1982 August

Returning to Lancashire, Jennifer’s diary continues where it left off a week before.

August 1^st
This morning the weather was abysmal. Grey skies, rain, a strong blustery, cold wind. It was more like a November day than August. By the afternoon the sun was trying to shine. By evening it was quite warm and the wind had dropped.

Radcliffe’s have cleared their Meadow and loads of Lapwings were taking advantage of the fact. In the Willows Den I saw at least 22 Small Cabbage White butterflies, and two Large Whites. Tufty tried desperately to catch them, when a group of seven surrounded him but failed miserably.

In the Willows Den a few purple-blue Devil’s Bit Scabious flowers could be seen, and many more were in bud. Tonight I found two long legged Harvest-men in my room, on the walls.

August 2^nd
In the afternoon it was quite sunny, very warm with a heavy atmosphere. I went up Hill Sixty to look for Butterflies. I saw two gorgeous downy-winged Red Admirals, and a splendid Peacock with reddish-brown wings. The Peacock rested on a thistle like an aeroplane; it was the best specimen I’ve ever seen. Last summer I saw between thirty and forty or more Red Admirals. So far this year so far I’ve seen three; one in Radcliffe’s field near the stile, and two on Hill Sixty.

August 3^rd
Earlier this year I saw a Painted Lady on the wall at the bottom of Hill Sixty. Today I saw one fluttering over the thistles on Hill Sixty. I saw a Magpie mobbing a male Kestrel down the lane today. I could see the slate-blue amongst the red chestnut plumage of the Kestrel.

August 4^th
Syd came today; he spoke and smiled several times, then winked when he left. He’s lovely and truly scrumptious. I always want to be his friend. On the landing wall there are three moths: one almost black, pyramid shaped; a small Marbled Beauty, grey white and black, which was very pretty; and a brown one.

August 5^th
The day has been mainly overcast. I saw another Marbled Beauty on the kitchen window; they really are lovely. In the house there was a brown moth with an orange-chestnut patch on each brown wing. This seems to be a great place for moths.

Yesterday I found a small shell in the lodge. I was very excited because it could be a freshwater mussel. I have planted the plants from Scotland in the Willows Den. I shall have to wait till next year to see how they thrive. On the Yarrow there I saw two orange Soldier Beetles feeding.

August 8^th
It has been hot and humid today. There have been frequent rain showers. A Red Admiral flew across my path below Jack Ash Tree, the first one I’ve seen in Lane-field. I saw one in Thistle Pasture a week ago, and above Flag Bridge one flew across the road so they seem to be spreading.

Along the banking opposite the AA Box, the purple Heather is flowering. Just by Flag Bridge there is a dense patch of white flowered Yarrow. Each stem is at least a foot tall, why should it grow there like that?

August 10^th
I got up at six o’clock. Outside the sun had just risen and the sky was deep clear blue. At dinner time there was a warm, strong, blustery wind with large pure white cotton clouds and brilliant bright sunshine. The golden sun was almost ‘blinding bright’ when I walked home. It sank slowly.

I decided to go and see if the heather was out. The moor was bare as ever, but green. From the top of the fell I could see the many green shades of the deciduous trees. Olive, light and velvet green alongside emerald and green. In amongst the stick (where the moor has been burnt), land tiny new green shoots of heather pushed up through the black earth.

August 12^th
The sky is deep blue, with enormous white cotton clouds, warm bright sunshine and a strong blustery wind. A truly glorious twelfth. There are loads of Butterflies now. I was delighted to see, for the first time, two Small Copper Butterflies. They are so tiny with orange fore wings dotted with black and hind brown wings, rimed with orange.

 There were about 23 gaily coloured Red Admirals enjoying the sunshine and three Painted Ladies. I was overjoyed, as you can imagine. There was also an odd White and Tortoiseshell, but I spotted another newcomer. A brownish-orange Butterfly was fluttering around Pipe Valley Bridge: I was sure it is some kind of Fritillary but there are so many that at this moment I haven’t got a clue which it was. [Later: I have discovered it is probably a Wall Brown. Another new Butterfly].

On Hill Sixty I found a very colourful Moth impaled on a Cotton Thistle prickle. Eventually after a long struggle I managed to free it. The wings were bronze and ginger coloured with gold bits and a yellow sheen. There was a centre white patch on both wings. The head and thorax were a furry, pinkie-brown. The eyes were dim brown with brown hind wings that were quite insignificant when compared with the forewings. I’ve never seen this one before.

