Category:

Countryside

Newt night at Clock Face Country Park

by Cat Woods June 13, 2021

written by Cat Woods

We attended ‘Newt Night’ at Clock Face Country Park in St.Helens, organised by the lovely people at Merseyside bio bank.

Merseyside Biobank bring together data on wildlife in North Merseyside to drive better decisions for biodiversity and our local natural environment.

The team were warm and friendly with a total mastery of their subject and with the gift that very few people possess – that of transmitting complicated information in a form that makes it understandable to the average person and to children.

I had my nephew (aged 6) in attendance who really thrived throughout the session. We learned all about newts and their habitat and waited for the sun to go down before we all lit up a pond with our torches to reveal the wildlife beneath.

What made the experience that bit more special is that we got to do some bat detecting too. So the group managed to not only see both smooth and great crested newt , toads and diving beetles, but bats too!

I’d really advise you to show them some love @merseysidebiobank and consider attending future events to learn something new about about nature and the environment.

June 13, 2021 0 comment

Countryside Food Nature Spring Summer

Wild garlic: Where to find it and what to do with it?

by Cat Woods June 12, 2021

written by Cat Woods

Summer is the perfect time to go foraging for this versatile and pungent smelling plant, which can be made into a delicious soup or pesto. Here’s a guide on where to find it, how to cook it and tasty wild garlic recipe ideas that have inspired me online.

With its fresh, garlicky smell wild garlic is an unmistakable scent in forests and woodland the spring months. Preferring to grow in shady and damp conditions, the wild garlic season starts in late winter and lasts until the end of spring, although it may be past its best by then.

Wild garlic has a lighter flavour to traditional bulb garlic, and the green, pointed leaves and white flowers of this bulbous perennial flowering plant are easy to identify, making it a good first foray into foraging. As wild garlic grows in abundance it is generally acceptable to pick a small amount, however our guide below explains how to pick wild garlic without causing any detrimental impact to the natural environment. The leaves can be eaten raw or cooked and can be blended to make a delicious pesto to add to pasta, salads or soups.

Why not take a woodland walk this spring and see if you can spot or smell any wild garlic – just head to your local woodland or riverbank. Here’s how to forage for wild garlic near you, with a few key details regarding where it can be found, characteristics and easy wild garlic recipe ideas.

When is the wild garlic season?

The plant, native to Britain, is also known as Bear leek, Bear’s garlic, Broad-leaved garlic, Buckrams, Ramsons, Wood garlic and can grow to heights of between 45 and 50 cm.

The leaves and flowers are edible. Young leaves are delicious added to soups, sauces and pesto. Leaves appear in March and are best picked when young. The flowers emerge from April to June and can add a potent garlic punch to salads and sandwiches.

What does wild garlic look like?

Wild garlic grows in dense clumps, often carpeting woodland floors in the peak of the season. The vibrant green leaves are long and pointed with a smooth edge and are best picked when they are young. Wild garlic flowers form delicate white clusters and tend to bloom in mid spring. The flowers are also edible and can look pretty added to salads and other dishes.

What are the health benefits of wild garlic?

Used traditionally throughout Europe as a spring tonic due to its blood-purifying properties, similarly to bulb garlic, wild garlic is also thought to lower cholesterol and blood-pressure, which in turn helps to reduce the risk of diseases such as heart attack or stroke.

Other uses for wild garlic

The leaves were once boiled and the resulting liquid used as a disinfectant. Its smell is said to repel cats, so may be a good inclusion for a keen ornithologist’s garden. Despite its strong scent, wild garlic has a much mellower taste than conventional garlic. Easily confused, prior to flowering, with the similarly leaved Lily of the Valley. Best not to eat this one though, it’s poisonous.

Where to find wild garlic

Dense clusters of green spears thrust from the woodland floor in spring: these are ramsons, better known as wild garlic and they are a sign that the woodland you are walking in is very old.

Closely related to onions and garlic, ramsons similarly grow from bulbs and give off a strong and attractive garlic smell. In continental Europe, the bulbs are thought to be a favourite food of brown bears, hence the plant’s scientific name Allium ursinum (bear leek).

