The Woods Have Eyes

 26.05.22

Windy/rain/10 degrees Celsius 

I stood watching the sideways rain hitting the window on the morning of the May forage and listened to my iPad ping as people messaged me to cancel. It’s a project about the climate… but not everyone likes foraging in the rain. Luckily by the time Russ Hedley, the guest specialist arrived at my studio the weather was calming down. We discussed the history of Lundsfield woods and I explained why I’d chosen the un-managed site for the project and the proximity to the motorway. He pointed out that 10,000 years ago big herbivores like rhino, elephants, hippo would have roamed the landscape clearing woodland of trees in much the same way humans do today - I admit hadn’t really considered that. After the first forage there was a complaint about the lack of biodiversity in the woods. It was late January then and the area we chose to explore was largely mixed pine so perhaps they were right but as the year progressed we discovered more corners, footpaths and hollows with broad leaf trees and wild flowers growing around the tarn and periphery. Lundsfield woods represent the uneasy relationship between human and the rest of the earth  - the artificial, cultivated environment close to the motorway, a gathering place for joggers, dog walkers, bored teenagers but also a wild space and an exciting example of natural resilience.

Russ is a wildlife expert from Bolton. He’s previously presented features on radio 4 and the one show and delivers nature walks and talks around Lancashire. We (7) met on the canal tow path  as the weather was brightening up. 

Each equipped with a magnifying glass we made slow progress along the tow path towards Thwaites Bridge. Water Hemlock, gypsywort, meadowsweet, burdock, woodbane, vetch, hawthorn and alliums. We discussed the issue of ash die-back and the possibility that some trees could develop an immunity to the fungus.

We arrived at the wild flower meadows near Thwaite House Farm, swathes of clover, buttercups and yellow rattle - the grasses appeared alive as they rippled in the breeze.

We entered he woods and collected wild mint, wild strawberry leaves and bramble leaves from the tarn edge to make a tea. We then followed an old cart track leading to Bolton le Sands. Enclosed by dry stone walls and deep hedgerows, this is an ancient route and as we walked we traced the footsteps of our ancestors who used these tracks for commerce over hundreds of years. There was some discussion that this was the main route to Bolton, hard to imagine but perhaps that has some association to the name of the coastal village? The hedgerows were lined with cow parsley and elder flower. In the sky, high westerly winds swept the clouds across revealing fragments of blue. We identified cardinal beetles, native ladybirds, ermine moth caterpillars and crosswort, pennywort, speedwell, silver weed, red campion, mugwort. We gathered a random selection of leaves where appropriate for the dye pot (including dogs mercury (toxic) but I included it in the pot and boiled it outside). 

With Russ’s guidance we discovered a hidden more-than-human world and gained a deeper understanding of the plants,insects and creatures that share our habitat.  

You can find Russ on insta @woodland_russ