Snails

One of the better things to come from a few days of rainy weather, is the profusion of gastropods which are to be seen. This morning we found many snails crawling across our path of various different sizes and colours.

On closer inspection these snails are quite beautiful. Their shells are shiny and marked to a greater or lesser extent, with bands of colour.

The 'base' colour of the shells range from a pale greenish white, to reddish-brown.

One in particular was very handsome - if you can ascribe that adjective to a snail! Almost golden in the sunlight with clear stripes spiraling around it's shell.

Seemingly intent on getting to the other side of the path before becoming the lunch of a thrush, all of these snails, despite their differing appearance, are the same species. The White-Lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis). The name refers not to the actual 'lips' of the snail, but to the white (or paler) edge - or lip - to the shell opening.

These snails are hermaphrodite and have a strange love life and mating ritual. This involves mature snails producing a hard, chitinous 'dart' which it then attempts to stab into any available part of it's mate. This stabbing is done in a rather haphazard way and sometimes with enormous force. They have been known to impale internal organs or even to stab right through the recipient and out the other side! This weird behaviour is not for the transference of sperm or eggs, but just a preliminary part of mating. Strange!

Historical Background - part 2

Hugh and Agnes had two sons (at least), but neither survived their father so the manor was passed to Eustacia, the daughter of One of the sons. Eustacia married Nicholas de Canteloupe, a member of one of Britains most rich and powerful families at that time. The tomb of Nicholas who died in about 1265, can still be seen in St. Mary's Church.
The manor stayed in the Canteloupe family for the next 90 years until the death of Nicholas' Great Great Grandson William. William had no heir and the issue of inheritance was the subject of much debate until it was decided that a distant cousin, William la Zouche was declared heir. The manor stayed in the Zouche family until 1485 when the family found themselves 'on the wrong side' at the battle of Bosworth.
Following the battle, the land was taken into the Savage family, and remained with them until 1608 when it was sold to Sir John Manners. Sir John is an ancestor of the present Duke of Rutland, who remains Lord of the Manor of Ilkeston to this day.

The Estate of Shipley and the Hall, has been known since the 13th Century. In 1630, Sir Edward Leche, the then Lord of the Manor, built a tall, gabled house. The hall was passed to Sir Edward's granddaughter, Hester Miller. Hester married Edward Mundy and he demolished the old hall to build a new one.

This hall was changed many times, not least of all into a neo-classical mansion in 1779. Further additions and changes followed including Italian gardens and fountains.

The Miller Mundy's made their money through mining. This was to be the ultimate downfall of the great hall. The owner of the hall in 1922, one Godfrey Miller-Mundy, sold the entire estate to the Shipley Coal Company (a company created by some of his ancestors). The mining company then began to mine under the hall, into a supporting pillar of coal. This, of course, proved to be disasterous and the hall began to subside. By 1943 it had to be demolished.

By 1970, Derbyshire County Council bought the estate and thus began the Shipley Country Park. More information Here.

Historical Background - part 1

I occurred to me that I have been waxing lyrical about the area of Shipley Park and Ilkeston for some time now and should add a little history (pre mining). Seen from the air, the plan of the old hall is obvious, surrounded by trees.
The Estate has been known since the Norman conquest when the area was given to Gilbert of Ghent along with further land in 15 other counties. It is thought that it was a gift from William l for Gilbert's support during the conquest. There had been a hunting lodge on top of the hill - around the position of the old hall.
Shipley was then an important hunting estate for the rich and powerful of Norman England.
Following Gilbert's death in 1094, the Manor of Ilkeston passed to his son Walter of Ghent. Walter died around 1134 when the estate passed to the Muskham family in about 1139. Robert de Muskham is thought to have been the founder of St. Mary's Church, Ilkeston. Robert's son, Hugh inherited the land and in turn passed it to his own son, another Robert. It then passed to Isabell, daughter of the first Robert de Muskham and through her, to the de Gresley family via her marriage to Ralph de Gresley in about 1216. Ralph, being described as 'languid' in 1228, passed the manor to his daughter Agnes and her husband Hugh Fitz Ralph. It was this Hugh who was granted Ilkeston's market charter in 1252.

