Abbotsham Lodge to Greencliff

A circular walk revisited

This walk is an old favourite for many local inhabitants . However in the past the enthusiasm of some senior walkers might well have waned at the sight of the first stile! When the only way forward involves cocking a leg over numerous stiles ahead, then  flexible joint mobility and good balance is an essential. Today all these stiles on the coastal walks have been replaced by gates ,  bar 1,  which is inland between Rixlade and Chaltaborough and you can wriggle round that one.! Beware of the jaw-like springs on some of these gates especially the one closest to Abbotsham Court(SS410279)This spring is a cross between an elphant's trunk and a gin trap , obviously designed  with those in mind who were 'born in a  field' and never close gates behind them. And I wonder who designed those gate latches. Some as complex as a cat's crade would give an alien a headache. If you suffer from all 'thumbs and no fingers', take a dextrous companion with you- otherwise you might just have to settle for leaning on the gate and gazing at the view.

Remember the bull at Greencliff farm. -  was it a Charolais or Limousin? Whatever breed, it was BIG . I never crossed that field without working out the quickest escape route if the said  bull was in attendance with his harem. Regardless of how fleet of foot you were you felt you ran the gauntlet every time you set off uphill to the next stile. Well, all has changed. In 2006 the footpath across the field, and the bull were separated for ever. The same footpath now winds upwards through a new planting of willow and hawthorn trees , and hopefully in the future a few benches will be added so that walkers can take a breather and enjoy that wonderful view towards Lundy. The wet and rather squelchy bits have been covered with solid duckboards- a great improvement especially where the path exits on to the lane at Greencliff farm. At this point, look for a small copse of hawthorns planted by a local scout group. These native trees have struggled against the elements on an exposed point for 20 years, and even now are barely six foot high.

Finally for those who arrive by car roadside parking at Abbotsham Lodge is still very limited (ss417274) Today the owners of Greencliff farm (ss410267) offer safe parking on their land for a small fee of £1 If you want to leave your car at home, try the local bus service .  No 319 from Bideford to Hartland stops at Abbotsham Church ;( also on a Sunday during the summer months.) No 16 starts at Bideford, and will drop you off at Westward Ho!- Cornborough Rd,( but not on a Sunday.) No 2 runs 7 days a week from Barnstaple via Bideford to Westward Ho! So pick up a  bus timetable and give your bus pass an airing if you have one. A walk published in October 03 edition of Buzz 'Surf and Turf ‘also covers this circular walk (Copies available at Bideford Library)

OS map 126 Clovelly and Hartland is very handy

Ps The editor informs me that close to the footpath between Chaltaborough and Coombe is a pond and a seat under an oak tree, thoughtfully  provided by someone, which makes a very pleasant place to sit.

PPS A map reading course will be held at North Devon College on Saturday May 17^th from 11-3.30pm Tel 01271 346710 to book a place.

Ping Ping Ping Ping 

'It was a buzzard with a good 6-foot wing span'. I doubt it because I have been in similar proximity to a buzzard! The largest Buzzard has a wing span of approximately 59 ins. However, a Golden Eagle has a wingspan of some 79 to 87 inches. A golden eagle or at least an eagle with a wing span of some seven feet was shot in the area some one hundred and fifty years ago. When I was going to London on the National Express coach last Autumn I was sure that I saw a Golden Eagle somewhere after leaving Tiverton. It would be of interest to ask your corespondent for more information about  the  sighting.

 Robin Stowell

Shipping News
I have been sent some pages from the December and January editions re the Shipping News.
I too worked as a ships cargo superintendent while they were demolishing the Yelland Power Station. - Great shame it has not been used since.I am pleased to see that someone keeps an eye on the comings and goings of our long history in the form of shipping.Please pass on my good wishes

Chris Cheetham European River Sea Ships
Teignmouth, T: +44 (0)16 26 77 94 88
F: +44 (0)16 26 77 94 88E: riversea@eclipse.co.uk

North Devon Animal Ambulance 24 hour rescue service

Distressed,injured and needy anilmals.

No doubt most people have heard of the rescues carried out by Diana and her volunteers, and members of the public. No animal is too small to be rescued or helped.I am glad to say we have just opened a charity shop in Grenville Street  It’s worth the walk up the hill. We have a lovely team of volunteers and are happy raising funds for a very worthy cause . Our shop is open:-

Monday-Friday 9.30am-4pm  Saturday 9am-1pm.

We have good clothes, bric-a-brac and occasionally have a stall in Bideford Pannier market. We also have shops in Barnstaple and Braunton. To contact us tel Diana on 01237 476237/Re Homing Dogs  476237/ Cats 01271 323740

Joan Lewis(team leader for Bideford shop)

Market news

We had a really enjoyable Easter Saturday here in the Pannier Market.  Jaden sang throughout the day with the proceeds going to the Children's Hospice.  We would like to thank everyone who donated money and to all those market customers who asked for their change to be put in as well.  'Fusion', Jaden's group, will be performing in the Market Hall on Saturday 24th May.  This coincides with North Devon Day as many of you will know.  CMB in the Pannier Market have North Devon flags in readiness and also have North Devon mugs and other items printed with the North Devon logo.  If you require any particular item, T-shirt etc. with the same logo or any other special design please speak to Carol ,Mandy,  or Bob.  There are books and guides for Devon and the West Country on the book stalls and Carole (little shop in the Pannier Market) also has Devon tea towels.  The combination of butter and clotted cream in the chill cabinet, scones from the Country Market stall and home made strawberry jam also from Country Market (and sometimes Eileen or Pat) will provide an excellent do-it-yourself Devon cream tea kit so you can have a North Devon day to remember.
Elise now has summer hats and socks for adults and children but, bearing in mind the recent cold, wet and windy patches, winter wear will still be available.  J.J. Jewellery has several new lines in stock, well worth viewing.  Colin and Mike have a lovely range of bedding plants as well as their perennials and shrubs.  By the time you read this the worst of the frosts will be over (hopefully) and it will be safe to plant anything outside in the garden.  Here's to a nice, warm summer!  E.

JH Taylor –

I was very interested in the article in April’s  Bideford Buzz since I am one of JH Taylor’s granddaughters ; in the interests of accuracy perhaps you would like to note that his father Joshua died in January 1886,  his mother Susannah lived until April 1922 so that JH was not in fact an orphan.   Mrs JM Plumtree

The common cormorant or shag (lays eggs inside a paper bag!)
Often seen in the estuary standing on large mooring buoys or sandbanks with wings stretched out to dry both Shags
(Phalacrocorax aristotelis) and Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) belong to a very ancient family of birds, and fossil
remains of a very similar bird, which were found in Hungary are thought to be 100 million years old.
Even today’s birds are very reptilian in their looks .Most water birds have a very efficient oiling system,
which keeps the feathers water proof, but not so these birds.They have turned this to an advantage
as they can expel the air from around the feathers, and in becoming less buoyant can dive to depths
of up to 10 m .Both species of bird hold their wings very tight to the body – becoming
very stream – lined and using very strong movements with the large webbed feet.
Shags are more at home on rocky costal sites where they nest in colonies on very steep and often inaccessible areas
more often than not amongst the nest of Razorbills and Kittiwakes. Both birds will work together to construct
a nest of sticks and seaweed and lined with grass; three eggs are laid between March and May, and hatch out
after an incubation period of a month . The young are ready to fly after 48 -58 days of being fed by both parents.
Cormorants are also colonial nesters but are not found in such exposed sites as Shags ;they are found on cliff ledges,
grassy headlands and increasingly around inland lakes, reservoirs and many miles inland in the trees beside a river
– the river Dart in South Devon has along its banks several cormorant colonies. Nests are built by both birds
with sticks and seaweed 3 – 4 eggs are laid between April – June and are incubated by both birds, feeding
is also undertaken by both birds and will continue until they are able to fly with strength, which is usually
about 3 months.
Ann Wells
 

Devon Nature Walks
A current programme of guided wildlife walks around Devon is available, either by phone from Nigel Pinhorn, at 01392 211247 or by email at devonnaturewalks@btinternet.com. Nigel has been organising wildlife walks for the last eight years.
Celebrating North Devon day
Saturday 24th May- a date for your diary.

A circular walk around a square route in the parish of Alwington

If you hate retail therapy this might be just the walk for you! This circular walk is a few minutes from the popular retail outlet at Atlantic Village. Drop off the shoppers and head back to the A39 - turn left towards Clovelly then first left onto the old A39 to Ford. Park anywhere along this now peaceful wide road. However do avoid blocking field entrances. Alongside the Chapel wall at Ford is ideal as it places you about midway between Knotty Corner and Fairy Cross. I prefer to walk this route clockwise - part of the cross - country footpath descends very steeply into a valley close to Woodtown - but the choice is yours. So heading clockwise, pass the very grand Almshouses at Ford on your right then uphill to Knotty Corner. Opposite the thatched cottage turn right onto a long ridge road, wonderful views from here towards Exmoor, Dartmoor, Saunton Down and Baggy Point. Turn first right by the green ’Public Footpath’ signpost - this track leads to Winscott Barton. Follow the track and bear right by the barns and through the metal gate ahead, downhill to the 1st stile - clearly visible on your left. This footpath section is extremely steep and good footwear is recommended as it can be dry and slippery in summer and wet and slippery in winter! I once saw an elegant Italian lady descending the steep footpath from Vesuvius wearing gold shoes! her kitten heels came in very handy, acting as a natural brake!. Kitten heels might occasionally be very appropriate here! Follow the hedge on your left downhill to the 2nd stile. Here by a babbling brook is an ideal spot for a picnic before crossing the 3rd stile and footbridge. Follow the hedge to the last stile in the left-hand corner of the field onto an old green lane to Woodtown Cross. At this point you can either turn right - back to Fairy Cross and Ford or continue straight on up the hill to the isolated parish church of St. Andrew. The church and old schoolroom are located behind Church Farm and worthy of a detour.

