Anne Clark – Anne Clark Handmade

Prospect Cottage and Dungeness

It was a wet, extremely windy day when we decided to drive to find Prospect Cottage. Prospect Cottage is a turn of the century fisherman’s hut which sits on the shingle at Dungeness. It is easy to find on the road to the lighthouses and power station with its black walls and yellow paintwork. Getting out of the car however was a battle against the strong wind and it took two of us to open the drivers door. The bad weather did however mean we were the only visitors looking around the cottage.

Derek Jarman moved to Prospect Cottage in 1986. The cottage soon became a source of inspiration to all who visited and a creative hub where his artistic practices and collaborators came together. Prospect Cottage was, and continues to be, a place that inspires artists, and creative minds of all varieties. By booking one of the limited places you can step-inside the cottage and soak up the atmosphere of this unique building.

Who was Derek Jarman? Michael Derek Elworthy Jarman was an English artist, film maker, costume designer, stage designer, writer, poet, gardener, and gay rights activist. He was born in 1942 and died at 52 of an AIDS related illness. He made feature films, short films and music videos. He is credited in 55 films, including “Jubilee”, “Caravaggio”, and “Blue”.. To be honest I had not heard of him until I heard of his home Prospect Cottage near the power station at Dungeness.

We were unable to look inside on the day we visited but as there was no-one around we looked through the windows. It was however the garden that I was most interested in. Those who have visited Dungeness will be familiar with the very un-English prospect of encountering private gardens without fences. Regulations in the protected nature reserve mean that fences are mostly forbidden, so property boundaries remain blurred. The weather conditions meant we were the only people about and once we were able to stand against the wind we could enjoy the area. It was April and so no poppies or roses.

When Derek first moved to the cottage and started gardening he had hoped to surround himself with roses but most of the ones he planted could not cope with the exposed salty conditions. He turned instead to native plants – sea kale, wild peas, viper’s bugloss, teasels and sea holly. He used items he found on the beach and his neighbours were a little concerned that something occult was afoot. “People thought I was building a garden for magical purposes,” Jarman said at the time, “a white witch out to get the nuclear power station.” Driftwood totems now rise above shaggy tufts of sea kale, strings of pebbles dangle from rusting iron posts, and metal balls of fishing floats emerge from clumps of gorse.

Dungeness is home to the world’s smallest passenger railway as well as the largest shingle beach in Europe, and it’s a haven for wildlife and over 600 species of plants a third of all the plants found in the UK. Dungeness is host to many insect species. It is one of the best places in Britain to find insects such as moths, bees, beetles, and spiders.

Trees are Amazing

Trees are amazing, we need them in so many ways. In Japan people are encouraged to spend time de-stressing amongst trees. Japanese doctors promote forest bathing as a relaxing break from hectic urban life. If you’ve been in a forest, listened to the birds and watched the sunshine filtering through the leaves, you’ve already participated in one of the best things you can do for your physical and mental well-being.

Trees help us breathe, they take in CO2 and give out the oxygen we need to live. They keep us cool by absorbing water and releasing it as water vapour and give us shade and shelter. It’s estimated that trees can reduce the temperature in a city by up to 7°C. They also improve air quality and remove pollutants that could otherwise contribute to health problems. I remember seeing a TV programme about a city school that planted trees around its boundaries, air quality improved, the temperature cooled, noise reduced and most importantly children’s health improved. It’s thought the UK’s ancient woodlands absorb 1.7 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.

At St Peter’s Church in Belper we are lucky to have 96 trees, at times when branches and leaves have to be cleared it may not always feel like this. Trees are homes to organisms which range from bacteria to fungi, lichens, free algae, mosses, vascular plants, invertebrate animals, birds and mammals. They are also fun, in the National Trust’s list of 50 things to do before you are 11 3/4 the first is, ‘Get to know a tree.’ When I was younger I loved climbing trees and I had a favourite tree in all the woods local to where I lived.

