Dark land Wild West Yorkshire Nature Diary, Monday 27th September 1999

Perhaps we are looking at a snapshot of domestic life a hundred years ago. The almost black soil might be the result of spreading 'night soil' (a euphemism for human excrement) on the fields, carted out here from neighbouring towns, in the days before the introduction of a sewerage system. If so, no wonder this area has long been famous for the quality of its Rhubarb.

Waste from the woollen industry was spread on the fields of the 'Rhubarb Triangle' between Wakefield and Leeds.

Our House Martins left a week ago today, although there is still the odd bird about. The busy period of nesting now seems long gone. Now the fields and hedges are filling with the birds of autumn. Not migrants in particular, but resident birds that have been dispersed during the nesting season and are now gathering in conspicuous flocks. Lapwings and Collared Doves fly over this field. It is probably spilt grain that attracts the doves, the lapwings are likely to be picking out insects, earthworms and other invertebrates turned up by the plough.

A flock of twenty or more Great and Long-tailed Tits flies ahead of us as we walk along an old green track. The broken hedges on either side have plenty of haws, elderberries and blackberries to offer. I try two varieties of blackberry. One is sweet, it has that taste that brings to mind sunny days of late summer. The other, which has fewer but larger drupelets (the botanical name for small fleshy fruits that make up the each 'berry') isn't as sweet.

I try one of the Elderberries, just to remind myself of the flavour, they're not as irresistible as the best of the blackberries. One old, broken elder bush has some fresh Ear Fungi growing on it. I've sketched it again, after yesterday's attempt, to try to give a better impression of the colour; reddish, but perhaps not as red as this.

I'll keep trying.

Richard Bell,
wildlife illustrator
E-mail; 'richard@daelnet.co.uk'