This is a fascinating little church. When I first gazed up at the tower with its 4 pinnacles and 4 massive grotesques (not gargoyles!) – known locally as bulldogs! –they seemed out of scale somehow and I had a strong feeling here of recycled stonework. Once inside the church there is definite proof of recycled material, including carved woodwork from the great Hall at Portledge, the now vanished Yeo Valley House and even from Parkham Church. Pevsner refers to the interior woodwork as ‘a most interesting jumble’. The stained glass windows are mainly Victorian. Some are quite dazzling in their richness of colour and use of patterns - so typical of the High Victorian style - yet several windows display a delicacy of colour and romanticism so loved by the Pre Raphaelites. Close by, the little school room boasts 2 overlarge elaborately designed chimneys (possibly made of Brannam bricks) in a style more frequently seen on Victorian Lodges and Kensington Mansion blocks! Now I don’t think you can recycle chimneys! Regrettably there is insufficient space here to describe this interesting church in full but a small leaflet provides the visitor with a potted history of the church that has stood here since the 13th century. If the door is unlocked it is well worth a closer look.


From the Church return to Church Farm and turn left. At the top of the hill is another spot for a picnic from a seat erected in memory of Leslie Elston, here you can enjoy some distant views towards Huntshaw Beacon and beyond. Ignore the signpost marked Bideford and walk straight on downhill to Fairy Cross. Turn right here and admire the grand bus shelters recently erected by the current owner of the Portledge. Don’t miss the overlarge Pineapples that adorn the Portledge gateposts on the left…maybe another case of recycling?? Turn away from the noisy A39 onto the road that runs parallel to it and bear right at the end onto the old A39 back to Ford - passing the Old Post Office on your left. DISTANCE about 3-4 miles. OS Explorer Map 126 is useful but not essential. For further reading and information about the Parish of Alwington visit Bideford Library and the North Devon Record Office in Barnstaple. Dawn Frost

I would like to thank Hilary Dodge, who recognising my enthusiasm was able to give me a guided tour of the church and churchyard on February 8th 2008
 

Tapeley Park, The Clevelands and the Charge of the Light Brigade.
 The 'Cleveland reign' at Tapeley Park began in 1702, when William Cleveland sailed up the river Torridge to live at Tapely, which at that time was a seven-bayed white stucco farmhouse. He married Anna Davie of Orleigh Court, Bideford, and their son John became Principal Secretary to the Admiralty from 1751 until his death in 1763.
 John Cleveland's son, also called John, took over Tapeley, and sat for seven successive Parliaments as Member for Barnstaple. In his time he added the dining room and the Dairy Lawn, where he entertained his constituents. One of his brothers, Augustus (1745-1784), joined the East India Company and went to India, becoming Governor of the
Province of Bengal. (Whilst there, "without bloodshed or terror of authority, employing only the means of consultation, confidence, and benevolence - and the gift of his daughter's home-baked cakes - attempted and accomplished the entire subjection of the lawless and savage inhabitants of the Jungleterry hill tribes of Rajamahall").
 John Cleveland was succeeded by his nephew, Augustus Saltren Willet Cleveland, who married Margaret Chichester of Arlington Court. They had a son, Archibald, and two daughters, Agnes and Caroline.
 Archibald Cleveland joined the 17th Lancers at the age of 17, subsequently being one of only three officers to survive the Charge of the Light Brigade, and was killed a month later at Inkerman, aged 21. He described his experiences of the Light Brigade's famous charge in a letter he wrote to his uncle in 1854, following Balaclava -"Lord Raglan, who had been told on purpose (by a man who wanted the Cavalry to do something brilliant) the wrong positions of the guns, ordered us to charge them. We were formed up at one end of the valley, the nine twelve-pounders were at the other - one and a half miles away, flanked with cavalry and infantry. On each side of the valley was rising ground : on the left of us a battery of six guns, on our right, batteries of about seventeen or eighteen guns ......... so you can imagine how we were mown down by the cross- firing ..........''He also wrote of how three Cossacks pursued him, following the charge -"the next ran his lance straight through my pouch box, which is made of silver and saved me, the next caught me in the ribs, but the point of his lance was broken off and only bruised me - was that not a lucky escape? -and I had one or two lucky escapes of being cut down before that, only I was too sharp for them.

 "In 1856 a monument was erected to Archibald, in a field on the seaward side of the house, with a 50-foot obelisk rising from it. This obelisk was destroyed by lightning during a thunderstorm in 1933, when according to a local newspaper "blocks of granite were thrown 100 feet into the air, and iron rails twisted"

.On a visit to Tapeley Park, I noticed the remains of this monument. I recalled a book in my possession, a family heirloom, given to all the survivors of the Light Brigade's charge : my late husband's great-great uncle, 'Sergeant Barker', was a troop sergeant in the 17th Lancers, charged the guns, and lived. This book - amongst many other things  contains a poem in memory of Archibald Cleveland,  and with 'Bideford' inscribed after it. RA

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Recipes wanted

I am compiling a cookery book to raise funds for St Margaret’s and Holy Trinity Churches. Any recipe which is a firm favourite will be gratefully received. Please send to  Jennifer Bonetta at ‘The little House’, Chope Rd Northam Ex39 3QE  tel 424281. Thankyou    J Bonetta.

Nature Notes

Very few plants add any splashes of colour to the drab greys and browns of the winter landscape; but the dozen or so flowering plants of  January and February put on a quite an uplifting show when seen in weak winter sunshine.   During mild winters snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) will begin to flower around Christmas, but if cold weather prevails they will wait until March. Once rare in Britain-found only in the damp woods of western England-today they are widespread probably having escaped from gardens into the surrounding countryside. Snowdrops are an important source of nectar for early flying insects e.g. honey bees

   Winter Aconites Eranthis hyemalis).were introduced to this country from Southern Europe about 400 years ago and since then have become widely naturalised ;these flower at the same time as the snowdrops and  are also a good source of nectar for insects. Golden yellow in colour the flowers expand during sunny weather to reveal the tubular petals which contain the nectar- these petals are surrounded by a leaf like ruff  - the true leaves, which incidentally are highly poisonous emerge from the ground only after the flowers have withered.

Other winter flowering plants which are not quite so flamboyant as the snowdrops and aconites mainly because they do not grow in such eye catching proximity include Barren Strawberry(Pontentilla Sterilis) Ground Ivy(Glechoma hederacea) and the very rare Spring Snowflake(Leucojum vernum) which is a close relative to the snowdrop. Perhaps the most prolific of the winter flowering species is the Winter Heliotrope (Petasites fragrans) – these have a flowering season from November to  March- large  patches of these grow in St Mary’s Churchyard and produce a strong heady perfume on sunny winter days. Their scent and the mauve/pink flowers attract insects and provide them with nectar during the l winter months.

Ann Wells

Slugs snails and a gardener’s tales.

I wish Christmas arrived in May!  Unwrapping plant after plant and filling my garden with summer pleasures!  Alas, winter months are hard on the gardener.  Days are short, skies are grey and venturing outside is a challenge in itself; battling against gale force winds, seemingly endless rain and  waterlogged flower beds looking battered and lifeless.  Occasionally, we are blessed with a mild South West day;  sky blue, sun bright and only a thick sweater between you and the breeze.  If winter has been kind your garden may be tidy  with new projects on their way.  You may be looking out of your window at daffodils, tulips, forget-me-nots, honesty and wallflowers. If that isn’t the case don’t dismay- there is a cheap and easy way to fill those empty beds and pots for the summer.

