Lambing Service, Wenningside Farm 24 May 2015

The May 24 2015: Lambing Service at Wenningside Farm, near Clapham Station drew over 70 people. Listen to the video to hear us singing.

(There will be a service on 20 May 2018 at 7pm)

Although organised by the Anglicans, people came from all denominations.

 The service was led by Revd Ian Greenhalgh (Anglican). Father Frank Smith (Catholic) led the prayers.

Revd Stephen Normanton (Methodist) gave the talk. He linked three points:- 24th is May this year is the day of Pentecost, the day the Holy Spirit came and the Early Church started. It is the Day when John Wesley's heart "was warmed". And we too can listen to the Holy Spirit in various ways.

A big thank you to Thomas Parker of Keasden who played the organ - and for bringing the organ again for this special service

and to Graham Taylor (the farmer) and family for having us at the service.

(You can see a transcript of the words on youtube)

The song is "Great God of All Creation" written by Mrs LM Porch - to the tune Ellacombe - you can get all four verses from:  http://www.arthurrankcentre.org.uk/worship-resources/item/download/1238 Here are verses 3 and 4

3. For herdsman and for shepherd,
We ask a special prayer,
That every gentle creature
Committed to their care
May live in quiet comfort
Supplying all our need,
And never be exploited,
To satisfy man’s greed.

4. We thank thee, gracious Father,
For all thy love provides,
With ever-growing wonder
For all that earth supplies,
Rich tokens of thy kindness
throughout the world we see.
With grateful hearts we offer
Our love and praise to thee.

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Parking in the Field,
Ingleborough in the distance.

Gorse bushes in bloom uphill of the field.

We enter the barn

The congregation assembles

See the sheep. and see Thomas Parker with his organ top left

Swaledale sheep have white noses. But the lambs have black noses when born.

Ian Greenhalgh talks to Father Frank

Modern adjunct: The bags of fertilizer.
(Out of the 7.3 billion people in the world in 2015,
we could not support 1/3 to 1/2 of
them - us - without artificial fertilizer) 

Thomas playing

Thomas playing - but with flash on camera

Somewhere in the congregation are Sheila and David Hazel who will be showing Settle Messy Church round their farm at Keasden Head on 21 June

---

Young Twaeblade.

Before  came to the farm I stopped in at Clapham cemetery, half way between the main road and Clapham Station.  I was DELIGHTED to find 17 species that are on the "Hay Meadow Indicator Species List" of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and  -then Nature Conservancy Council - now Natural England.  Any field with more than 10 of these is given the highest rating in their system. (I had discovered this graveyard when surveying Craven Outside the National Park in 1989-1990)

The graveyard was mown so most were not flowering - but the grass trimmings had been removed (Good).  To a botanist who know the plants, just seeing the leaves is inspiring. I can imagine the wealth of colourful flowers  that they could bear.. and am happy just to see the leaves there there.

Ajuga reptans	Blue Bugle
Alchemilla filicaulis ssp. vestita	Lady's Mantle
Alchemilla glabra	Hairless Lady's Mantle
Carex caryophyllea	Spring Sedge
Carex flacca	Glaucous Sedge
Listera ovata	Twaeblade
Conpodium majus	Pignut
Filipendula ulmaria	Meadowsweet
Geum rivale	Water Aven
Hypochoeris radicata	Cat's-ear
Lathyrus pratensis	Yellow Meadow Vetchling
Leontodon hispidus	Hairy Hawkbit
Leucanthemum vulgare	Ox-eye Daisy
Lotus corniculatus	Bird's-foot Trefoil
Luzula campestris	Field Woodrush
Orchis mascula	Early Purple Orchid
Prunella vulgaris	Self-heal

Father Frank was actually in the graveyard at the same time, with a family. And this is just a month before the Pope is due to give his encyclical on the environment.

Malham Safari 2015

On 24 May I went to Malham to help with the teas at the Village Hall. It was part of the Malham Safari.

First I went to Chapel for the 9.30 service.

Then I helped Maggie Patchett and Nick Blundell at the Chapel. Inside is an exhibition of pictures of past Malham Safaris. Nick was running a story telling event, with the aid of puppets.
In the grounds of the chapel are animals from Noah's Ark.

Opposite is a National Trust Tent.

Some ponies came to rest near the river

A girl (right) at the National Trust Tent explained to some visitors how they can see Marsh Marigolds and Bog-Bean up at Malham Tarn Fen. Note the Kingfisher blue flowers in her hair

 I walked up to the Village Hall where teas were being served.

