas
and the New Year for many hundreds of years. It is likely that the
offering of a toast to your neighbours and friends at this time of year
was transformed in country districts to a tradition of wassailing, or
wishing health, to crops and animals. Traditionally wassailing was
performed on January 17 (or January 6, Twelfth Night, after the adjustment
of our calendar in 1752) and apples trees in particular were singled out
for special treatment. Groups of country folk went from farm to farm to
offer a toast to the trees in the form of a spiced alcoholic drink
containing roasted apples, in the hope that they would bear a good crop.
In some areas this ritual is still taken very seriously, and involves
singing, dancing and copious amounts of cider!
Tracks in the snow A white Christmas seems to be quite unusual in recent years,
but a sprinkling of snow is not unheard of in January. Out in the
countryside it gives us an opportunity to look at tracks made by mammals
and birds and occasionally a story is there to be unravelled. This can be
a good time to take a better look at the birds around us, as cold weather
may make them a little less shy as they search for food in the hedgerows
and on the ground. Look out for ‘charms’ of goldfinches on teasels,
flocks of tits in trees and hedgerows, and thrushes and blackbirds where
berries still remain on rowan, hawthorn or holly.
Snowdrops
Very few flowers brighten our January days, but in woods everywhere there
will be snowdrops coming into bloom this month. Once established, this
little bulb can spread prolifically, but is it a native wildflower or an
escape from gardens? It is very likely that many of the snowdrops we see
in local woods were introduced, although it does grow in wild habitats on
the Continent and is regarded as a native in northern France. The dilemma
is that snowdrops were not recorded growing wild in this country until the
1770s but prior to that there were several references to them in old
herbals as garden flowers, so we will probably never know for certain if
they are truly wild or not. One of our earliest flowers to bloom, in some
areas they carried the name snow-piercers and in villages were often
planted in the garden to mark the path to the outside privy!
Willow pollarding
All along our river banks a form of traditional management may be taking
place this month. Pollarding of trees, especially willows, is an ancient
craft whereby branches are removed at about head height every five to ten
years, giving these trees a characteristic mop-shaped head as they re-grow
in the spring time. In the past this was done for several reasons.
Cutting the trunk at this height meant that all new branches were well out
of the way of browsing cattle. The crop of willow rods was used for
making a variety of things including hurdles and baskets. Willows have a
tendency to drop their branches as they get old and heavy, creating a
danger for livestock and sometimes blocking waterways, and the rather
fragile nature of the tree sometimes leads to the trunk splitting open.
Regular pollarding considerably prolongs the life of the tree, but sadly
once this management stops there is a tendency for a willow to become top
heavy causing branches to fall and the trunk to split. The aptly named
‘crack-willow’ often has wizened and cleft trunks where birds nest and a
variety of different plants take root. Willows can reach a great age and
their bark, which contains a natural form of aspirin, has long been used
for the treatment of arthritis, headaches and pain of all kinds.
Lichens With
so little in flower and the bright berries of autumn rapidly disappearing,
our countryside can look bleak and colourless. All around us though on
tree trunks, paving, stone walls, on the ground and even on the roofs of
farm buildings, are many varieties of colourful lichens in a range of
shades from silvery grey to bright yellow. These small, slow growing
plants are an intriguing association between a species of fungus and an
alga, a system which benefits both organisms. The fungus usually
determines the form of the plant and the algal cells are enclosed within
its tissues. Lichens, like some mosses, are capable of surviving extreme
desiccation and these remarkable little plants are often used as
indicators of levels of air pollution as most species only thrive in clean
air. However the most noticeable species at this time of year is the
bright orange Xanthoria which grows even in polluted environments.
©
Copyright Jenny Steel 2017 |