My first garden was tiny and devoid of plants. A narrow patchy lawn, ugly fence and shed. My new ‘upwardly mobile motherliness’ craved a cottage style garden and children who slept through the night!  Cottage gardeners relied heavily on annuals.  Annuals are easy to propagate and grow and complete their lifecycle in one season. Perfect for filling a new garden or gaps between perennials and shrubs.  I ordered a seed catalogue and the names of the plants conjured up the romantic, simple beauty of rural cottage life;  Love-lies-bleeding, snapdragons, night scented stock and evening primrose.  My imagination ran riot as I ‘ordered’ my cottage garden.  I  emptied my airing cupboard and filled the shelves with plastic bags containing seed trays.  I pampered and treasured every single, determined little seedling  within my care.  My reward was weeks of bloom and fragrance from my garden though the children took a few more seasons to discover the joy of sleep!    Meanwhile, a strategically planted Russian Vine (mile-a-minute) had covered the fence and shed. The pleasure and joy the garden gave to everyone who saw it that year outweighed the endeavour involved. Grow night-scented stock (Matthiola), evening primrose (Oenothera), cherry pie (Heliotrope) or tobacco plant (Nicotiana).  Poppy (Papaver), marigolds (Calendula) and nasturtium (Tropaeolum) for a splash of colour in your poorest ground.  For the exotic, grow bold clumps of love-lies-bleeding (Amaranthus) with castor-oil plants (Ricinus).  Grow sweet peas (Lathyrus) to cascade over your raised banks and beds. Grow antirrhinums and statice (Limonium sinuatum) and discover whether they are perennial in your garden as they are in mine.   Enjoy the late summer papery blooms of Cosmos (Cosmea) and the autumnal colours of the coneflower (Rudbeckia).  You won’t have to show off your green fingers this year, a few showstopping annuals will do it for you! Angela Sworn (King’s Cottage Nursery)

Village View  Hartland        All that meets the eye-   and more!

 “The town of Hartland is remote but not without charm”, says the Devon Guide website, damning with faint praise. Remote? Yes. Not for nothing was Hartland Abbey the last to be dissolved by Henry VIII. Charm? I’m not sure it’s ‘charm’ that Hartland is after. Don’t get me wrong, you’ll get a warm welcome (‘Most Welcoming Community Award 2005’ North Devon Marketing Bureau). But it’s not Christmas card pretty. 1t’s an acquired taste. Like the wild and woolly coastline, it’s not for everyone. But once you fall in love, you stay in love.Hartland is a living, breathing and hard-working community. It has longevity. You will meet the inheritors of the names of most of the names on the war memorial, and many of the local families can trace their connections with the village much further back than that. But it’s also welcoming of new ideas and talents. A host of artists, craftspeople and authors have settled in Hartland over the last half century, and left a legacy of inspiration from the Springfield Pottery and David Charlesworth Furniture to the Small School, Resurgence magazine and Hartland Farmers’ Market. So for a natural, cultural and historical feast, come to Hartland. 10 personal favourites:

1)    Walk to Blackpool Mill

If this isn’t the loveliest walk around I don’t know what is. A spectacular mile down through pasture, woodland, streamside. All the time the Atlantic clear in the distance as your goal. The kids love it. Sit on the bench and gaze at the sea. Let the day go by. Park in the lay-by or near Stoke Church. Look out for the footpath sign 50 yards past the Church towards the Quay.

2)    Have a drink at Hartland Quay

On a Summer’s evening, watching the sunset. And the sea. And the cliffs. Heaven itself. And build in a high tide swim or a walk out to the waterfalls at St Catherine’s Tor and Speke’s Mill.

3)    Visit the beach at Welcombe Mouth

If your car can take the punishment. Time it for low tide.

4)    Sit in the Haile Selassie Chair

Yes that Haile Selassie. No, really. He opened the Church fete in 1938. I’m not making this up. Just go to Stoke Church, find the Chair, and sit where the ‘conquering lion of Juddah’ once sat whilst in exile.

5)    Eat a Din Curry

Excellent authentic far Eastern food , courtesy of Shaharudin Mohamed. Only at the Hartland Pantry on a Saturday night. Call 01237 441332 for a table.

6)    Gaze at the Hartland Abbey snowdrops.They started doing ‘Snowdrop Sunday’ last year, and it’s a marvellous site. Closer than Snowdrop Valley and easier parking.

7)    Do the HAM (Hartland Artists & Makers) Tour: Springfield Pottery, Harton Manor, Wood Glorious Wood, Darville Gallery, Milthorne Chairs, etc.. Call James on 01237 441 890.

8)    Take a moment’s reflection at St Nectan’s Well

One of Hartland’s hidden gems. Park near the Church in Stoke, it’s 50 yards before you get to the Church en route to the Quay, down an overgrown pathway. It’s still used as an active religious/spiritual site, so treat it with respect.

9)    One Week in Summer

Every July some of the most glorious and intimate music you’ll hear, in the most glorious settings.

10)   Shop at Hartland Farmers Market

On the first Sunday of the month, every month April – October, 10am – 1pm. This year they’re also having a Xmas Special on December 2, 10am – 4pm. Don’t forget breakfast at the café  -  the best value full English on the peninsula -  meat and veggie versions.    Ron Landman

Long legs, but who's the Daddy ?
There are three long legged invertebrates, commonly found in mid to late summer that are liable to find themselves described as Daddy Long Legs.
One of them has wings, two have not.
Two of them have eight legs, one has six.
One of them spins silken webs, two do not.
One has a three-part body: head, thorax and abdomen.
One has a two-part body: cephalothorax and abdomen.
One has a one-piece body, with no separate head (like the Mistermen!)

"Misterlonglegs" is correctly called the Harvestman. He looks very like a spider with his eight legs, each up to two inches long, but his body is a single flattened oval in shape, about one eighth to one quarter of an inch across, and he does not produce any silk threads. Harvestmen are, not surprisingly, most commonly found around harvest time in corn fields or tall grass where their long legs enable them to run rapidly over and amongst the stems to catch their prey of smaller invertebrates. By late summer they are often seen indoors, where they are vulnerable to becoming caught up in the webs of real spiders.
The true spider called Pholcus phanangioides is, not surprisingly, better known as the daddy long legs spider since his legs are just as long as the harvestman's although his two-piece body can be up to three eighths of an inch in length. Usually very thin and spindly in appearance, his abdomen can swell hugely after a day or two sucking the juices from a large fly. This spider is found almost exclusively in houses and buildings in southern England as it can not survive cold temperatures. Its web is a very loose, untidy jumble of non-sticky strands, designed to entangle flying insects and pass the vibrations on to the spider waiting in the corner to rush out and wrap up its prey. Its long legs enable it to run very quickly over the trapeze of loose threads much as the harvestman can run through the standing corn.

The true Daddy long legs is the Crane Fly, Tipula paludosa. This is a winged insect, having six legs and looking rather like an oversize mosquito, although it does not bite. It grows as a larva, known as a leatherjacket, living in the soil eating the roots of grass and crops and making itself very unpopular with farmers and gardeners. Then it emerges in late summer as the flying adult looking for a mate. As with the harvestman, its long legs enable it to move easily amongst the corn and grass, but when large numbers of them take to the air in weak ungainly flight over the grassland they provide abundant easy meals for low flying swallows gathering strength for their migration. We probably see them most when they are attracted to the light in our windows in the evening and we find them struggling in the webs of their namesake spiders !
Chris Hassall
 

Autumn Watch

Late Summer and early Autumn is the time when food is plentiful. Seeds and berries are maturing, insects and ground invertebrates are numerous, there is an abundance of young birds and mammals for predatory birds, and at sea the marine life is plentiful. So now after the frantic activity of the breeding season, it is time for the annual moult of feathers, and the abundance of food at this time helps to produce the body energy required by wild birds. Bathing in either dust or water is enjoyed by all birds in July and August. This helps to rid the feathers of dust and dirt which have become lodged and are causing irritation. All nests have a community of lice and fleas in them. These breed within the warm structure of the nest and are then able to disperse with the fledglings and the adult . ‘Livestock’ are also dislodged during a vigorous bathing session. The moulting of feathers is not an haphazard procedure; the wing and tail feathers are shed pair by pair until all are replaced over a few weeks. They are also shed evenly, so that a reasonable amount of balance can be obtained during flight. The ‘soft’ or body contour feathers moult in much the same way, but the procedure is much slower and a more continuous one ; indeed it may have started during the nesting season and continue into the Autumn. It is these type of feathers which are used to line the nest, often by the female plucking loose feathers from her breast.

Summer migrants are preparing for the return flight near to the time of the moult. These birds have evolved one of three strategies so that the two do not occur simultaneously. Firstly bird species which do not have to fly south of the equator will not moult before departing from the breeding area. Others e.g. turtle doves will start to moult, but then suspend it until after the migration then complete it in the Winter quarters. Then thirdly, some species will delay the moult until the Winter quarters are reached because these are areas where conditions are good and there is a plentiful supply of food to sustain them during this energy sapping time

Ann Wells.

 Birds on the Torridge

Regarding wildlife on the Torridge, there have been three families of shell duck, two broods of eight, all flying together and lovely to watch. On the morning of the 15^th June, a Ruff landed on the flats- this is a very rare bird. The male has a very lovely breeding plumage. They come from Africa in March, but are rarely seen this far south and at at one time were considered extinct, but have made a good recovery.  On the 30^th July,  it was lovely to see, a Black Swan on the mudflats below Bideford Bridge  -  still there on the 3^rd August.              DL Barnes

Sea Lavender and White Egrets

A circular walk from Isley Marsh

This is an ideal walk for anyone who is recovering from an ankle or leg injury. There are 2 seats along the route - one rather hidden is close to the RSPB site. I think it might be possible to negotiate this path with a wheelchair (in good weather conditions) to the old jetties and back, despite a few wet patches. - Bikes are not permitted This short circular walk is almost all level terrain apart from the sandy undulating path through the sand dunes. Isley Marsh is a bird sanctuary protected by the RSPB. Here large mudbanks and mudflats attract all manner of estuary birds including the White Egret - once a rarity- but now a common sight on the estuary and the Taw and Torridge rivers.