Scientist now believe trees communicate with each other by a common mycorrhizal network. This is an underground network found in forests and other plant communities, created by the hyphae of mycorrhizal fungi joining with plant roots. Harvard University has done some experiments which confirm that trees are indeed communicating and sharing nutrients through their roots, forming a complex system sometimes referred to as the “wood wide web.”

My favourite tree is the English Oak. Oak trees provide a rich habitat and support more life forms than any other native trees.” A single oak tree hosts 532 species of caterpillars. A single oak tree also shelters 147 species of birds, 120 species of mammals, and 60 species of reptiles and amphibians. Dead trees and logs also provide shelter and habitats for fungi, wood-boring insects, woodlice, beetle grubs, wood wasps, spiders, frogs, toads, hedgehogs and birds. A simple pile of logs can very quickly become a flourishing wildlife community, including, ants, beetles, snails and squirrels. Its is possible to provide a small log pile in the smallest garden and a delight to watch birds such as the wren looking for food in this habitat.

I have noticed King Alfred’s Cake fungi on the trunk of the odd shaped tree on the south side of St Peter’s church Belper. The fungus gets its name from the traditional tale of King Alfred who lived in the 9th century when parts of Britain had been over run by Vikings. The story says that the king was taking refuge from the Vikings in a peasant’s home in 878 AD. He forgot to watch some cakes baking on the hearth and was scolded by the women when they burnt. Looking at the fruiting bodies, it’s not a stretch to see their resemblance to burnt buns. This species is also known as a tinder bracket. It has been used for thousands of years as portable fire lighting material. Once a spark is created by hitting flints together or creating friction between pieces of wood this fungi can easily catch fire. It is said to have been used to carry fire from place to place as it burns very slowly. It may look as though it has gone out but once blown on, flames appear. It is also known as ‘carbon balls’ or ‘coal fungus’.

Bees of the uk

As I write this blog at the end of March I have already seen a few bees in the garden. I have a fondness for bees of all varieties but struggle to identify many of them. This is not really surprising as there are over 270 bee species in Britain ranging from the well known honey bee, to bumblebees and solitary bees.

The largest species of bee in the UK is the Garden Bumblebee, it is a long-tongued bee which uses its long face and tongue to pollinate hard-to-reach tubed flowers such as foxgloves. There are also many species of short tongued bees in the UK? They have short pointed tongues and often nest in soils. These bees collect pollen on the underside of the abdomen and on their legs. This is the reason why it is a good to grow flowers of different shapes so that your garden can be a feeding ground for a variety of bees and pollinators.

Most bumblebees are social insects forming colonies with a single queen. The colonies are smaller than those of honey bees, growing to as few as 50 individuals in a nest. One of the species which nests in bird boxes and lofts is the Tree Bumblebee. With this species you may often see ‘swarms’ of bees flying around the nest, this is perfectly normal as these are male bees flying around waiting for queens to come out so that they can mate. Male bumblebees cannot sting, so there is no need to be alarmed.

I love the fact that male bumblebees often have a yellow moustache. It gives them a comical look but it can also be a useful way to tell a male bee from a worker of the same species.

A waving bumble bee is said to mean GO AWAY!

There are also species of Cuckoo Bumblebees. Just like the cuckoo bird they take over the nests of true bumblebees. A female cuckoo bee will go into the nest, kill the queen, and take it over for herself. A cuckoo bee does not produce any workers, just new females and males.

Most bees to be found in the UK are solitary bees and have some fabulous names such as The Patchwork Leaf-cutter Bee. The females cut discs out of leaves, gluing them together with saliva in order to build the ‘cells’ in which their larvae live. The patchwork leaf-cutter bee is on the wing from April to August, and feeds solely on pollen and nectar.

Another of my favourite bees is the Hairy-footed Flower Bee. The hairy-footed flower bee can be seen in spring and summer, visiting tubular flowers like red dead-nettle and comfrey. As its name suggests, it has long, orange hairs on its middle legs.