August 18^th
I saw another kind of moth, similar to the same kind as I saw on August 12^th on Ragwort on the pavement at the bottom of the lane.

On our way up the lane Cindy caught a Vole which squeaked with fright. I threw my lead to make her drop it. It was still breathing and there was no sign of external injury. The eyes were like tiny bright beads; the ears were small, round and close to the head; the tail was short about a third of the body length. I think it was a Bank Vole. I covered it with a blanket of grass and left speedily.

To my delight the Himalayan Balsam has flowered in the garden. It is the only one growing on the farm and I think I brought the seeds home. There is a tall straight stalk with many long Woundwort like leaves and a single deep pink flower out. Inside it is darker pink and yellow mixed. Loads of pale and deep pink Balsam flowers can be seen alongside the river which flows through the bleach works.

August 21^st
I have discovered the name of one of the brown moths I commonly see – the Antler Moth

August 22^nd
Last Thursday I saw two adult Canada Geese on the shore of the island, where are the rest? I saw about 30-40 together on the island about a week before.

In the afternoon my dad took me a walk round Anglezarke below Manor House Farm. The Valley is simply out of this world. There is a wooded slope that looks like a mountain side and a reservoir that is deep green. In the wood further along there were some fine specimens of Beech trees, and some had already dropped their nuts. They were quite big compared to ours at the farm.

There were lots of wet overgrown streams, where I found the aromatic Hemlock Water Dropwort, with well defined ‘hawthorn-like’ leaf segments and white flower heads. Bright, orange-red and yellow Marsh Bird’s-Foot-Trefoil was also growing there, alongside the pale mauve, tufted flower heads of the Water Mint. This is all quite exciting, the discovery of new land and two new flower species near home.

A Ladybird landed on my neck and was reluctant to leave. It was red with 14 black spots, rimmed with yellow. It was slightly larger than the six spot.

August 24^th
When I arrived home it seemed to rain continuously for the rest of the evening. I went a walk with a friend to the island. Radcliffe’s white bull was in our field. There was a small grey Mouse with pink tail nose and feet, dead on the shore, so I buried it under a stone cairn.

About two weeks ago I saw a pair of game birds at the top of Hill Sixty. I think they were Partridge.

August 25^th
It has been my most favourite kind of day. With strong, blustery, fresh winds, warm sunshine, bright blue sky and a very assorted range of white and grey clouds, in all shapes and sizes. In Sweetloves Lane Pink Bindweed and White Bindweed are flowering with trumpet flowers and arrowhead leaves. The pink lousewort is also flowering. With my other flowers I picked a sprig of yellow Goldenrod and Tansy. Walking home past the Lodge I found a small brown Toad with dimpled orange warty skin. It tried to crawl away several times as I puzzled over it. This was a wonderful find as I have never in my life seen a Toad before. I believe it was a Common Toad. I hope it survives.

August 28^th
Everywhere Devil’s Bit Scabious plants are holding up straight strong stalks with blue pincushion flower heads. I found one with pink flowers in The Willows Den and a couple in Belmont were almost white. They must be mutants or carry a recessive gene. It has been a lovely day so I walked home from Astley Bridge (with shopping, nuts!). The sky was very blue, the heather very purple and the conifers very green.

To my dismay I had to walk through to the village this evening to catch a bus. I missed one due to putting the washing indoors in case it rained. It was a pleasant walk, the weather was fine but my journey was diverted as I saw two cows were chewing plastic in Lower Intack field. The old b-- next farm didn't want to know as they weren't their cows! The waterman's lad wasn't much more help but at least he showed willing.

Possibly the best find of the day was a Wall Brown Butterfly I found dead by the bus terminus. I could never kill such a beautiful creature but it does help with identification. Having one to study is always handy.

August 29^th
It has rained a lot today with strong cold winds and hot sticky air. I went a walk round Edgeworth Plantation to the Strawberry Duck. Now I know the road to Edgeworth I can hardly wait to travel along it.

Cutting across a field, a Jay flew out of one Alder and into another. I found some Golden Finger Fungus growing on a bank. There was a huge outcrop of Sandstone with a fresh rock fall. In the rock alongside the valley were striations carved out by glaciers.

The beginning of Entwistle Reservoir is like a miniature fiord. There was Marsh Cinquefoil growing on the embankment and fish in the reservoir. The many different deciduous, conifers, larches, oaks, sycamores, beeches, planted or growing around the reservoir made lovely bands of blended shades of green; some just showing signs of the creeping in tints of Autumn.

August 30th
The skies are grey and it has rained almost continuously all day. There is a strong blustery wind and the air is saturated.