Access this easy walk from either the Car Park behind the Sand Dunes at Instow (clockwise route) or (for my anti- clockwise route) take the road to the old site of the Yelland Power Station and park on the right before the Tarka Trail. At Yelland take the Tarka Trail towards Fremington. Turn Left through the gate at the Isley Marsh Marker 9. My route follows the edge of Isley Marsh to the Salt flats and foreshore of the Taw estuary. Look for the swathes of Sea Lavender which adorn the foreshore from just inside the gate on the Marsh all the way to the old power station jetty. Where the route follows the top of the dyke towards the 2^nd jetty the fresh winds blow in from the open sea, and at high tide you will enjoy the view of sparkling water and the bright sails of yachts as they race across the estuary. Linger awhile before you head off into the sand dunes for here a most attractive crescent of golden sand is an ideal place for a picnic ; usually deserted this is a lovely peaceful spot. Behind the beach the path undulates through the dunes and exits onto an old track -keep straight on, on the right is the thatched Instow Cricket Clubhouse. From here look for the turning back onto the Tarka Trail between the wooden chalets on your left. Left back to Yelland. If starting from the Instow end head for the Cricket Club, the track runs along the North Easterly edge of the grounds to the Dunes, keep the water on your left and keep going past the 2 jetties, keep to the footpath and exit onto the Tarka Trail at Isley Marsh. Turn right onto the Tarka Trail straight on at Yelland, past the Picnic site and thatched round house to the wooden chalets close to the Car Park and you should be back where you started! Circular about 2.5 miles.

Take a map if only to identify features of the location around you. A compass can be helpful if you do get confused – and children will enjoy the challenge of a bit of map reading. Binoculars are a must for bird watching. There are numerous handbooks that fit easily into a pocket to help you identify birds and plants. If you own an I-Pod and have access to a PC you can download details of Isley Marsh from the Tarka Trail website. The RSPB also have a useful website. 

Dawn Frost

Not so slow

Despite the  appearance of slow –worms,  (Angius fagilis ) ,they are not snakes ,neither are they slow – they are leg less lizards . The vestiges of the pectoral limb girdle, where the front legs would have been attached, can be seen  on a skeleton of the creature. Other characteristics of its lizard lineage  are its moveable eyelids, detachable tail (as referred to in its Latin name fragilis ) and a broad flat tongue.

Having slow- worms in the garden is a great bonus. They are nature’s answer to slug pellets, as they chiefly feed on slugs; it is thought that  the decline of these creatures is in part due  to the overuse of slug pellets. Predation by cats also takes its toll.

Slow-worms emerge from their underground refuges in early Spring if the weather is mild; the males in particular will bask in the weak Spring sunshine on grassy slopes or large tufts of grass.During the hot Summer days of July and August the gravid females bask; this increases their body temperature assisting the development of the unborn young. The young are live born, encased in a membrane during late August or early September  emerging from the  the membrane soon after birth ;the young are immediately active and fend for themselves . Usually about ten young are born to an average sized female, but large females have been known to produce up to 20 young. Slow –worms can live for many years;. one particular individual was observed for as long as 54 years. There has been a gradual decline in these creatures mainly due to loss of habitat, new farming practices and the encroachment into the countryside of urban sprawl. Slow worms have evolved to carry out a useful job in the natural environment

 Ann Wells  (  typed by Gillian Cox    )    

Tall Tales - but True. A short life, suddenly ended.
Walking through Appledore last summer, along Irsha Street towards the life-boat station, we came across a dead baby bird in the gutter. Completely naked but quite fat, it had clearly been snatched from the nest by some predator, probably a gull as it was Appledore, and presumably dropped by mistake as it passed over the street. As we wondered what sort of bird it was, being much larger than the baby sparrows that are often found in similar circumstances, we saw its beak open and close, and realised that it was still alive. So we picked up the Irsha street orphan, warmed it in our hands and took it home to put in the warming oven of the Rayburn (as one does with chilled chickens and piglets and lambs).
To everyone's surprise it revived and started shouting for food, so bread and milk and scrambled egg were shoved down its throat at frequent intervals while smelly deposits emerged from the other end until after a few days it started to grow dark fluff and then dark stubby feathers. We still could not work out what it was. My first thought had been a gull as it seemed large and I did not know what a hatchling gull looked like. As it grew darker most people thought it was a blackbird but I thought it was too big and might be a crow. Eventually its beak grew longer and thinner and its new feathers took on a slightly speckled effect with possibly a trace of iridescent hue. It wasn't that big after all, and I realised we had reared a young starling.
When the fledgeling was ready to fly we gave it a perch close under the plastic roof of the verandah where it could jump up and snatch flies that buzzed against the underside of the roof. It soon started making short flights across the patio and all looked set for it soon to gain its independence.
One day it made its first flight from the patio, over the low roof and into the farmyard, only it never got there. We heard it calling and looked out of the door to the yard just in time to see a beautiful sparrow hawk standing on the cobbles pulling the head off our young starling.
So we had spent a lot of time and effort to provide a meal for a sparrow hawk, but it was worth it. A sparrow hawk is worth far more than a starling any day and it's the first time I had ever seen one close to. A sad end to the little bird we rescued and reared, but it could have been much worse. The cat might have had it! Chris Hassall.
 