The Wool Carder Bee is a very distinctive bee with yellow spots down the sides of their abdomens. They are one of the few bee species in which the male is larger than the female. Females comb wool fibres from plants to use as nesting material, while males fiercely guard areas of these plants for potential mates. Male Wool carder bees may not have a sting but they do come equipped with a set of spikes on their tails. They will fiercely guard a patch of flowers and chase, head-butt and wrestle any other insect, which dares to enter their territory.

The Ashy Mining Bee is one of our most distinctive spring-flying solitary bees with striking black and grey/white markings. Female Ashy-mining bees excavate small tunnels in the earth to make their nests. They can occasionally be found nesting in large groups, but are also found in small groups or as single females. Males have similar markings to females, although they are smaller and not quite as noticeable. They have more obvious light hairs along the side of the thorax and also at the top of the abdomen.

When you hear a buzzing in the garden this year take a closer look as bees come in all sorts of shapes, colours and sizes. There are some good sites to look up bee identification.

www.friendsoftheearth.uk/nature/bee-identification-guide

www.bumblebeeconservation.org/bumblebee-species-guide

Bees are great indicators of a healthy environment. But right now, they’re at risk due to climate breakdown and habitat loss. Shifts in the seasons are disrupting flowering times and the availability of food, shelter and nesting sites. Climate change also brings extremes of drought, heavier rainfall and flooding.

We can all do our bit to help bees, this website is full of useful advice, www.thebeeconservancy.org/10-ways-to-save-the-bees/

Dandelions are Important

Like so many familiar wild plants, the dandelion has a rich traditional history. They are thought to have evolved about 30 million years ago, long before humans inhabited the earth. Dandelions used to be woven into spring wedding bouquets to bring good luck, and to dream of dandelions promised a happy relationship. I am writing this blog as earlier this week I dreamt of dandelions and I then discovered April 30th is now officially dedicated to the flower as International Day of the Dandelion.

Children love to blow the seeds of the dandelion clock and it was also used as an indicator of love by those still unmarried. The favourite was ‘he loves me, he loves me not’, a process that also applied to plucking daisy petals, dandelions are in the daisy family. Seeds floating away were thought to carry feelings of affection to the loved one.

The common name dandelion comes from the French dent de lion, meaning lion’s tooth and refers to the dentate leaf edges. The dandelion has many names among them bitterwort, blow-ball, telltime, cankerworth, witch’s gowan, milk witch, Irish daisy, monk’s head, priest’s crown, swine’s snout and white endive. The French themselves have adopted the plant’s traditional reputation as a herbal diuretic, calling it pissenlit – literally, wet-the-bed.

While dandelions are around for much of the year, late spring and early summer is when they are most visible. This year they seem exceptional and I have seen people post strange photos on social media where several have joined together, (both the heads and stems) to create giant flowers. The dandelion you see most often is Taraxacum officinale, the common dandelion, however there are more than 230 species of dandelion in the UK and the differences between them are small and very complex.

Dandelions are an early, easily available source of food for pollinators. Bumblebees, solitary bees and honeybees all visit dandelions, along with hoverflies, beetles, and butterflies such as the peacock and holly blue. Goldfinches and house sparrows eat the seeds.

Dandelions are good and useful for us as well. The leaves can be used to flavour salads, sandwiches and teas. The roots are used in some coffee substitutes, the flowers to make wines, dandelion jelly and honey. In the past, dandelion roots and leaves were used to treat liver problems. If you have allergies, you still need to check with your health care provider before consuming any dandelion product.

This year the Wildlife Trusts have called on people to make it a year of the dandelion spring, and I think the flowers themselves must have heard the news as the world seems to have turned yellow. They are so important for pollinators and wildlife. It is worth remembering we cannot survive without insects but if we were wiped out they would be fine, we need these beautiful wild flowers for our survival on earth.

