Nature Watch, with Ron Freethy

SEPTEMBER began with cooler weather and lots of showers.

As I made my way alongside the River Wyre, a glorious rainbow curved its way over the eroded river bank.

Along the riverside, swallows were feeding greedily on the vast numbers of insects which prove just what a hot moist summer we have had in Lancashire.

A common blue butterfly was sucking nectar from the fading flowers of knapweed.

Goldfinches were feeding on thistles and linnets were also busily looking for seeds from the plants close to the river.

During May in this same area I watched a linnet feeding a family of young birds which were almost ready to fly.

The Wyre is a Lancashire river which is full of contrast.

The upland areas of the Trough of Bowland can create torrential conditions after rain, while the area around the picnic site at Scorton is much more gentle. Here a delightful woodland is sandwiched between the M6 motorway and the river.

Birch trees are common in the woodland and in autumn this is the place to follow the well-marked footpaths and look out for the autumn fungi.

Here I found lots of bracket fungus, well named as they grow on the decaying trunks of birch, while beneath the trees I found a few glorious examples of the colourful fly agaric fungus.

It looks like a red and white mushroom but care should be always taken in the countryside.

The rule is very simple.

If you know a fruit or a mushroom is safe then eat it and enjoy it.

If you have the slightest doubt then leave it alone.

With fly agaric, and indeed most fungi, the best thing to do is just enjoy their glorious shapes and colours.

The only things you should take home are photographs.

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