Thursday, July 06, 2006
BANGOR - NATURE STUDY
Whenever we go for a walk we like to use our eyes to see just what wonders there are in the world.
It might be beautiful and interesting buildings we see, or stunning views; on other occasions we are enjoying the many delights of Mother Nature.
Last week we were with Ashley in Bangor and we all enjoyed a nature study walk in Ashley Jones Field.
The name of course has great signficance because firstly we have an Ashley and also because my grandmother's maiden name was Jones and the family did originally come from North Wales - though not Bangor.
This was a small detail that Ashley had not spotted before.
Ashley Jones field is situated above the Menai Strait and at the far end of this picture is a stone circle of big slate stones which had been constructed with a sort of throne at the centre for the enthronement of the Chief Bard at an Eisteddford (Welsh music and poetry and historical connections) held in the fairly recent past.
I like those thistles in the foreground.
Here you can see the standing stones and the throne.
At the top end of the field, by this magnificent hedge of roses and phildadelphus, which had grown wild from an overgrown garden, we were amazed by masses of black caterpillars feeding on the stinging nettles.
When Bill looked them up in a book he discovered that these are the caterpillar of the peacock butterfly.
Hard to imagine that these plain black spiny crawling creatures turn into something so beautiful. But they have a beauty of their own of course.
And stinging nettles are also beautiful - unless you touch them.
I recalled a poem I had to write out for an Ifield Association handwriting competition at the village flower show when I was about 7 years old.
The poem begins "Tender handed grasp a nettle and it stings you......", and I forget the words here. It goes on "Grasp it like a man of mettle....." and I forget the 4th line completely. Does anybody else know it?
The last picture I have included was taken down on the beach.
It is not a sea side beach - but there is seaweed a plenty on the shore.
It might be beautiful and interesting buildings we see, or stunning views; on other occasions we are enjoying the many delights of Mother Nature.
Last week we were with Ashley in Bangor and we all enjoyed a nature study walk in Ashley Jones Field.
The name of course has great signficance because firstly we have an Ashley and also because my grandmother's maiden name was Jones and the family did originally come from North Wales - though not Bangor.
This was a small detail that Ashley had not spotted before.
Ashley Jones field is situated above the Menai Strait and at the far end of this picture is a stone circle of big slate stones which had been constructed with a sort of throne at the centre for the enthronement of the Chief Bard at an Eisteddford (Welsh music and poetry and historical connections) held in the fairly recent past.
I like those thistles in the foreground.
Here you can see the standing stones and the throne.
At the top end of the field, by this magnificent hedge of roses and phildadelphus, which had grown wild from an overgrown garden, we were amazed by masses of black caterpillars feeding on the stinging nettles.
When Bill looked them up in a book he discovered that these are the caterpillar of the peacock butterfly.
Hard to imagine that these plain black spiny crawling creatures turn into something so beautiful. But they have a beauty of their own of course.
And stinging nettles are also beautiful - unless you touch them.
I recalled a poem I had to write out for an Ifield Association handwriting competition at the village flower show when I was about 7 years old.
The poem begins "Tender handed grasp a nettle and it stings you......", and I forget the words here. It goes on "Grasp it like a man of mettle....." and I forget the 4th line completely. Does anybody else know it?
The last picture I have included was taken down on the beach.
It is not a sea side beach - but there is seaweed a plenty on the shore.
