Lady's mantle

Lady’s mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris) grows all over the British Isles, apart from the Channel Islands.

The plant grows to about 18 inches (45 cms) high, with some stems growing upright while others sprawl along the ground. Each leaf has up to 11 toothed lobes.

Lady’s mantle flowers from June to September, the flowers being unusual in having no petals, only sepals in two rings of four. The hairy fruits ripen in loose clusters.

The plant exhibits an unusual feature called guttation. When humidity is high and water cannot be lost from the leaves as vapour, lady’s mantle forces the water out through its “breathing holes”. This gives the impression of large drops of dew which are not found on neighboring plants.

This phenomenon gave rise in medieval times to the notion that this “dew” was “celestial water” that had magical properties. Alchemists would collect it at dawn in the hope of using it in their experiments aimed at turning base metals into gold. One wonders why they kept on trying, given that every experiment must have been a dismal failure!

This usage is the reason behind the botanical name of the plant.

The name “lady’s mantle” has a different origin, in that it is supposedly dedicated to the Virgin Mary. That has led to the plant being used to treat women’s ailments. One notable past use was to help middle-aged women to restore their breasts to the shape and pertness they once had. Did this work? Presumably enough people must have thought so, otherwise the usage would surely not have entered folklore as it clearly did.

© John Welford

Parsley piert

Parsley piert (Aphanes arvensis) grows on arable land and wasteland throughout the British Isles. Despite the name, it has nothing to do with parsley. The name is a corruption of the French “perce-pierre”, which means “stone piercer”.

Parsely piert is a sprawling plant that grows to no more than 8 inches (20 cms) high. The leaves, which grow on short stalks, have three segments that are lobed at the tip.

It flowers from April to September, the tiny flowers being green and having no petals but only sepals. The fruits are oval in shape.

Because the plant often grows in stony ground it was often assumed that it had broken through solid rock to reach the surface, hence the name. However, this is simply not true. This belief led to the notion that a medicine made from parsley piert would break up gallstones and kidney stones. One has to assume that any cures were purely coincidental!

Anther medicinal use in former times was to treat intestinal complaints. This led to the alternative names of “colicwort” and “bowel-hive-grass” (hive is another word for inflammation).

© John Welford

Ermine (stoat)

The ermine (Mustela erminea) is a member of the weasel family that is best known (in Great Britain at least) for supplying the black-spotted white fur that has traditionally trimmed the ceremonial robes of members of the House of Lords.

It is a small animal measuring up to 12 inches (30 centimetres) in length which includes its black-tipped tail (up to 5 inches or 12 cms).

Somewhat confusingly, the ermine only exists during the winter months! At other times its fur is similar to that of the larger weasel, being reddish-brown above and on the head and white below. This is when it is known by the more familiar name of stoat.

The ermine has short legs, a long neck and a triangular head.

In order to survive, an ermine must eat every day. It is therefore a fearsome hunter of small mammals, which it will kill by trapping it with its legs and biting it on the back of the neck. The female ermine is roughly half the size of the male, which allows it to feed its young by hunting underground in burrows where a prey animal might have thought it was safe.

The ermine is sometimes forced to diversity its diet and will take small birds, eggs, fish or insects if necessary.

The fur of victim mammals is used to line the ermine’s nest, where a litter of four to nine offspring will be raised. The young are ready to join their mother in the daily food hunt when they are around two months old.

© John Welford

Moufflon

The moufflon (Ovis musimon) is a wild sheep that is thought to be one of the ancestors of the modern farmed sheep.

A fully grown mouflon is around 120-140 centimetres (47-55 inches) long, 60-120 cms (23-47 inches) high at the shoulder and weighs from 25 to 55 kgs (55-121 lbs).

The coat is reddish-brown with a dark stripe on the back and a light-coloured saddle patch and underparts. Male moufflons have a mane and very large spiral horns.

Evolution is behind the size and splendour of the ram’s horns, which arch back and then swing round to the front in a graceful loop that frames the ram’s face. The bigger they are, the greater the ram’s status in the herd and more likely he is to be able to fight off rivals and ensure that the next generation carry his genes.

Fights only take place when the horns are not impressive enough to frighten off an opponent. The heads go down and the horns bash against each. Hence the reason why rams are called rams!

Unfortunately, mouflon horns are also prized as trophies and many a splendid mouflon ram has lost his life to a hunter as a result. Moufflons originated on the Mediterranean islands of Corsica, Sardinia and Cyprus, but very few live there now. Fortunately, the species was introduced to mainland Europe where it continues to thrive.

© John Welford

Wood avens

Wood avens (Geum urbanum) is found throughout the British Isles in shady places with damp, fertile soil. It is an upright, hairy plant that grows to a height of between 12 and 24 inches (30-60 cms).

Some leaves grow on stalks rising directly from the base, each bearing two or three pairs of leaflets of unequal size. The upper leaves that grow from the stem of the plant have three lobes.

The yellow flowers, which appear from June to August, are upright with turned-back sepals and spreading petals. The seeds are hooked and spread by being caught in the fur and feathers of passing animals and birds, as well as the clothing of human passers-by.

Wood avens has a remarkable mythology attached to it. It was thought to have an association with St Benedict, who founded the Benedictine order of monks. An alternative name is herb bennet.

This belief gave rise to notions that the plant had mystical or magical powers. A medical treatise of 1491 stated that “if a man carries the root around with him, no venomous beast can touch him”. It was also thought that hanging wood avens over one’s doorway would prevent the Devil from crossing the threshold!

Apart from these remarkable supposed powers, the roots of wood avens, which have a delicate clove-like smell, have been used as a fly repellent and for flavouring.

© John Welford