Aye Gill Pike - CCG-VC65 Botanical Surveying

Mike Canaway organised a botanical surveying day for the VC 65 botanical surveyors and Craven Conservation  Group - He described it as a good place for Polytrichum strictum hummocks,  Rushes, Blanket bog and good views.

It lived up to his description.

The group assemble on 19 August on the A 684 two miles east of Sedbergh

We bypass some bog pimpernel (not in our scheduled grid tetrad) and walk up and up and up and up
and up and up and up
and up and up and up

Mike shows us some Polytrichum strictum (as if we can't see five hundred thousand other hummocks ourselves)
It mostly seems to be growing with Sphagnum capillifolium ( a Red Bogmoss).

He pointed out that it is rare and declining in much of England - but there is plenty in the Pennines, the Lake District and Wales and Scotland

Beside a wall I get side-tracked into Leafy Liversorts:

 Lophozia ventricosa.. ..have to look the others up) .. and then I find a new plant for our list:

A baby Mountain Ash tree:

Potential Sorbus aucuparia

 At lunch, held on a stony ridge, (flags/gritsone) I amuse myself by photographing a lichen.. though I now think it is only  a Parmelia saxatilis that happens to be fruiting.

But the summit is reached and what splendid views!

With binoculars, or with a digital zoom camera we could see the white radar station on Dunn Fell - distant peak on the right and Cross Fell  on the left

To celebrate I play my tin whistle - but the wind is louder than the whistle

We look up Garsdale to Garsdale Head and Dandry Mire viaduct.

That's the same picture in wide angle.. taken from a bog pool.

Pat and Helen admire the view

And I photo the lichens on the cairn behind them. Lecanora handelii - see close up below

I think it is Lecanora handelii because the soralia (powdery areas) are at the edges of the squamules/areoles, not in the middle of them.

More on Lichens: Pseudevernia furfuracea was also growing on the cairn.

In the Sphagnum near the summit we saw quite a lot of Lichnomphalia ericetroum ( umbellifera ) This is a little white toadstool with a depressed cap.  L umbellifera grows from dark green lichen granules up to .25mm diameter.

There were patches of Cladonia uncialis and Cladonia portentosa

on drier bits of peat.

As far as higher plants go, we must have doubled our score during the last hour as we returned, skirting a little lower than the summit and joyfully running to patches of Marsh Thistle

On the way down it started raining. We stop to look at a Drinker Moth that has just laid some eggs.

It was on a grass stalk, but it crawled onto my hand and
I left it on some heather.. probably shouldn't have done
as I went home and read that the
caterpillars eat grasses, not heather.

We arrived home safely, in the pouring rain, pleased to have been out walking in the sun in the morning

Leaflet part 8: how to write a biodiversity leaflet - asking people to print their own

htt

p://www.greenchristian.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/wildlife-leaflet-1-triptych.pdfBack to Part 1:  (Intro)   14 Oct 2014.

Back to Part 2: A leaflet that people will pick up
Back to Part 3: A leaflet that people will READ
Back to Part 4: A leaflet so that people will ACT
Back to Part 5: It's now divided into TWO leaflets
Back to Part 6: A better template - more space and fewer font sizes
Back to Part 7: Making posters from the leaflet and testing it out at our House group

Leaflet part 8: how to write a biodiversity leaflet - asking people to print their own

It is now mid August 2015.

September 1st is an important day for many reasons:

Start of Creation time (Creation Time: 1 Sept - Second Sunday in October)

The Pope has just declared it is should be for Catholics a World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation 

There is a "Pray and Fast for the Climate" Movement encouraging churches to have fasts or services or both on the 1st of each month leading up to the COP21 talks on climates in Paris this December.

This was an incentive for me to get the leaflet used.
I send news emails on behalf of Green Christian to its members once or twice a month, so this upcoming 1st Sept seemed a good opportunity. So last night off the email went, some  with the pdf leaflet attached, and some where it was given as a link: -inviting members for their comments.    http://www.greenchristian.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/wildlife-leaflet-1-triptych.pdf     

Here is the current page with the downloadable leaflets: 

http://www.greenchristian.org.uk/archives/5955

This morning I received a comment from one person: (Thank you Sheila)

"I like the Wildlife and Biodiversity leaflet but when I printed out the triptych I found that I lost some of the text on the left-hand side (both pages) so I can't really make use of it in this form."