Countryside Contributions THIS WILL BE CHANGED sometime Slugs and Snails .......... love them or loathe them? Much to the chagrin of gardeners the food eaten by slugs and snails is vegetative in origin,although there are a few carniverous snails that feed on other snails and their eggs. Belonging to the group of animals known as gastropods they are related to octopus, squid and bivalves such as cockels and mussels. Most gastropods live in the sea or fresh water,so it is not surprising that slugs and snails keep out of strong sunlight and seek out damp areas with suitable shelter; during times of drought and hibernation, snails withdraw into their shells and seal off the aperture of their shell with layers of mucus, which dries hard- this prevents the desiccation of the animal. Both slugs and snails are hermaphrodites which means that each animal has both male and female reproductive organs and is able to mate with any other slug or snail of its species.There are 80 or so species of snail and three species of slug in this country. The eggs of both molluscs are laid in loose soil or in decaying vegetation; slugs usually lay their eggs in the Spring and Autumn and the length of time taken before hatching depends on temperature- 3-4 weeks in Summer to several months in Winter. Snails lay their eggs a week or two after mating and about 30-40 eggs are laid. To encourage the growth of its shell the young snail eats its egg shell on emerging- before embarking on the prize plants in the garden! Gardening is the number one hobby in this country, so all out war has been declared on these creatures. But slugs and snails are part of the natural food chain- the demise of that lovely bird the song thrush has in part been blamed on the overuse of slug and snail pellets. Blackbirds,starlings and mammals such as hedgehogs also eat them. So by the overuse of these poisons, we are interfering with the natural balance of nature and causing the decline of other species. Ann Wells 2007 Do you have a view about slugs and snails? Send us your thoughts to editor@bidefordbuzz.org.uk or to BidefordBuzz, Bideford Library New Rd EX 39 2HR     Looking Askance at: - Global Warming - Will we be left out in the cold ? A contradiction in terms? - More like Murphy's Law perhaps. They tell us the world’s warming up and it's all our fault and I won't argue against that for a moment. Look at the mild winter just finished. I'm sure most of us are happy to forget suffering from chilblains and burst pipes in the bad old days before global warming began. So what am I worried about - apart from that propensity for gloom and doom that you will have noticed in my ‘looking askance' series? Well, in addition to the "2000 scientists" who made headlines with confirmation of the principle of man-made global warming, other scientists specialising in the study of ocean currents have reached a conclusion of even more immediate concern to us on the north-western edge of Europe. Before the rest of the world gets fried, it seems we in England can soon expect to suffer really ice-cold winters equivalent to the north of Newfoundland and the St Lawrence Seaway in Canada - and anyone who has ordered goods for shipment by sea from Quebec will know that the St Lawrence doesn't open to shipping until the ice melts in March or April. Now that's what I call Murphy's Law! There is good logic behind this prediction; it’s based on the fact that we owe our pleasant climate on the north-eastern edge of the Atlantic to the ocean current called the Gulf Stream. This brings warm water from the Caribbean right across the Atlantic, straight to our coastline, along with warm wet winds and surfing waves. The Gulf Stream is driven by convection currents in the Atlantic where heavy cold water full of icebergs from the Arctic drifts down the ocean past Newfoundland. By the time it reaches New York the icebergs that have escaped being hit by luxury liners will have melted. Further south, cold water sinks below the lighter warm water of the tropical regions. South of the tropics, it is warming up when it meets even colder water from Antarctic regions so it is pushed up to the surface where it drifts north to the Caribbean, by which time it is as warm as it gets. This is when we call it the Gulf Stream as it veers north-east across the Atlantic, to warm us up and cool itself down until it mixes with the cold Arctic waters and starts the circuit all over again. Crucial to this circulatory system is the heat of the sun in the tropics and the cold of the ice caps at the poles. Now, the heat in the tropics is not in question - in fact it is likely to get hotter - but the north polar ice cap suffers the effects of global warming. We must all have heard about the thinning of the ice cap on the Arctic Ocean, to the detriment of the polar bears, and the shrinking of the glaciers of Greenland. Not something that affects us, we may think, but it is that melting ice in Greenland that is likely to have the most striking influence on our personal climate in the immediate future. Torridge Transport Do you remember Chris Hassall’s series of articles on Torridge Transport featured in Buzz from February to July 2006. Well now these articles have been published in book form by the Rolle Canal Society. Contact Anthony Barnes at 01237 473801. Chris will be back next month……… for more details of the society and to obtain a copy.Chris Hassall’s latest series of articles on carbon emissions will be back next month….. Greenland ice is not sea ice. It has formed from snow falling on Greenland for hundreds of thousands of years; it is thousands of metres thick so that is a lot of ice. When Greenland ice melts it forms fresh water, fresh water is lighter than sea water. The time may come when this extra melt water pushing south with the present cold current down the coast of North America is no longer heavy enough to sink below the Gulf Stream waters, and swamps the flow of tropical water that keeps us warm. We’d then be exposed to cold currents from the Arctic all year round, leaving us with a climate similar to north-east Canada. The scientists have not said yet how soon this may happen, but their computer models indicate that the change could be quite sudden and could take place almost any year now. On the other hand it is still just possible it may not happen at all. Even Murphy's Law is not infallible!     Everything you ever needed to know about robins History has told us that on March  5th, 1695, the funeral service for Queen Mary 11 took place in Westminster Abbey. Mary had died of smallpox on December  28th 1694. The winter of 1694/5 had been a particularly bitter one, snow and ice gripped the land, the Thames had frozen over and even the briefest of journeys was hazardous,  hence the postponement of Mary’s funeral until early March. It was during this solemn service, the music of which had been set by two of  England’s great composers, Henry Purcell and Thomas Morley, both of who had enjoyed Royal patronage, that a robin reputedly flew around the Abbey and perched on her catafalque. Everyone is familiar with the robin (Erithacus rubecula) as a visitor  to the bird table, or as  a garden companion following behind picking up tasty morsels  from newly turned earth. On the continent this little bird is not so confiding. There it mainly lives in deep woodland  because  along with many other passerines, it is shot for the pot. But in Britain the robin has been popular for a great many years and legends going back to the 16th century   speak of the bad luck which besets  anyone who harms a robin The name redbreast was acquired because the breast of the robin was supposedly stained with blood when it was pricked by Christ’s  crown of thorns , and this is probably why robins are a popular feature on Christmas cards. Being highly  territorial birds, both cocks and hens defend territories and sing to advertise that they own a patch; any other robin encroaching into the area will be seen off by a high speed chase; if this does not deter then a beak and claw confrontation will occur., but only if a large number of birds are competing for a small number of territories. It is after the summer moult (July early August) that robins begin to establish territories. Then shortly after the Winter solstice, a female will enter a male’s territory. At first he will chase her away. But as time passes he will begin to accept her presence and during February  he will start to feed her, thus strengthening the bond between them and providing her with extra nourishment for the production of eggs. The nest is built by the hen in a very sheltered position - dense ivy, open fronted nest boxes, old kettles or even old sheds and outbuildings. The nest is constructed with dead leaves or moss  and is lined with hair or sheep’s wool. 5-6 eggs are laid and are incubated by the hen .for two weeks. After hatching the young robins stay in the nest for a further two weeks and are fed by both parents. A second brood is often produced during May .At the end of June ,both adults and young begin to moult. It is at this time that the youngsters acquire their red breast. It is also the time when the robins and indeed other bird species are silent   preferring to skulk away in deep hedgerows until the moult is complete, reappearing in the new livery ready to establish territories once again. Robins are largely insectivorous, but worms ,spiders ,soft fruits and seeds are taken in season. Surprisingly cheese is a firm favourite, the rind which surrounds proper cheese, finely grated ,is ideal; robins also have a fondness for meal worms and some people have fed them these from the hand .Although millions of people feed the birds, the mortality rate is still high. Robins are no exception, cats, window panes, cars,  harsh winters all take their toll on this much loved bird. If a pair of robins  manage  to rear two broods in one year. only one brood  will survive and  only one offspring will survive to the following year.   Ann Wells   Rosemary Sutcliff  and Rudyard Kipling I wonder how many people realise that the famous children’s writer Rosemary Sutcliff lived for most of her formative years in North Devon. Her family settled near Torrington  following many moves around the country. - Her father was in the Navy. Rosemary felt that the West country was really her home. She had ‘Stills’ disease as a child, a form of arthritis, which led to long stints in hospital.  The medication she was given for this disease contained arsenic and this caused her to hallucinate, seeing panthers, wolves and snakes. Later on when she read Kipling’s ‘Just So Stories’ she realised the significance of these animals and Kipling became a favourite author for her. Rosemary Sutcliff said of herself :- ‘My schooling began late,owing to a childhood illness and ended when I was fourteen, owing to my entire lack of interest in being educated  But I showed signs of being able to paint. And so from school I went to art school (Bideford School of Art) and eventually became a professional miniature painter.’ Sutcliff wrote many historical  novels, mainly aimed at children, though they often appeal to adults as well. Her most famous work is probably ‘the Eagle of the ninth’ her historical novels are linked by the use of a device, a signet ring which appears in books written over 35 years and which started with its first appearance in the’ Eagle’. Rosemary Sutcliff was very endebted to Kipling and wrote the monograph to him in 1960. A copy of this is available  for perusal; in Bideford library  (Pearse Chope collection)  In it she describes Kipling’s early years as a pupil at the United Services College in Westward Ho! The building was converted from a terrace of twelve lodging houses and was started by a group of service officers wanting a cheap but sound education for their sons.; here Kipling met George Beresford  and’Stalky’ Dunsterville ,  his two school companions, from which he created the book’ Stalky and Co’. Rosemary Sutcliff died in 1992 in Arundel Sussex. Her autobiography ’Blue Remembered Hills’ is available for consultation at North Devon  Record office in  Barnstaple.   