Dogs and Jennies

Lovely to get out for a walk again this morning after a couple of days being more or less 'grounded' by the weather. We managed a fairly long walk around Shipley Park this morning before the showers returned and the title of today's blog entry should give a clue to some of the flowers in evidence this morning. Firstly we passed several large Dogwood shrubs growing near to the old American Adventure Theme Park entrance.

This particular Dogwood is the Siberian, White, or Red-Barked Dogwood (Cornus alba). The masses of small, white flowers forming flower heads known as cymes.

Further along the walk we found these Dog Roses just beginning to bloom.

These Dog Roses (Rosa canina) are actually one of 20 or 30 different sub-species all generically called Dog Roses. The pale pink and white flowers are well known to most of us as part of the typical English hedgerow. As are the red fruits which follow them in the Autumn known as Rose Hips.

Lastly, as we returned home, we found this attractive little flower growing - or should I say scrambling - along the side of the footpath.

These bright yellow blooms belong to an easily overlooked plant called Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia). Also called Moneywort, Herb Twopence and Twopenny grass, it is sometime cultivated as a garden plant as it is an excellent ground cover plant.

Columbidae

A strange title for today's offering, but the name refers to a very well known family of birds. I was struck by the beauty of one of our most commonly seen birds the other day as one of them strutted around the garden. I refer to the pigeon family in general and the Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus) in particular.

Wood Pigeons are the largest of the British pigeons but frequently overlooked, probably because of their familiarity. Considering the fact that they have been shot, poisoned and trapped for many years, it is a wonder there are any left at all. It is even more surprising that they are not more afraid of humans.
A closer look at the colouring of the bird reveals it's true beauty. The pale grey with a pinkish wash, coupled with the iridescence of the feathers around the neck, surely makes this one of our more colourful birds.

Pigeons are an ancient family of birds and are found in very many forms and colours around the world. Arguably the most famous 'pigeon' of all was the Dodo. Famously extinct, it is not widely known that Dodos were, in fact a type of pigeon - albeit huge and flightless standing about 3ft tall. Too trusting for their own good, they fell victim to the persecution of man and became extinct around the mid 17th century.

Blackbird

Watching a rather bedraggled Blackbird popping around on the lawn this morning, put me in mind of one which we saw last year at the Eden Project in Cornwall. While our Blackbird (Turdus merula) was searching for worms, grubs and almost anything edible, the chap in Cornwall was, thankfully easier to photograph sitting still on a post.

Members of the Thrush family, they have a wonderful singing voice and often incorporate parts of other birds' songs in their own repertoire. One particularly amusing bird near our home was last year to be heard mimicking (Rather well) a reversing lorry!

One of Britain's most common bird species, their numbers may reach about 15 million individuals during the winter, swelled by a European influx especially in harsh weather. It is thought about 5 million pairs breed in the UK. Here is a particularly good recording of a Blackbird singing, from YouTube. (Try to ignore the person in the background blowing her nose half way through!)

Comfrey

Growing among the many ornamental plants in the once 'Italian' gardens on Shipley Hill is this un-assuming beauty.

These bright little flowers belong to a comfrey plant. Comfrey has for many years been one of the most useful plants in the garden. A hint of it's usefulness comes from one of it's common, country names, 'Knitbone'. It was used as an aid to all sorts of 'bone' problems including breaks, sprains and arthritis. Other uses include gastric problems, ulcers and a whole manner of skin conditions such as acne and burns. Further uses include aiding with teeth formation in children.

Among the more bizarre claims of old was that it could 'restore a woman's virginity' by immersion in a Comfrey Bath! Modern medicine has proven many of the 'old wives tales' as there are numerous helpful constituents including mucilage, steroidal saponins, tannins, pyrrolizidine alkaloids, inulin, vitamin B12 and proteins. Internal usage should be avoided however as it can cause liver failure. Excessive ingestion of comfrey leaves has been linked to at least one death.
Comfrey is well known to gardeners as the plant, when placed in the compost heap is a great aid to decomposition of the other constituents of the heap, adding nitrogen as it does so. Lets hear it for the very useful Comfrey plant.