Promoting & Enhancing The Natural Beauty of the Sid Valley
There is no wild countryside in the UK. It is all manmade, most if it by farmers. An increasing number of farmers are now engaged in regenerative farming or farming for biodiversity. Nicola Westlake explains her families efforts to farm their tenanted farm forRead More
Leave a comment Waitrose have generously donated £333 to the Sid Valley Biodiversity Group from their community fund. The money will help the group, which relies on donations and grants, to continue the important work of celebrating and enriching local biodiversity. Sheila and Ed were delighted toRead More
Leave a comment Tom Mustill’s audio book How to speak whale: A voyage into the future of animal communication transported me under the waves. With my dog Scamper, nestled next to me, enchanting whale songs embraced me, as my heart sang and my lips curled into aRead More
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Selfheal: Botanical name…Prunella vulgaris “Prunella” originally “Brunella” (Latin meaning Brown) from“die braune” German for “the brown one”. Used in German mid 16th century for treatment of infectious, severe throat condition, associated with brown tongues. “vulgaris”…common. “Selfheal” is part of the mint family, although it hasRead More
Leave a comment Red Campion, Botanical name Silene dioica Silene derives from the Greek word “sialon”, which means saliva, in reference to the gummy substance the plant secretes. “Dioica” in Greek means “of two houses”. This refers to the plant having male and female flowers on separateRead More
Leave a comment Dandelion, Botanical name Taraxacum officiale Taraxacum probably comes from ancient Greek “taraxos” meaning “disorder”, and “akos” remedy. Officiale means, in this context, “from the pharmacy”. “Dandelion” comes from French “dent-de-lion”. Translates as “tooth of the lion” because of the toothed leaves. TheRead More
Leave a comment In 2013-14 Devon Wildlife Trust carried out a survey of the river Sid and its tributaries. This report had two purposes. i) To provide a detailed account of actions made possible by a grant from the Keith Owen Fund(SVA) between April 2013 and MarchRead More
Leave a comment Botanical name…Heracleum sphondylium “Heracleum” origin unknown. Could be from Hercules, the hero of classic mythology known for his strength. “sphondylium” from Greek “spondylos”, meaning vertebrae, referring to shape of segmented stem. “Hogweed” is a BritishRead More
Leave a comment Meadowsweet Botanical name…Filipendula ulmaria Filium “thread”. Pendulus “hanging”. Refers to root tubers hanging off fibrous roots. Ulmaria “elmlike”, referring to the leaves which resemble “Elm” (ulmus) Old Botanical name…Spiraea ulmaria. (see later!) “Meadowsweet” is a member of the rose family, and growsRead More
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