RA Admiral Cochet By Roger Sugar   John Cochet was born on the  3rd August 1760 at Rochester Kent and entered the Royal Navy on the 22nd December 1775 as an Ordinary Seaman aboard the Blonde (32.) After some time on the American station he removed to the Apollo( 32) and was promoted to Midshipman in October 1778. On the 31st January 1779, the Apollo, cruising off the French coast captured the 26-gun frigate L’Oiseau, after a battle lasting one and a half hours. On the 15th June 1780, near Ostend, he was again in action against the French ship Stanislaus( 26 )Captain Pownall of the Apollo was killed and twenty-six of the crew wounded. After transferring to the Amphion( 32) Cochet was  promoted to Lieutenant on the 26th August 1789.   He was also employed on the American, Home and Mediterranean stations, in the Amphion (32) Charlestown( 28) Powerful( 74), and Southampton( 32.) In March 1790 he joined the sloop Zebra. In December 1792 returned from the Mediterranean in the Phaeton( 38) where he had participated in the capture of several vessels including La Prompte( 28 )and the privateer Le General Dumourier with her prize the Spanish galleon St Jago; St. Jago’s cargo of silver was then valued at or in excess of £1,000,000. When the silver was unloaded at Portsmouth it needed twenty-one wagons to convey it to the treasury in London. Lieutenant Cochet then transferred to Earl Howe’s Queen Charlotte (100,) and was aboard during the action of the 1st June 1794 when one French ship of the line was sunk and six captured. Cochet was promoted Commander on the 27th May 1795 and Captain on the 4th January 1796; he then joined the Rattler 16.    On the 6th May 1797 in company with the Diamond (38 )off Cherbourg, they captured the privateer Le Pichegru, of 10 guns and 34 men. On the 9th December 1796, he was posted to the Abergaveny (50 )and supervised the naval evacuation of Port-au-Prince, St. Domingo. He was then, on the 14th June 1798, appointed to the Thunderer( 74) on which Richard Hobbs was serving; Hobbs was press-ganged off Bideford quay in 1785 aged seventeen.  On the 11th January 1799 Cochet was posted to the Valiant( 74), and returned to England with a large convoy. On the 30th May 1799 he was placed on half-pay. Later he ‘officiated with great credit’ at the battle of Maida in Italy as Agent for Transports in the Mediterranean from the 2nd May, 1805, until June, 1810. Next, from 3 March 1813 to April 1814, he commanded the Ardent stationed at Bermuda. He then became Resident Agent for Transports and prisoners of war at Halifax, Nova Scotia in May 1814 until May 1815. Cochet became a Rear Admiral on the 12th August 1819, a Vice-Admiral on the 22nd July 1830 and a full Admiral on the 23rd November 1841. He first married Miss Charlotte Jeffreys on the 19th May 1796. Then secondly Lydia, widow of Captain Long, of the 89th Regiment, on the 15th July 1811; this lady died on the 9th September 1839.   Ordinary Seaman John Cochet astonishingly climbed ‘up the hawse pipe’ to become the much respected Admiral in a period when class differences were rigidly enforced but outstanding talent was recognised. Admiral Cochet for a time lived in a beautiful house at Bath, presumably paid for by his prize money, known as 20 The Vineyards . Then, in 1842, he lived in Mill Street, Bideford. One must wonder what he would make of his old home now that we know it as Wilden Tools and the adjoining Country Shop. Admiral John Cochet died in 1851.   New this month ◙ Looking askance at:- Carbon - neutral Energy FROM PREVIOUS MONTHS SEE ALSO NATURE NOTES in the ARCHIVE INDEX Carbon Emissions Industrious Ants Autumn Wild about Lupins More on The creature from the deep Northam Burrows country Park Wouldcare Did you plant any trees last Winter? The Creature from the Deep Bideford and the tobacco trade Westward Ho! Kingsley style revisited Bideford's Long Bridge Torridge Transport - Early Days - (1) Torridge Transport – The Turnpike Years - (2) Torridge Transport The Canal Era - (3) Torridge Transport From trains to bikes - (4) Torridge Transport – (5) Torridge Transport – (6) Signs of Spring One Fine Day Local Landowner Supports Stand up and be counted Walk-Brownsham to Shipload Bay Bideford Walk and Talk Where do the flies – and all the rest – go in the wintertime? A Literary Ramble: Days out with a difference NORTH DEVON COAST AND COUNTRYSIDE SERVICE Minister meets North Devon AONB Manager Arachnophobia – or Good Vibrations In Search of the Kingfisher Some of North Devon’s best kept secrets: £100,000 OF GRANT MONEY TO BE AWARDED FOR LOCAL PROJECTS… Learn To Love Your Hymenoptera Water Wise… Advice from South West Water Turn Your Garden into a Wildlife Haven Salt and Silt, Sand and Shingle ‘It’s a bug’s life!’ A Bit About Bats If the Oak is out before the Ash Further Afield February 'Flowers' Brownsham to Mouth Mill Where do the bats and dormice go in the wintertime? North Devon Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty Humming Bird Behaviour Looking askance at:- Carbon - neutral Energy In November I wrote about the so-called "carbon emissions" (primarily carbon dioxide gas) that are accumulating in the atmosphere and causing "global warming". I concluded with the accepted wisdom that to save the planet we must keep planting more trees to absorb this carbon dioxide, and I queried, "Can it really be that simple?" — Of course the answer is, "No". The concept of carbon-neutral energy is being used these days to justify a mass of pseudo-green enterprises. In its worst form it claims that you can neutralise the carbon emissions of your flight to Hong Kong by paying some internet company to plant some trees for you — how gullible can you get? How much of your payment do you think actually gets spent on trees? And how many years before those trees are big enough to make any significant impression? And what do you think will happen to the trees when they grow old? If they are cut down and used for fuel, all that wood gets turned back into carbon dioxide and is released into the air. Will you then, at the age of perhaps 150, go out and plant some more? The unfortunate truth is that while any green plant, be it a great oak or a field of grass, is in itself truly carbon neutral, it can do nothing to counterbalance the emissions from long-haul air flights or even the school run. As the plant grows it takes in carbon dioxide which, through the action of the sun, is converted into organic matter such as wood and leaves. When it dies, and every time the leaves fall, that organic matter is destroyed and the same amount of carbon dioxide is released, either by burning or being eaten or by rotting away. The only way plants can redress the balance upset by the burning of fossil fuels is if they are buried for several million years and turned to coal; that way alone is the carbon permanently removed from the atmosphere. We can't afford to wait that long, so let's not delude ourselves with talk of saving the planet by using carbon neutral energy from the burning of biomass fuels and vegetable oils. They do serve a useful purpose in reducing the amount of fossil fuels we use, but so long as we are using more energy than we can harvest direct from the sun or renewable sources we remain on the slippery slope to oblivion. Now that assertion needs a lot of qualification! Firstly, we don't need to worry about saving the planet. The planet will adjust itself to whatever we may do to it. It has heated up and cooled down over past aeons of time and will do so for aeons to come. It is just human civilisation and the life forms that we know and love that are likely to suffer from our profligacy. Some say that this view underestimates man's ability to solve his problems in the long term - on the other hand it may well be that the dinosaurs shared that confidence. Secondly, there are many forms of energy that derive ultimately from the power of the sun. Since the sun powers the weather systems, it is the source of all wind, wave, and water power as well as photo-voltaic electricity generation. These are the energy sources we need to be developing with utmost urgency. Finally there is nuclear power. It is most unfortunate that man's first use of nuclear power was to produce weapons of mass destruction. The image of Hiroshima has coloured our perception of the one energy source that has the potential to preserve and enhance our standard of living without destroying our environment — though it also has the potential to do just that. If only all the resources devoted to producing nuclear weapons had been employed in the development of safer and better nuclear power stations we might have been saved the power crisis we are now said to be suffering. To look on the bright side ("That's a change", you'll be saying), maybe science and industry will turn up trumps and bring us unlimited clean energy in time to preserve the environment for our grandchildren. Meanwhile, while we are still using fossil fuels, we ought to be doing all we can to cut down on energy use and step up the development of renewable sources — and of course plant more trees! Chris Hassall P.S. Well done, Janet Hearn, for correcting the Ant quotation. Several people have told me it is from the Book of Proverbs but you are the first to point out that I hadn't even quoted it correctly. It's nice to get some feedback and know that someone reads these articles. (CH) Carbon Emissions ; These days we are continually being told that we must reduce our carbon emissions or we will soon suffer the terrible effects of global warming. Indeed there have been clear signs in recent years that on average the weather is getting warmer but with more extremes. The heatwaves are hotter, the frosts are less severe and snow almost unknown, while the summer tempests of wind and rain, when they come, are of incomparable intensity. The statistical evidence is pretty convincing and the science behind it seems sound so we are going to have to face up to the fact that global warming is happening. With winter rapidly approaching we may feel that a little warming may not be such a bad thing, but the trouble is that it is already running out of control and the next 40 years of warming is now inevitable whatever measures we take to control it. This is the consequence of another phenomenon, the greenhouse effect. Greenhouse effect - Too high a concentration of the greenhouse gasses collecting in the atmosphere acts like the glass of a greenhouse, trapping the heat of the sun's rays close to the earth causing raised temperatures. Greenhouse gasses - These are principally Carbon Dioxide, Methane and various other gasses. Many of them occur naturally hi the atmosphere but they have increased significantly in the last 200 years or so since the industrial revolution and enormously in the last 50 years of worldwide industrial growth. At last we come to the problem of carbon emissions. Now, to most of us without a technical background, carbon means soot, or charcoal; it is the messy black stuff in smoke, or what gets left behind when we burn something, and actually that is quite easy to remove from the atmosphere. Smoke free zones in towns, and precipitators hi power station chimneys, remove most of the carbon particles these days which is why we don't get the urban fogs we had fifty years ago. Anyway that’s all a red herring (smoked, of course) because when the boffins talk to us about "carbon emissions" these days, what they are really referring to is carbon dioxide. Until recently we were all quite happy with this. Along with nitrogen and oxygen, it is one of the three principal gasses in the air we breathe and we couldn't survive without it. It's all a matter of maintaining a balance between the three, and the current worry is that the proportion of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is rapidly increasing, and its our use of energy which we produce by burning various fuels, that is causing it. So we need to know what produces carbon dioxide and the bad news is that practically everything that lives or moves or keeps us warm or cool does. Drivers do it, fliers do it, refrigerators and fires do it; sheep do it, cows do it, even tractors pulling ploughs do it; we all do it and somehow we have to do it less. Transport and heating mainly depends on oil, coal and gas; all fossil fuels that were formed hi ages past from plant life that extracted carbon dioxide from the air for millions of years, and now we are releasing it all at once by burning these fuels within a few hundred years. Electricity is more versatile; it produces no carbon dioxide at point of use, but it