A Rose by any Other Name …

Shakespeare had Juliette use the phase ‘A rose by any other name would smell as sweet’, meaning that the names of things do not affect what they are. I am fascinated by the names of wild plants which vary in different parts of the country. All plants have scientific names but these, most people are unlikely to remember.

One of my favourite bushes is the Hawthorn which is also known as May, the month the flowers usually appear. There is an old saying, ‘Ne’er cast a clout till May be out’ and although some think this refers to the month of May I think it is more likely to mean the May flowers of the Hawthorn. There is often confusion between the Sloe Bush (Blackthorn) and Hawthorn. The flowers of the Blackthorn arrive before the leaves, whereas the flowers of the Hawthorn (May) open after the leaves.

Spring sees the arrival of the Cuckooflower, its upright stem bears delicate, small, pale pink or mauve flowers. Each flower has four petals, although double-flowered varieties can appear. The Cuckooflower gets its name because it appears around the same time as the cuckoo bird arrives. It is also known as Mayflower, Lady’s Smock and Milkmaids.

The Wild Carrot, (ancestor of cultivated carrots) also known as Queen Anne’s Lace, Bishops Flower and Birds Nest. Queen Anne was well versed in lace making and while sewing she pricked herself with a needle. A drop of blood fell unto her lace, leaving a single dark red/purple floret in the centre of the flower.

In the 18th century, English courtiers referred to this flower as “living lace.” According to this legend, the “living lace” name came from a contest that Queen Anne hosted for her ladies-in-waiting. She challenged them to produce a piece of lace as delicate and beautiful as the flower—but none could make lace to outshine the real thing.

The flower also referred to as “Bishop’s flower,” symbolises safety, sanctuary, and refuge. Another interpretation is due to the flower’s resemblance to a bird’s nest when it goes to seed—it then becomes the perfect symbol of the sanctuary of a happy home.

This year I have noticed an abundance of Cowslips. The cowslip has many folk names due to its historical importance and fame, including key of heaven, paigles, bunch of keys and herb Peter. Cowslip is actually a distorted pronunciation of ‘cow slop’, so named because the flowers are associated with cow pats in meadows and fields.

Similar to Wild Carrot is Cow Parsley with its tall stems and white lacy flowers. This plant is related to both wild carrot and parsley. The rather dismissive English name, Cow Parsley, simply means an inferior version of real parsley.

Canaries in the Churchyard

In August canaries appeared in St Peter’s churchyard decorating the railings. The canaries and yellow bunting have been handmade by people to share their concern about climate change. Inspiration has been taken from yellow canaries because they are small, sensitive little birds that were used in the past to warn miners of dangerous pollution such as carbon monoxide.

In the same way the Craftivists hope that their little canaries and images of them sitting quietly in small ‘flocks’ will gently warn and remind us and those in power about the urgent dangers of global warming. Belper is a wonderful community and together we can try to have an impact on our town and the wider world. This is our way of saying we want to live in a world where we take care of nature, wildlife, people and protect our environment from global warming. The ‘Canary Craftivists’ campaign is part of a nationwide initiative run by the Craftivist Collective, who use handicrafts as a form of quiet, kind and attractive activism that they call ‘gentle protest’.

This year the UK has a particularly important role to play to address climate change as it’s hosting the COP26 UN climate summit in November. This meeting, hosted and overseen by Boris Johnson and the UK Government, will be a key moment where world leaders negotiate how they will reduce emissions to protect the environment and stabilise the climate.

As the first country in the world to industrialise, the UK has pioneered and shaped the world as well as contributing to the creation of climate change. The UK Government has an important role in bringing world leaders together to agree a way forward that will help, not harm, the world.

In another initiative this year the Young Christian Climate Network has organised a relay route where young activists will each complete a stage. Instead of a physical baton, each relay group will carry the same message of crucial action needed to reverse climate change. The relay will move from Truro Cathedral, near to where the G7 met, to Glasgow where COP26 will be begin on October 31.