May people have ink jet printers that insist on having a left hand or top margin.  Will this prevent lots of people from printing triptych leaflets?

1st Sept: Settle Walks for Creation

The Pope has declared 1 Sept as a World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. So let's join with others round the world to be thankful for our wonderful world and to learn to appreciate it more.

And for those of us who are not Catholics there are lots of other reasons to celebrate Care of our world - not least because "The world is loaned to us - we look after it for future generations - "

Indeed we are joining in with other people in the  Peoples Pilgrimages around the world as people take part in pilgrimages leading up to the UN COP21 talks on climate Change in Paris in December

And if you go outside you will find reasons to celebrate.  Even in a city you may find a tree or a patch of waste ground with Plants growing through the pavement. Can you give names to those plants?

If you live near Settle, come on both walks. (If you are a visitor come early so you can enjoy going round Settle Market place in the morning and have coffee at St John's Methodist Church, or Settle Parish Church, or the Friends Meeting House where you can buy Tradecraft Goods. Then have lunch at the Parish Church.

The first walk starting at 2pm is very gentle - and is wheelchair accessible..(indeed, I hope Althea will be a co-leader) . but we'll visit several eco-sites including the Parish Church garden beside the Settle Carlisle Railway,  the famous Settle Hydro "Reverse Archimedes Screw", a pleasant walk beside the River Ribble, via Queens Rock to Lay of the Land (Settle Garden Centre).


The second, starting at 5.45 pm requires strong shoes. We will walk up Castleberg.. from where you can see nearly all the world... Well Settle anyway, and Waddington/Newton Moor Mast:
We'll make sure those who want to return to Settle by 7.15 can do so to attend any evening meetings that may be on.

See the walk we did on 23 July

Hope you can come

Walk for Creation - July 2015 - Settle

Click on the poster on the right for details of the upcoming walks on 1st September 2015 

Below is an account of our walk on 23 July

On 23 July Churches Together in Settle held a "Walk for Creation".  

We stopped at three points en route and held a period of silence looking at the view, then discussed various aspects of what we saw:- with relation to 

1. Biodiversity

2. Climate change 

3. Waste 

4. Justice 

5. Peace 

6. God, Jesus, or relationships between people

(The leaders' preparation sheet can be downloaded here)

We met at Limestone View and the first "stop" was their garden. I was delighted to see the vibrant "Wildflower mix" that had been sown there

For the second and third stops we split into a "Long walk" and a "Short walk" group

The Long walk group walked along Watery Lane where the following were in flower:

Meadowsweet

Silverweed

Meadow Crane's-bill ..supporting a bee

The Shorter walk group carried spare chairs with us and stopped at the Allotments

We discussed waste and recycling,  wildlife and the beauty of nature and God's love.

Example of recycling

More examples of recycling - can you spot them?

The short walk group then stopped at a bench
at the old peoples bungalows above Limestone View

We held the plenary session at the Cafe at Limestone View

We hope to hold another on 1st September, starting at Holy Ascension Church. Maybe one in the afternoon, visiting Settle's Archimedes Screw turbine, and one in the evening - more strenuous up Castleberg and but this is not fixed yet.. Look out for details.

Malham Methodist Chapel 150th Anniversary celebrations 6 Sept 2015

5pm:  Cream teas at the chapel

5.30pm:The big picture 

6pm Service - Preacher Rev David Emison

 

 

The Second Settle Soup - 19th July

The four pitches at  July 2015 Settle Soup -
                           held on 19 July at 6.30pm in Victoria Hall, Settle:

Settle Soup money box made by Milly

1. Victoria Hall Bunting appeal - given by Jane
2. Settle Youth Club appeal - by Caitlin
3. "Cook up" using waste or surplus food from local shops or gardeners:-we need a fridge. - by Jo
4. Could Settle have a new Settle Development Trust? - by Ann

We listened to the four four minute talks, asked questions. We were served carrot and coriander soup and tomato and basil soup and we discussed the talks and talked to each other and met new people. We voted and the project which gained the most votes - by a very clear majority was ... the Youth Club... So they will be using the £140 plus a bit more door money.