Where to find wild garlic near me

If you’re new to for foraging then wild garlic is a great best place to start, as it’s very easy to identify, very prolific and delicious. At this time of year there is no need to buy garlic bulbs in the supermarket – their foraging counterpart can be found in any British woodland or riverbank. I often find it in Sankey Valley, St.Helens, where we run our Foraging walks.

What to do with wild garlic

Like the domesticated alliums, ramsons are edible and the leaves are an excellent addition to a cheese or hummus sandwich. Carefully, pick a handful of leaves without uprooting the bulbs and blend or chop and use like garlic. You can also save the flowers as they make a beautiful edible decoration to savoury dishes.

Whizzed up with walnuts, olive oil and a few tablespoons of parmesan added after, the leaves also make a delicious wild garlic pesto.

Try this recipe for wild garlic salt on BBC Wildlife‘s website.

Better still, you can create a lovely spring soup from the leaves. Fry an onion in butter until soft and add a finely cubed potato and a bay leaf. After another five minutes frying, add 500ml of vegetable stock and simmer until the potato is soft –about 10 minutes. Add the bunch of ramsons leaves and cook briefly – no more than a couple of minutes. Remove the bay leaf, blend the soup, add seasoning and you will have a bowl of spring green goodness.

How to make wild garlic pesto

Turn your foraged finds into a delicious, vibrant pesto to enjoy this spring. Here is an easy recipe for wild garlic pesto from Countryfile which can be added to pasta, tarts, sandwiches or soups.

Wild garlic pesto recipe

Why not try one of our our foraging walks in St.Helens? You can find all of our events on Facebook! or read my blog 5 edible plants to forage in St.Helens.

June 12, 2021 0 comment

Activities Countryside Food Nature

Foraging in St.Helens.

by Cat Woods June 8, 2021

written by Cat Woods

Yup, the world is re-opening, and we’re (carefully) beginning in-person events again…at a super lush location: Sankey Valley Blackbrook!

Have you ever been foraging?

With lockdown ending we’ve got just the thing for you! On location foraging training in Sankey Valley, Blackbrook. 🌱

Join myself and expert forager Wil Goodwin from the Liverpool/Merseyside foraging network, for a hands on session where we will be foraging for local edible plants.

Foragers consistently share a range of benefits they receive, including:

* free food that’s as fresh as the time it takes for you to pick it and plate it,

* nutrients and a level of freshness that you wouldn’t get so easily from shop-bought food,

* a wide range of surprising ingredients, offering more diversity and flavours,

* the element of surprise and adventure, never knowing exactly what you’ll find or where!

You will need shoes for walking as we’ll be covering a bit of ground, a bottle of water and something to collect your edible finds.

You will learn new green skills that you can use whenever you are out in the future and reap the benefits of doing so. There is no junk food in nature.

Tickets are just £15 plus booking fee.

Duration 1.5 hours of Wil’s expertise and experience.

Suitable for adults.

Meeting is at the entrance to Sankey Valley, Blackbrook at 10am (Behind the Ship Inn) 275 Blackbrook road, WA11 0AB.

Free Parking available.

You can find tickets to these events on our Facebook page under the events tab.

June 8, 2021 0 comment

Activities Countryside Nature

10 parks to visit near St.Helens

by Cat Woods May 20, 2021

written by Cat Woods

Taylor Park

Taylor Park was opened to the public in 1893. It originally formed part of the Eccleston Hall Estate and was named after Samuel Taylor who donated the land to St.Helens. Carriage Drive was a thoroughfare between Samuel Taylor’s 19th century house and the toll bar at Prescot Road.

Willow Park

Willow Park historically formed a part of the Legh family estate. In the centre of the park, there once stood a prominent house known as The Willows or The Priory, originally two semi-detached houses which were later combined. This was the property of George McCorquodale, the local printing company owner.

The house was unfortunately demolished in the 1930s (as can be seen from the photograph above) with only some parts of the footings of the house still visible.

After the war, the former Newton Urban District Council leased die site, and shortly after, opened the site as a public park.

The park today provides a network of tree-lined footpaths, with areas of amenity grassland giving access to a variety of habitats such as woodlands, meadows, wetland and a 6.5 hectare (16 acre)

3. Victoria Park

Victoria Park is an urban park located in central St Helens, Merseyside. The park is managed by the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens.