BLUE Campaign

Blue hearts have been used as a symbol for a number of different campaigns. People were asked by some to put blue hearts in their windows to show support for the NHS. One of the campaigns I am most interested in, is the Blue Campaign for wildlife. https://bluecampaignhub.com/ This campaign encourages people to bring their local area to life by gardening for wildlife. We believe that each individual can change their surroundings and help restore UK biodiversity, either in their own garden or by working with councils or schools. Once one blue heart appears, others often follow.

If you would like a healthy garden full of colour and life, re-wilding is for you. It takes less effort than conventional gardening, and all of the plants are already in place, waiting for a chance to grow. You do not need to use wildflower mixes however it can be fun to see what extra plants these might bring.

Sowing wildflower seeds St Peter’s churchyard, Belper

There are a number of specialist websites that I have used. meadowmania.co.uk They have over 30 years’ experience of producing and supplying the highest quality seeds and plants, and they are passionate about British native wildflowers and seed. Rewilding part of your garden is also one very easy step to help restore UK biodiversity with habitats including long grass, hedges and ponds. Another company I have used is Naturescape www.naturescape.co.uk who are based in Langar Nottinghamshire. They have fields of wildflowers that you can walk around and a tearoom worth visiting.

Naturescape, Langar Nottinghamshire

You can start by leaving an area of your lawn without mowing it, when you do this, the native plants in your lawn will start to flourish, providing food and shelter for a wide range of invertebrates, birds, mammals and amphibians. You can do one mow in September once all the plants have seeded, but a completely undisturbed section will lead to a more developed habitat. The idea of the blue hearts on a stick is that if you place them in the area it tells everyone that this is being done to make a difference for wildlife and not because you cannot be bothered.

This garden is part of Belper Open Gardens and the blue heart shows the area being left for wildflowers.

It does not matter what your blue heart is made from but whatever you use may encourage others to do the same. In 2019 St Peter’s Church Belper gave away about thirty blue hearts and packets of wildflower seeds.

Spring Flowers along the Cromford canal.

I love to walk along the Cromford Canal whatever the weather. Here is a short video of one very wet day.

The canal is beautiful on any day but especially in the early Spring sunshine. April 14^th 2022 promised to be sunny so I decided to go for an early morning walk. By early I mean 8.30 which I know would not be everyones definition of early. It did however mean that there were not too many others, out walking the canal path. Deciding to start from Cromford was a really good idea as when I arrived at High Peak Junction, (the name now used to describe the site where the former Cromford and High Peak Railway, meets the Canal,) it was not too long before the small cafe opened for Coffee and a sandwich.

**Leewood Pumphouse near High Peak Junction.**

The canal used to run for 14.5 miles along the Derwent Valley to Ambergate where it turned to eventually join the Erewash Canal at Langley Mill. It was part of a network of canals dug in the midlands to transport goods such as coal, limestone, cotton and lead.

The 6 mile stretch from Cromford to Ambergate has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The area is home to diverse wildlife and a haven for water voles, grass snakes, little grebes, moorhens, coots, dragonflies as well as myriads of ducks, geese and swans.

Returning to Cromford along the canal I was excited to see three water voles but it is still probably rather early for grass snakes. There was how ever a good variety of wildflowers making their appearance and many bees buzzing around.

The larch

I remember the Monty Python sketch, ‘Number 1 The Larch’, about identifying trees from a distance. However the larch is not a tree I am very familiar with. The European larch is native to the mountains of Central Europe and was introduced into the UK in the early 17th century for timber plantations. It is a unique tree as it is the only deciduous conifer.

I have not taken much notice of the larch, (apart from the Monty Python sketch) but a new interest in making natural teas alerted me to the fact that you can use larch flowers and the needles for tea making. I hadn’t realised that the tree had such pretty pink/red flowers which eventually turn into the small larch cones. It is spring so I went on a hunt to find a larch tree with flowers.

