The best of the season to inspire and admire
WALKERS’ HAVEN RISES ON HIGH
Forming a prominent rocky ridge, The Roaches rise up from moorland above the market town of Leek and Tittesworth Reservoir in the Staffordshire Peak District. Along with Ramshaw Rocks and Hen Cloud, they form a rugged gritstone escarpment, which has become loved by walkers, climbers and naturalists alike. In summer, its majestic, soaring rock faces and wild, heather-clad hillsides draw thousands of visitors each year, making it one of Staffordshire’s most loved beauty spots. Designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and forming part of the South Pennine Moor Special Area for Conservation and Special Protection Area, The Roaches are protected both nationally and internationally for their wildlife and rare habitats. Until fairly recently, the Australian Bennett wallaby was among the most unusual wildlife sightings, springing across the moor and munching on heather. A far cry from their native home, they came from the private menagerie of a local landowner and colonial adventurer, Henry Brocklehurst, in the 20th century. There have been no confirmed sightings for more than a decade, however, so the colony may now be extinct.
CAPTIVATED BY THE RIVERBANK
A beautiful love letter to a short stretch of Northamptonshire’s River Nene, composer and wildlife recordist Nick Penny documents a year by the waterside, intertwining explorations of local history and landscape with his own deepening connection to wildlife. Woven into the background tapestry of this enchanting book are the precious soundscapes of the riverbank, shot through with the blue and orange threads of a kingfisher’s glowing feathers.
Call of the Kingfisher RRP £9.99, www.bradtguides.com
REDOLENT OF THE SEASIDE
CUNNING WEAVERS
The Wasp spider, Argiope bruennichi, is a species of orb-web spider that is mainly sighted in southern England. A beautiful mimic, the larger female features distinctive black and yellow markings on her abdomen, which are akin to a wasp and help to keep her safe from predators, while the male is smaller and pale brown. Adults mature in August and September, and it is during this time that the large orb webs of iridescent silk can be found, which females intricately spin among the long grass. Mating is dangerous for the males: they wait until the female has moulted into a mature form, then take advantage of their soft jaws to venture into the web. Many are eaten during this time; wrapped in silk to provide valuable protein for the female, who will then produce eggs. The spider was first recorded in Britain in 1922, at Rye, East Sussex, and was initially restricted to a few areas close to the south coast in Sussex, Dorset, Kent and Hampshire. It is now rapidly spreading north.
Shimmering beads sit beside fabric shells and soft seaweed to create a beaut