1. Victoria Hall Bunting appeal - given by Jane

2. Settle Youth Club appeal by Caitlin

The Youth Club, held in the Rugby Club needs funds for:

Money for more equipment

Money for transport for Fun Trips

A better Tuck Shop.

3. "Cook up" : Jo pitches for money to start a "cook up" using waste or surplus food from local shops or gardeners

 4. Could Settle have a new Settle Development Trust?  Ann Harding talks about a possible new Settle Development Trust which can help support local projects and maybe help with access to funding.

Look out for highlights from the above event on "Saturday Live" on radio 4  on Sat 24 Oct

Over the three Soups held this year, a total of £450 was raised for the winning projects.

Settle Soup 17 June 2015

Second Settle Soup on 19 July 2015 (This one)

Third Settle Soup: 30 Sept 2015

The next Settle Soup will be held in early 2016

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The Radio4 Program Saturday Live made a cameo of our event this 19th July.

The interviewer, Kirsty came in the afternoon and we went for a walk round Settle

Here we visit the "Gallery on the Green Telephone Box"

This is in Old Settle

This is in Settle "town park" - It is Castleberg Rock -there are about a dozen climbing routes many at grade 6 or 7

A view form the top of Castleberg

It is summer 2015 and it is the second year of Settle Flower Pot Festival

Edward Elgar enjoyed visiting Settle Too - here is a plaque on the wall in the market place

Settle Soup- and the four pitches on 17 June ..

See also

Second Settle Soup on 19 July 2015

Third Settle Soup on 30 September 2015

Pay your £4-00 as you come in (or nearest donation)

Are you sitting comfortably?

 See video/tasters of the four pitches:- (Each 1.5 to 3.5 min long)

Settle Stories - given by Sita Brand:

Christmas Lights: Tony Hardwick

Transitions: Andy Mouncey

Local Charity Trusts: Sarah Wiltshire   (Only the second half of the talk was recorded)

Then discuss over soup. Write suggestions. Ask the presenters for details and give suggestions.

The votes were counted.

The four presenters stood in front
 of the special panel/backcloth on the stage- printed many years ago of Settle Market Place

The Transitions project gained most votes.

Andy accepts the £193 for the project:

 Well done Andy and well done all for four excellent presentations. Many ideas were exchanged

And as we walk out of Victoria Hall and into Settle Market Place that evening we see what a beautiful town we have... even the Open Gardens Festival on 20-21 June this weekend is promoted on the banner on the Shambles

Follow Settle Soup on Twitter: @settlesoup  and at http://www.circusoffood.co.uk/settle-soup/

See videos of second Settle Soup on19 July 2015
Third Settle Soup on 30 Septe 2015

Next Settle Soup: mid September Lunchtime at The Victoria Hall - Book to tell us you are coming

30dayswild-2a-June

2nd June sees me travelling to Birmingham to attend a meeting of the Environment Issues Network - I went on behalf on Green Christian. There are representativess there from Christian Aid, CAFOD, several of the main denominations and others

The train to take me to arrives at Giggleswick

At Birmingham New Street Railway station , near by
I find this wall planted with wild flowers.
Here is either "White" or "Snowy" Woodrush.

Although obviously planted and
possibly European rather than British stock -
I was REALLY inpressed
they had made a display using wildflowers.
Well done!!!

I wave to myself in the big mirror screen above.

 I walked to just south of the Bull Ring, to the carpark opposite the Carrs Lane Chch where we had our conference a year and a quarter ago.. Then I had been amazed to find 35 different species in flower in March 2014

I wanted to find out if it was equally species rich 15 months later.




And indeed it was

Indeed it was so good I wonder if it had deliberately been planted with these special weedy species - or if they had come in by themselves on the waste spoil that had been put beside the car park.

I'll do a separate 30dayswild-2b-June post to talk about the EIN meeting... which was not quite as wild, but very green and outdoorsy.