Flora And Fauna

Somewhere, everyday you can see the ‘Dartmoor Custard’, it could be on the commons, up a small valley or by a wood; “For second course, last night, a custard came To th’board, so hot, as none co’d touch the same; Furze, three or four times with his cheeks did blow …

When out traipsing the moor there is nothing more evocative than to spot a fox loping across the heather or slinking amongst the clitters. On many occasions I have watched the wily animal on Dartmoor and have come to learn how at home it is on the moors. A couple …

“I greet, as severing mists its spire reveal, The ringing anvil and the whirling wheel; Here, where they urge their labours, there relax, The panting girls that ply the fervent flax.“ Linum usitatissimum or Flax to use its common names is one of the oldest fibre crops known to man, …

This December (2010) we probably have experienced one of the coldest spells for many years and during such times many of our thoughts are turned towards the local wildlife. In an attempt to ease the plight of the garden birds I have intensified the amount of feed that is put …

Next time you walk amongst the purple heathers of Dartmoor with the gentle breeze delicately wafting amongst the gorse you may even find that the aroma is even headier than ever. For this you can thank good old Tony Blair and his bunch of clowns for once again they have …

Take a look at any hedgerow and this year in particular (2006) they are loaded with berries and no more so than the elder berry. The roots of the elder tree descends deep into the depths of time. Since the Christian era the tree has been regarded as something of …

I can honestly say that despite tramping over Dartmoor for a few decades I have never seen sight nor sound of the elusive Dunlin. The Dunlin or Calidris alpina if one wants to be official is a  small wading bird that tends to breed in upland bogs and then migrate …

The Dipper It was winter, near freezing, I’d walked through a forest of firs when I saw issue out of the waterfall. a solitary bird. It lit on a damp rock, and, as water swept stupidly on, w rung from its own throat. supple, undammable song. It isn’t mine to …

When on the moor, every now and again you can look down at your feet and see a cluster of small, red, delicate dots. A closer examination will reveal that they all belong to a growing colony of lichen called Cladonia Coccifera or more commonly known as Cup Lichen or …

Ah, the dear old dandelion, the dear old dandelion that as a youngster featured so heavily in the daily routine. Hardly a day went by when handfuls of dandelion leaves weren’t gathered for the pet rabbit. As the year progressed the foraging trips got longer and longer as the hedgerows …