An exploration of ptaquiloside in bracken, how it moves through upland water and soil, and what this quiet chemistry means for walkers and landscapes.

Standing on my land in the Lake District on a clear night, and I do that as much as I can, it is still possible to see the Milky Way. The skylines of the surrounding fells are dark, the only lights being a possible farmhouse in the valley, the brilliant glow from Ambleside, or a scatter of vehicle headlights moving along the region’s roads. Yet even here, the night is no longer what it once was.

A reflective journey through oak ecology, mythology, medicine and climate change in the Lake District — revealing why oaks thrive in company and why they matter now more than ever.

Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) is a captivating wildflower whose vivid beauty masks a complex identity - at once a vital pollinator plant, a pioneer species in regenerating landscapes, a source of life-saving cardiac medicine, and a symbol of enchantment, danger, and death in folklore - reminding us that Nature’s gifts are rarely simple and often walk the line between healing and harm.

While clearing bracken on my Cumbrian land, I heard a cuckoo - its persistent call inspired this reflection on its ecological and cultural significance. The Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) is a brood parasite, migrates vast distances, and is declining in the UK. It symbolises spring, trickery, and longing across cultures. As an evolutionary marvel and ecological indicator, it deserves urgent conservation attention.

Explore the complex role of bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) in the Lake District - its ecological benefits, biodiversity threats, and the challenge of managing its spread.

The hawthorn is both wicked and welcome - its thorns draw blood, yet it nurtures ecosystems, hearts, and heritage. Revered in folklore, medicine, and conservation, it supports biodiversity, stabilises soil, and symbolises both fertility and boundaries. This enduring tree bridges science and myth, offering shelter, sustenance, and stories across centuries.

A visit to Kew Gardens' Shirley Sherwood Gallery unexpectedly transported me into the living world of trees - through the brushstrokes of botanical artists. What began as an appreciation of art unfolded into a reflection on conifers, climate resilience, biodiversity, and why we must rethink our assumptions about woodland ecosystems.

The tree looked lonely, growing from the base of a crag high above the Lakeland town of Ambleside...

What is it about badgers? I know I am supposed to love the animals and offer them protection and space. Yet somehow...

The other day I received my chainsaw certification. I am now licensed to chop. Yet somehow, I feel uncomfortable.

What is it about dry-stone walls? They are all around me, a defining feature of where I live, the English Lake District...

Fungi are more than simple, fascinating finds. They are a window into how an ecosystem is changing.

Whenever I climb the Lake District’s Great Gable (899 metres) [i] , I usually have whisky on my mind. This time it was climate change...

Modern Haweswater Whenever I visit Haweswater, I admit to feeling depressed. Despite its evident beauty and the fact it is so remote,...

Trees relax me What is it about trees? For some reason they relax me, especially in this month of May. It is a month when the weather is...

Week 12 Once again this is a long one, so please find somewhere quiet to read and ponder. Climate change and the future of mankind is no...

Week 10 Once again this is a long one, so please grab a cuppa if you can. You will need somewhere quiet and thoughtful to read it and do...

Week 8 Once again this is a long one, albeit shorter than others I have written, so I have not divided it into two portions. However, you...

Week 6 Once again this is a long one, so please be prepared, as the topic is serious. I have broken the text halfway, so that you can...