has to be generated and we are still producing most of it from fossil fuels. We need to be generating far more of our electricity from the sun, wind, tide, or (whisper it) nuclear sources, all of which operate without carbon dioxide emissions (although there may be other hazards). Then what uses up carbon dioxide out of the air and can help reduce its concentration too! What we all know about is photosynthesis, where green plants, using solar energy, take hi carbon dioxide from the air, convert the carbon into organic matter and give out oxygen; a process that is key to life on earth. So it is green plants that best remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and the biggest green plants are trees, so we must keep planting more trees. Of course you've heard that before! Can it really be mat simple ? Chris Hassall More next month..... Wild About Lupins I doubt if many people have sold their home to house a particular variety of plant but that is what we did 18 months ago. All done for the sake of my lovely lupins which live in;state of the art triple span polytunnels, whilst we exist in a mobile home on our four acre site! It started innocuously enough; sitting idly watching the TV one evening, the series 'Bloom' came on. When the stately lupins flashed onto the screen my attention was immediately captured. The images of these handsome flowers with spikes packed to bursting, with florets of astonishing colours and combinations of colours, was breathtaking. I realised I have always loved members of the pea family, but other than collecting a few scrappy seeds from an even more scrappy woody bush of a tree lupin, my contact with this delightful plant had been at best fleeting. Now my attention caught, I wrote down the name of the exhibitor who was to start our journey towards the establishment of a nursery almost totally devoted to a national collection of lupins.. Not all has been a delight and pleasure of course. There have been endless exasperations along the way and many times we have both reached a point of giving up the whole mad idea. But I particularly, am not one to give in .. .female, mulish stubbornness being some of my more charming attributes! Looking back I cannot believe the time we spent hoeing what felt like acres of lupins in baking hot sunshine, watching the cars wending their way towards the coast for a day on the beach. But this was the only way we could build up a decent collection of plants with which to start the project, using seed sources from real original Russell lupin stock, blagged from our new friend from the TV, Johnnie Walker. A couple of years, and four rickety polytunnels later, we had the basis of a collection using the tried and tested method of George Russell himself- the God of lupins. Thousands of seed were sown in September, planted out the following spring using a cabbage planter, directly into the soil, promptly followed a couple of months later by vast areas being pulled up and thrown out! Of course these were the rubbish plants, Those with special attributes, like thick flower spikes, new colour breaks, and new bicolours. were carefully and lovingly dug up, potted and brought inside to take cuttings from the following year. Lupins do not produce the same colour seed as the parent plant and therefore the only way of replicating this is to take vegetative cuttings. This is dead easy, and involves nothing more than a cold frame a sharp knife and a stock plant. We now take thousands of cuttings and strike them in modules so that the individual plants can be potted on easily and with minimum root disturbance. We also take cuttings in the autumn and use heated benches to get an early crop for our mail order customers. Later cuttings are useful for later flowers, just as seed sown in April will also give late flowering lupins. By now, we were beginning to feel just a little smug and confident about showing our plants. So a trip to the NEC saw our first display in the Plant Mall......... which promptly fell down overnight, when the stand caved in, creating an interesting if alarming effect, with lupin spikes tilted at extraordinary angles. We managed to jack it up ,but we both realised there was a bit more to this showing lark than we had allowed for! The following year, we managed a passable display, although for Malvern, we had one sole lupin flowering in time for the show. Incredibly they have asked us back every year since and now we manage to have at least enough for a decent display Lupins cannot be described as shy, retiring plants by any stretch of the imagination. They are big, bold, statement plants, in your face with then- size, colour and heady scent. Their appeal seems to be almost universal - our displays regularly provoke comments about the lupins not looking real, smelling wonderful and generally open mouthed admiration is expressed by all. This is always a huge comfort and joy to me, as their carer and grower all year. And as we now live in a mobile home, which is very draughty in winter and steaming hot in summer, it has to be all worth while -doesn't it? Sarah Conibear Westcountry Nurseries is open daily 10am-4pm. We also offer a mail order service. We carry a huge range of herbaceous perennials, ferns, grasses, Acers and alpines as well as our own breeds of lupins Donkey Meadow, Woolsery. Tel (01237) 431111 email westcountry-nurseries.co.uk Autumn What is Autumn? Every year at this time, I suddenly get an urge to be incredibly busy. All sorts of plans come into my head. I will be creative, join an art class, learn a new language, paint the kitchen, read all the books I've not got round to, write my novel...... I used to assume this frenzy of activity was associated with the time of year I was born and that each Autumn I'd get a new lease of life coinciding with my birth date. But sometimes this seems like a contradiction. After all Autumn is the 'dying 'time of the year, when the animals prepare to hibernate and humans put back the clocks and prepare to do less by force of necessity, because of the shorter daylight hours. However Autumn is also a busy time as we prepare to deal with having less to do during the winter months and in a sense, in my case, I suppose to counteract any boredom which Winter promises. I often think of the poet Keats at this time of year and his poem 'To Autumn'. For Keats it really was the dying year as the consumption took its hold. 'Where are the songs of Spring aye where are they Think not of them- thou hast thy music too.' These are always haunting words for me, the loveliness of the scene tinged with great sadness. I love the season. For us lucky people in North Devon, we can enjoy all its advantages, like walking through woods with the leaves changing to glorious autumn colours, savour the red Autumn berries and the crispness in the air, As a child I loved to gather blackberries, hunt for acorns, hips and haws and of course conkers, And of course the annual hunt to find the elusive spindleberry, that glorious pink and orange flower which is so hard to seek out, but so rewarding if you catch a glimpse of it. However I don't suppose I shall get round to joining the evening class despite my best intentions! RA " Look to the Ant, thou sluggard - consider her ways and be wise ", I don't know who said it, or to whom, (perhaps some reader, of more literary bent than I, would like to write in with the information?) but whoever the sage may have been, he knew what he was talking about. Of all the creatures on earth, the ant must be one of the most industrious; and the sage used the right gender of pronoun in referring to 'her' ways since, as in most advanced social animals, it is the females that do all the work. Incidentally you may note that I slipped into the customary assumption that the sage was a man - after all throughout history it has been the women who do the real work so that men can spend their time in study and philosophy (when they are not fighting). But enough of that - these articles are supposed to be non-controversial. Like honey bees, ants are social insects. They live in colonies of hundreds or thousands of individuals ruled by a queen and all the workers are non-breeding females. The workers build and maintain the underground nest, forage for food and look after the developing larvae and their queen. The obvious difference is that the worker ants can't fly; they scurry around on the ground and up and down trees garnering all sorts of foodstuffs to carry back to the nest - and they are incredibly strong, carrying many times their own weight and working together in teams when necessary, such as to drag home a large dead caterpillar. Ants appear to show a greater versatility than the bees in that, instead of merely gathering nectar all summer, they can utilise almost any food source and are great scavengers as well as 'aphid farmers'. Aphids, sucking the sap from plants all day, take in an excess of sugar which they have to get rid of so they excrete it in the form of 'honeydew'. This is what makes the leaves of sycamore trees and beech hedges all sticky and ruins the paintwork of cars parked beneath. Some ants 'farm' the aphids by protecting them from predatory insects and then collect the drops of honeydew and carry them home to feed their young. The ants that sometimes come into your kitchen will be collecting up the crumbs, grains of sugar and other things too small for you to have noticed you had spilt, and carrying them all away to leave your kitchen cleaner than you realised. Others again actually 'farm' fungi by collecting green leaves and storing them underground to make compost which will grow 'mini mushrooms' to provide the ants with more delicacies to feed the family. The queen in each colony spends all her time laying eggs which the workers tend to and feed the larvae that hatch out. Then, when the larvae pupate, the workers carry them around to the warmest part of the nest until they are ready to emerge into adult ants. So if you disturb the top of an ant hill or move a piece of wood or tile close to an ants' nest while the sun is shining, you are likely to uncover a mass of white, egg-shaped ant pupae that have been brought up to warm, and the ants will be frantically carrying them back down their runnels to safety after the disturbance. Around mid summer there will be special eggs laid, the larvae from which will, with preferential feeding, grow into fertile females and males. These are the only ants that have wings and they are larger than the workers. One fine afternoon all the flying ants from the colony, and often all the other colonies around, will come out into the open and take off on their mating flight. It can be an alarming sight but they are really quite harmless (of the four common varieties only the red ant can sting, and on their mating flight they have other things on their minds). After this all the males die and the females come back to earth where each searches out a site for a new nest where she will be queen. Of the thousands that fly for a day, only a few escape being eaten by birds and other predators; when the ants are flying, even birds as large as gulls and crows can sometimes be seen milling around in the air gorging on flying ants. Ant colonies survive the winter in their underground labyrinths, using stored food and venturing out whenever the weather allows. On the flood banks of the saltmarsh, ant hills that get submerged for an hour or so by the spring tides still manage to keep a thriving colony safe below. It has been said by some other sage that when homo sapiens has destroyed the earth as we know it, it is the insects that will survive and the ants will be the top species. Chris Hassall 15/09/2006 Northam Burrows Country Park This is a site of special scientific interest, which is open all year. From May to September, a seasonal toll is payable of £3 per day(£l after 4pm) There are toilets at Sandymere and Westward Ho! Seasonal Refreshment vans at Sandymere, plus the famous Hockings Ice Cream. Wouldcare Wouldcare was the brainchild of forward thinking doctors of Wooda Surgery 20 years ago. The original concept was to find willing volunteers among its patients who were prepared to give some spare time to help others who required assistance to get to the surgery and hospital, needed help when going shopping or just someone to pop in for a chat and a cup of tea. During the 