The sad news is that many larch trees are dying from Sudden Larch Death. This disease causes the rapid decline and death of larch trees of all ages. Stem cankers, needle lesions and canopy dieback are all symptoms of Sudden Larch Death in the UK.

Today I searched in a local wood, hoping that if I found a larch, it would be well and healthy. I found a lot of trees but they did not look well to my untrained eyes. The tops of the trees had green leaves coming out but the lower branches had no green or flowers. Many had already been felled and this made me wonder if there is a problem. The colour of the wood was beautiful and I wondered what it is used to make.

Information found on the internet www.timberblogger.com/larch-wood/ says Larch wood is known to have tough, waterproof, and durable qualities. It is mostly used for boats, gazebos, floors, fencing, etc.

Having discovered the beauty and usefulness of the larch, I do hope it survives in the local woods and one day I can find enough flowers to try making tea. Larch trees like to grow in any wet, peat-rich soil. The right soil acidity —neutral to acidic—is also key. Larch trees do not grow well in soils with high pH. The area I discovered was wet with a lovely stream and I was glad that I wore my welly boots. I am now considering what I can look for next to make some natural tea.

Show the Love & Beyond.

St Peter’s churchyard was decorated with green Show the Love, handmade hearts in February 2021. Trees along the paths and the railings were decorated by local people and groups. This was a community effort to join in with the Climate Coalitions call to #Showthelove for our world.

2021 is a very important year for the future of our planet with the UN Climate Summit COP 26 taking place in Glasgow in November. We need the UK to ensure that the Climate Summit is successful and sets us on the path to a safe climate for all. Underpinning all of this is the imperative that global economic recovery is sustainable and doesn’t prevent us from limiting warming to no more than 1.5C.

Because of this the Climate Coalition are encouraging communities to have a Great Big Green Week in September as a call for action on climate change. Here are some of their ideas, ‘From local park clean ups and planting sessions, to concerts and community group stalls, you can plan events to suit your community. For guidance on how you can organise an event or green week, visit greatbiggreenweek.com‘

Already plans are being discussed in Belper and ideas being thought of. The date of the week is from September 18th – September 26th. Still hopefully plenty of time to plan.

I have recently read Rob Hopkins book, From What Is to What If (Unleashing the power of imagination to create the future we want). It is full of inspiring stories of communities working together to improve their lives, the places where they live and helping to look after the planet. Rob emphasises how important it is to start by imagining the future you would like and then work out ways of helping that future happen.

We can all do something however small and lots of small things do make a difference. We can also join in collective movements to make sure our Government and local authorities know that we think the issue of Climate Change and the Climate Crisis must be taken seriously.

In the last two years I have changed my gardening habits and have tried to think of ways to garden to help wildlife. In the garden we can make a difference and some of what we need to do actually saves time and money. Last year we only mowed our lawn twice and in between allowed the grass to grow along with the daisies, dandelions and clover. One of the things that really bothers me is how many front gardens are paved over for cars. This could be mitigated with a few pots of suitable bushes and flowers to make a difference for bees and insects .

Another easy thing households can do is to stop using any sort of pesticide as this is harmful to all insects and other creatures who eat the insects. Last year I made my first wildlife pond in an old washing up bowl and then enjoyed seeing it regularly used by birds and frogs. A small effort can give a lot of enjoyment. This year I have gone a little larger by digging a bigger hole and using a liner. On one afternoon I watched starlings, blackbirds and sparrows taking turns to bath. One really important thing we can all do is to be untidy. When we do any pruning I now leave piles of branches under bushes and have seen wrens hopping about looking for bugs to eat.

More advice on gardening for wildlife can be found here, RSPB website and on the Wildlife Trusts website. Watching the birds, frogs, squirrels, bees and insects has given us so much pleasure during the last year of on and off lockdowns.