Just so you know exactly where we are

I went up to the village green and watcher the Kingfisher Tribal Belly Dansers

Volunteers were hard at work in the kitchen

The Kingfisher team came in for a cup of tea

I left the Teamakers and the chapel and returned to Settle - stopping to admire wildflowers on the cliffs near the road above Ing Scar Pavement.

The secret world of Lichens at Ingleton Churchyard - 20 June 2015

Ingleton Churchyard Lichens 2015 - 1

Learn about the fascinating plants 

that encrust tree bark, rocks and 
places that are too dry for other plants

Come on a Lichens Workshop for COMPLETE BEGINNERS. 
9.45am-12pm Sat 20 June - in the beautiful Dales village of Ingleton
as part of the 2015 Ingleton Overground Underground Festival (19-21 June)

(N.B. this post is similar to the one I wrote last May 2014)

Your eyes will be opened to a new magical world. 

You'll start noticing amazing shapes, colours and textures on objects in the landscape. 

You'll go back home knowing a few common lichens (knowledge that you can share with your friends)  and ..

you'll be enthusiastic to learn more!

Pronounce its "litchen" or "liken" - whichever sound you like best.  Most scientist say "liken"

So what lichens might we see?

"Ingleton Churchyard Lichens - parts 1 to 7" describe the lichens you can see in the churchyard, as you walk through 7 different areas.  They are made up of photos taken on three visits: 30 Jan, 3 March and 21 March 2014. Special thanks are given to Dr Allan Pentecost who accompanied myself and two friends on 21 March for his help in identifying the lichens. 

Don't worry if you don't remember all the names just now - simply enjoy looking at the colours.

If you can't come on the workshop, call in at the church and see if there are still some lichen trail guides left out for you to borrow. and give yourself a self guided walk.

Here is the memorial cross outside the Churchyard. I

Here are the seven sites we are going to visit, (marked with white and red numbers on the picture below).

1. The lichens on the cross but just lower than this picture (this post)
2. The lichens on the wall in the foreground to the left of this picture
3. The lichens on several graves near to this one:-
4. The lichens on the flat slab of this table tomb
5. The white lichens round the door to the church
6. The lichens on the branches of the tree
7. The lichens round the back of the church

Site 1. 
The lichens on the war memorial cross and on the paving slabs below.

Let's get our hand lens out.





Can you see the two blobs touching each other vertically near the base of the cross?

Well lo and behold, the first one I chose to look at we can't identify because the slugs have gazed it hard an removed all distinguishing features

Look just below them there is a yellow powdery lichen. this is Candellariella vitellina. We'll see lots more of this yellow lichen later

Seen close up..the cross is in fact covered with lichen -
Candelariella vitellina

Lichens are an association of a fungus and an algae. 

The fungal threads give the lichen structure and they collect water and nutrients. 

The algae are scattered amongst the fungus as single cells. They are green because they have the green pigment chlorophyll so they can photosynthesize and capture the sun's energy, and so can make sugars.
The body of a lichen is called a THALLUS.

The white, and the yellow lichens are CRUSTOSE lichens. They make crusts on the surface of the rock.

.If you go round the back of the cross to where I have marked an arrow on this diagram, you can see Lecanora ....

Lecanora..is this Lecanora intricata?.....

Looking at the side there are twp patches near the lower middle

The centre right blob is Porpidia tuberculosa

Porpidia tuberculosa

Allan is looking at Buellia aethallia -
 this is blackish and grows on very smooth acid rocks.

Buellia aethallia

On the pavement there is Caloplaca flavovirescens

Caloplaca flavovirescens - This turns red when a drop of alkaline solution is put on it. (Top right)

Caloplaca flavovirescens

This is the white lichen in the centre tile of the above picture.
It is Lecanora contorta

is

Somewhere under our noses is Verrucaria fusconigrescens 

Verrucaria fusconigrescens  on the left

Left: Verrucaria fusconigrescens 
Right:  Aspicillia calcarea

From where you are standing in front of the cross, turn 90 degrees to the left and look at the top of the limestone cap-stones  of the church yard wall - indeed over the top is a table tomb.

or the same stones looking back in.

Caloplaca flavescens bright orange

More Verrucaria fusconigrescens

Aspicillia contorta (var hofmanii)

Verucaria nigrescens

End of site 1.

 Click to proceed to site 2   ( the 3 metres of outside churchyard-wall between here and the green sign post )