Following last week’s article on the red squirrel reserve near Southport several people have told me that the species is making something of a comeback in the Yorkshire Dales.

By the 1970s I was predicting that the red squirrel would be extinct in England by 2,000. I am pleased to say that I was wrong.

The forest of Greenfield, in Langstrothdale, now has resident red squirrels. You can find out more about red squirrels in Yorkshire at the visitors centre of the Yorkshire Dales Museum in the old railway station complex at Hawes. On Mondays and Thursdays you can take a bus ride to the Greenfield area from Hawes Station.

Last week I went into the Lake District near Thirlmere reservoir and there were plenty of red squirrels.

Let us hope that their recovery continues.

THE VERSATILE NETTLE

Many people dislike the nettle because of its sting.

But the plant, – scientific name Urtics – has had many uses. Once boiled and chopped up with butter the nettle has been a vital item of food.

Wild nettles were also used to make fabrics which were used long before flax.

Nettles should be a friend of the gardener. They should be cut carefully and added to the compost heap. Nettles are full of nitrogen.

The juice of the nettle does curdle milk and was for many years used in the manufacture of cheese. It is also a good idea to let a few nettles grow in your garden if you want to attract butterflies. Nettle is the main food plant of the small tortoishell red admiral and comma.

In the village of Heysham, near Morecambe, nettle beer is brewed and is said to be an excellent tonic.

PLANT OF THE WEEK: WATER AVENS

It was my great-grandmother who told me of the WATER AVENS also known as Herb-Bennet. The Water Avens has been described as rare, but not if you live in Lancashire. It flowers in July and August and grows by the side of streams and in deep woods. The stem can reach 2 feet (60cm) high and its flowers are yellow and tinged with pink.

The yellow flowers have lots on them which look like pin-pricks as if the plant was “wounded”. Its five petals made people suggest that these resembled the five wounds of Christ during his Crucifixion. The word Bennet refers to St Benedict who was a skillful healer. The plant was used by monks as a “cure-all”. Both species grow in spring wood at Whalley and around Sawley and the monks would certainly have used it. So would the Knights Hospitalers who had a chapel at Stydd near Ribchester, dating back to the 12th century and still standing today.