Nature Watch, with Ron Freethy

THE recent hot weather provided a good time to think about the weird events of spring '98.

In March it was like midsummer and many blossoms burst early.

On an upland path between Barrowford and Roughlee I found some hawthorn blossom, the earliest I had ever seen.

There were also the occasional flowers of bluebell and stitchwort.

Then came April, with snow and wind - more like January than spring.

This affected some plants and also insects and birds.

Many birds had started to breed early and some of their eggs cooled down and killed the developing young. But our wildlife can recover more quickly than many people think.

The month of May has been a recovery month.

Within a day of the hot weather arriving, butterflies emerged and swallows filled the air, feeding on clouds of flies.

The blossoms of hawthorn burst as if by magic. The snow of April was replaced by the white of hawthorn and the rowan is now in glorious blossom.

Our woodlands are full of bluebells, red campion and stitchwort, while wild garlic can be seen and smelled.

Hawthorn blossom was once collected and made into a wine which was fizzy and known as Poor Man's Champagne. In autumn the red berries also produce a fizzy red wine. Rowan, also called mountain ash, has a white blossom and red berries and which can ripen as early as August.

Rowan is related to the apple but its leaves are similar in shape to the ash.

My walk in the sunshine took me from Fence and over the moors from Roughlee and Newchurch before returning to Fence.

Cows were munching the succulent grass, a skylark was singing its heart out, curlews were making their bubbling courtship call and I heard my first cuckoos of the year.

There were flowers everywhere, including bugle, several types of buttercup, speedwells and huge carpets of daisies.

We should never underestimate the beauty of our common flowers.

And finally, there was the joy of the snow-like blossom of hawthorn and rowan.

I want to thank 1998 for providing me with two springs - one early and one late!

Snap up a holiday with a difference

A FEW weeks ago I asked for records of kingfishers and dragonflies to be used as part of the Mersey Basin Campaign's efforts to map them.

This should continue until October, so the more sightings we have the better.

The next step is to launch REEL - River Enhancement East Lancashire. I am happy to be launching the project on June 13 at 10am at the Stoneyholme and Daneshouse Community Centre, Burnley. REEL members are keen to involve the general public in their bid to improve the waterside environment. A number of practical initiatives have already taken place, such as river clean-ups and improving waterside access.

Raising the profile of the Calder catchment is seen as a first step. A catchment data report has been compiled, using information supplied by member organisations to provide a unique snapshot of the state of the Pendle Water, the Calder and their tributaries. This document will act as a baseline from which any progress can be measured.

REEL hopes the public will join in its awareness campaign through a photographic competition. The theme is Life Along the River and organisers are seeking black and white or colour photographs of the area's rivers and streams for an exhibition to celebrate the launch.

Entries are welcome from all ages, with a junior and adult sections to be judged by the panel. The prizes will include a holiday with a difference: a Natural Break for two with the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers.

All entries must be clearly labelled with name, age, contact details and caption/location, and should be sent,marked "REEL Life Along the River," to Pendle Heritage Centre, Park Hill, Barrowford, Nelson, BB9 6JQ. The closing date is June 1.

For further information call 01282 695366 or 0161 952 4277.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.