The area was originally owned by John Adsell who built the Victorian Italianate style Grade II listed Mansion House along with orangery, walled gardens and an ornate fountain. The park was opened in 1886 as Cowley Hill Park by St Helens Council and renamed on 21 June 1887 for Queen Victoria‘s Golden Jubilee. In 1994 the council sold The Mansion House to a charity Age UK which uses the property as a venue for weddings.

4. Pennington flash country park

Pennington Flashes is part of an impressive country park. The lake and surrounding marshland are home to a diverse group of mammals, birds and insects, including 5 RSPB red listed birds and the protected water vole.

Its importance for birds is recognised nationally, with over 230 species recorded on site, including the black-faced bunting, nightingale, cattle egret, whiskered tern and Leach’s petrel.

The term ‘Flashes’ refers to the lakes on the site which were formed over time as a result of the mining subsidence. They are a legacy of Wigan Borough’s industrial heritage and those at Pennington Flash are a stunning example of how the industrial past has developed a beautiful location for wildlife.

5. Fairy Glen

Serene forest area featuring tree-shaded hiking trails & a stream with picturesque cascades.

Nestled on the side of Parbold Hill above the rural village of Appley Bridge, Fairy Glen is a compact recreational facility for local residents to enjoy.

The site follows Sprodley Brook which has, over time, cut down through the underlying sandstone to create the Fairy Glen valley with small waterfalls and cliff faces. These features, interspersed within the ancient broadleaved woodland, define the sites character.

Designated as a Biological Heritage Site for its oak, birch, ash and alder, the site boasts a rich and mature woodland biodiversity. There is a wide variety of flora growing at the site and, depending on the season, the woodland floor may be covered with bluebells, wild garlic, ferns, and red campion. In order to help preserve this rich and vibrant biodiversity it is imperative that visitors make use of the excellent surfaced path network and do not “forge their own paths” on an exploration through the glen.

6. Orrell Water Park

Two disused reservoirs surrounded by picturesque woodland make up Orrell Water Park. Facilities include: Excellent small course fishery for all year round fishing, with day ticket fishing and competitions throughout the year. Children’s play area, Small “Nature Reserve” with ponds, over 100 Bird species recorded and a wide variety of Butterflies, Dragonflies and Damselflies.

7. Haigh Hall Woodland Park

Haigh Woodland Park is famous in Wigan and further afield for its impressive grounds and woodlands.

The name Haigh comes from the Anglo Saxon word Haga meaning an enclosure or a secure area to house livestock.

It is the jewel in Wigan’s crown of green spaces – and it’s transforming into a one-of-a-kind attraction for families across the north west. Wigan Council and Inspiring healthy lifestyles are spending millions of pounds making this the most beautiful and activity-packed park in the region.

8. Thatto Heath Park

It opened in around 1850 and it was a private place, not like a fairground and had a bandstand and played music. It was opened by local publican Charles Whittle who owned the Engine Inn, attracted middle-class visitors from far and wide

We visited the park, strolling through one of the many entrances, vast swathes of grasslands unfold before you, a huge field of dreams, off to thtree enclosed little glades where you can have a sheltered picnic.

The park is most definitely wheelchair and pram friendly.

My favourite part of the park was the “Lazy Tree” which looks like it’s sitting comfortably on the wall. Have you ever seen it?

9. Sherdley Park

Sherdley park is a 336 acre urban park located in Sutton.

In the 19th century it was owned by coal and copper baron, Michael Hughs who also built the now demolished Sherdley Hall. The estate was purchased by the local authority after the second world war as a place of relaxation for the citizens of Sutton. The park used to feature a pets corner but this has now closed.

10. Mesnes Park

Mesnes Park is a Victorian park dating from 1878. The elongated 30 acre park lies to the North West of Wigan town centre. It comprises of formal flower beds in grass lawns, a pool, children’s playground, mini golf, sports ground and a cafe. It has recently undergone a multi million pound restoration after receiving a grant from the National Lottery heritage fund.

If you’ve enjoyed this blog you’ll love the article I wrote for Hack TV, 10 Green Spaces to visit in St.Helens.

Please help us to reach more people by sharing this blog using the social media icons. I thank you!

May 20, 2021 2 comments