20 years Wouldcare has become a voluntary organisation that has far exceeded all expectations. It now has a wonderful team of over thirty committed volunteers all of whom give up their time to help other patients less fortunate than themselves in a variety of ways. It organises two tea parties a year, one in the Spring and another hi the Autumn for those who live alone, where its senior patients can get together with friends and enjoy a lovely tea of sandwiches, cakes and scones etc., (all home made by the volunteers) and they are entertained with Bingo, music and sing a- longs and talks from a variety of interesting people. In June of each year there is a coach trip to somewhere of interest (but not too energetic) ,enjoyed by everyone. In November Wouldcare arranges a Christmas Bazaar where everyone is welcome; it has a large range of stalls, tea and mince pies and a wonderful selection of raffle prizes. All the proceeds help to provide special equipment for the surgery, for the added benefit of the patients, and to pay a mileage allowance for its dedicated team of drivers . On Friday 14th July Wouldcare celebrated its 20th Anniversary with a Dinner/Dance which was attended by the volunteers, doctors, and Admin staff and their partners. Gwen Hardaker Did you plant any trees last Winter? The first half of 2006 was an ideal season for newly planted trees and shrubs but since then we have had a prolonged spell of searingly hot sunshine and very little rain. If the second half of August has seen really wet weather there should be few casualties among those young trees planted last winter but at the time of writing, August 15th, we are still waiting for some rain. If you, or someone you know, spent time and money, lovingly planting trees or shrubs last winter, don't forget them now in their time of need! If you possibly can, check them all out, see if they look parched and try and give them some water, regularly, until the rain comes again. The dry soil may have hardened so that you need to loosen it a little with a fork to let the water penetrate, but do that carefully as you don't want to damage the surface roots. Look out also for coarse weeds like docks and nettles; pull them up as they will be taking water that your new trees need so badly. A distressingly large proportion of newly planted trees die off in their first summer, especially in the case of amenity plantings, largely because no one has taken on the task of looking after them once the planting is completed. Let's make sure that none of those we care for get forgotten CH The creature from the deep This charming character, shown life-size above, came from the bottom of a garden pond. It lived there for two or three years terrorising all the other creepy-crawl ies with its voracious appetite as it grew up from a tiny egg laid on a plant leaf on the surface of the pond. The pond was dug in 1998, filled with rainwater, and a few native pond plants put in and left to develop naturally. Pond skaters and whirligig beetles were the first creatures observed, dashing around on the surface of the water, and other sorts of water beetles were soon seen living under the water and coming up for air from time to time. In March 1999 a clump of frogspawn was rescued from a pool on the edge of the saltmarsh where the spring tide was about to flood it with salt water, and added to the garden pond where in a few weeks it hatched into a mass of little tadpoles. In due course lots of little froglets were climbing out of the pond on a wet day and making their way into the undergrowth to feed on tiny worms, slugs and insects for the rest of the summer. The same thing happened in the year 2000 and from time to time frogs of various sizes were seen visiting the pond during the year. It seemed that the local frog population was benefiting greatly from the presence of the new pond with its abundance of natural pond plants and bankside vegetation. At the height of summer a beautiful big green and yellow dragon fly was seen whirring around and touching down on the water surface like a sea-king helicopter . A few warm damp nights in February 2001 found the air filled with croaking sounds and a torch shone on the pond showed half a dozen big green frogs lined up around the pond with their heads out of the water croaking vigorously. They were the boys of the chorus line all singing like mad waiting for the girls to hear them and come to join in the fun. After several musical evenings, eventually the female frogs turned up and by the end of the month all had departed and there were six clumps of frogspawn amongst the waterweed in the pond. Plenty of tadpoles that year and the next but in spring 2003 a newcomer was noticed. Greeny black on top and orange underneath, about four inches long including a dinosaur-like head and tail and four short legs, a newt was lurking underneath the clumps of frogspawn. As the black dots in the frogspawn developed, first turning kidney shape, then elongating and finally wriggling and eating their way out of the jelly, they were disappearing and very few tadpoles were seen swimming in the pond that summer. The newt was accused of eating the young tadpoles, but he failed to stand trial and the case is still open. 2004, and again the frogs' chorus in February and plenty of spawn developing through March. Again the emerging tadpoles disappeared and although he wasn't seen, the newt was blamed for the lack of froglets. Meanwhile the first four of those black creatures from the bottom of the pond were spotted in mid summer, clinging firmly to the leaves of yellow flag irises a foot or so out of the water - and very obviously dead! Closer examination revealed that they were in fact dried empty skins - and that year there were more dragonflies over the pond than ever before. The black creatures always came up out of the water overnight and their skins were found, empty, the next morning. Last year there were 20 of them and this year there were 36 all in one week. One of them, however, got its timing wrong and climbed up the iris leaf in the early morning. This gave us the chance to observe it closely over a period of several hours and what we saw must be one of the miracles of nature. Since this is the bottom of the page, I shall try to describe the miracle' and the probable solution to the case of the missing tadpoles next month. Chris Hassall July 2006 P.S. More on The creature from the deep The sinister black creature had spent the last three years crawling around in the bottom of the garden pond. It had hatched from a tiny egg laid just under the surface on the vertical leaf of a yellow flag iris whence it had crawled down to the bottom to begin its life's work of eating anything live that came within reach. Food was not always plentiful as the pond was only small but each spring there would be a mass of hatching tadpoles to feast on. Then as it grew bigger it would not be averse to eating younger members of its own species when times were hard. Eventually, in the heat of July this year, the creature begins to feet unduly fat and uncomfortable in the warming water. Hormonal changes are taking place in its body and an irresistible genetic instinct is urging it to climb up out of this warmth into the cool night air; and there at the edge of the pond is this year's clump of yellow flag irises, just like the one on which it climbed down from the surface three years ago. After climbing stiffly up one of the leaves and taking a firm grip with its claws, the creature rests for a while and then its black skin starts to split open down the back between the shoulders. With much heaving and pushing a soft green body squeezes out of the gap until it is hanging down the back of the hardening emply skin, suspended by its tail. It hangs upside down there for some lime with an occasional wriggle, flexing its muscles and waving its legs until it has gained enough strength to bend itself up in a loop and grab the head of its old casing with its feet, freeing its tail. Its wings are now free to unfurl and pump up to full size before gradually stiffening into the four unmistakable, powerful and efficient wings of the adult dragonfly. This transformation takes several hours, during which time the young dragonfly is soft and helpless, a ready meal for any small bird that might be passing. Thai is why it normally takes place at night when all the tits, sparrows and robins are sleeping. Occasionally the black larva may be seen climbing out of the water soon after dusk, and it is always the empty skins that are found on the iris leaves the next morning. Last year 1 collected 20 dragonfly cases from the pond and when I wrote last month's article there had been 36 so far this year. I think the season is over now and this year's total is actually 45 ! It is only a little pond, less than 8 feet average diameter though quite deep, and I find the idea that there may have been 80 or more dragonfly larvae in there at one time quite astonishing - and where did those 45 dragonflies go to this summer ? I have only seen the odd one flying around here from time to time. The exceptional number of dragonfly larvae may well explain the loss of the tadpoles over the last three years. With no frogspawn at all this year it will be interesting to see whether next year's production of dragonflies is affected. Chris Hassall, August 2006. Bideford and the Tobacco Trade Puff! Puff! The principle foreign commerce in Bideford was to Maryland and Virginia for tobacco. From 1700 to 1750 Bideford merchants imported in their own ships more tobacco than any port in England with the exception of London. In 1735 the number of Bideford ships which entered the port, the cargoes of which were not for re export, was thirteen; the number of hogsheads discharged from them was 3337; and the duty paid at the Customs House for them was £15,101.15s.7d. Hogsheads originally contained about 300 Ibs or more but later tobacco was packed much tighter, and the hogshead contained about 1000 Ibs. From 1722 to 1731 nearly eight and a half million pounds of tobacco were landed at Bideford Quay, of which several million pounds were re exported, chiefly to Amsterdam. It is thought that Drake's fleet returning from the West Indies to Plymouth in 1585 first introduced tobacco to England, bringing 'the weed' from the island of Tobago. On arrival at the Port of Bideford the hogsheads of tobacco were mostly stored in warehouses at East the Water, known as the Colonial buildings, erected by John Davie a wealthy merchant of this town Westward Ho! Kingsley style revisited 'All who have travelled through the delicious scenery of North Devon must needs know the little white town of Bideford, which slopes upwards from its broad tide-river paved with yellow sands , and many-arched old bridge where salmon wait for Autumn floods toward the pleasant upland on the west.' These are of course the very familiar opening lines of Charles Kingsley's Westward Ho!, the novel, which inspired a town to be named after it. I am not advocating that you sit down and read Westward Ho! from cover to cover, an almost impossible task for all but the most conscientious of us. When my own copy was lost under the bed, I have to confess it stayed there for several months!!! However the book does have some very interesting references to our history as well as very good descriptions of the landscape and the area we all know. Interestingly on page one it makes the point that Bideford in those days ,1575, was not merely a pleasant country town, but one of the chief ports of England. 'It sent more vessels to the northern trade than any port in England saving London and Topsham and furnished seven ships to fight the Armada' Page 10 has a lovely description of Amyas Leigh's journey home to Borough Court in Northam. It includes a reference to 'Bloody Corner', describes the Torridge 'like a land-locked lake' and the isle of Lundy far away at sea. One can imagine Amyas walking along the river walk, enjoying the same views we still see today. Throughout the book there are interesting references to fairies and pixies. Rose Salterne, the heroine 'was full of wild, dreamy imaginations, a fit subject as the North Devon women still are for all romantic and gentle superstitions.' Amyas himself believes in fairies and pixies .and when he had warts he went to the white witch at Northam to charm them away. T