Monday 2 September 2013

An Ancient Forest, Clouded Yellow Butterflies and Gathering Local Yew for Medicine



Ambresbury Banks


Last week I had to visit somewhere just outside Epping Forest, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to nip into the forest itself.  Epping Forest is a beautiful place, full of majestic, ancient trees - but unfortunately it often gets a bad press. It's close to London and has gained a bit of a reputation as a crime scene - crime writers love it, and often use it as a backdrop for all sorts of grisly plot-lines. But this is so unfair. The forest has a long and fascinating history - and of course it's full of wildlife. Herds of deer can often be seen grazing amongst the trees.

I wanted to see Ambresbury Banks - an Iron Age hill fort that lies within the forest.  There was a legend, once, that Boudicca made her last stand here against the Romans, but this has been disproved in recent years. Instead, it's believed that this was border country between two powerful Iron Age tribes - the Trinovantes and the Catuvellauni. The fort was built around 500 BC either as a boundary marker and look out or as an animal fold where animals could be brought in times of attack.


Map of Ambresbury Banks, 1881





I suppose because it has always been a border, there is a road running by - and today this road is very busy. This is a shame, because it's difficult to get a sense of atmosphere, unless you're good at screening out traffic noise (which I'm not good at doing.)  I can't quite imagine the warriors of the two tribes staring at each other across the B1393!  Also, this area wouldn't have been this wooded, of course; the trees would have been cleared at this time to give a good view across the Lea Valley.

The banks would have been about three metres high and the ditches outside about three metres deep.  The fort had become redundant by the Saxon era and the forest was allowed to grow around it again.








A Yew Harvest for Medicine

I was going to add something about my re-queening of a couple of the beehives. I'm currently in the middle of this and I've already had a set-back due to a wasp attack on some of the bees...Grrr! But I'll now be writing about the re-queening in a future post because I'd like to mention here about some unusual harvesting that's just been taking place locally. A company from Yorkshire has been collecting clippings from a yew hedge for use in anti-cancer drugs.  The yew-harvest takes place for a few weeks at this time of year; yew-hedge clippings are taken from all over the country and are then sent to cancer-treatment laboratories.

Clippings from this yew hedge are used in anti-cancer medicines


I find it fascinating that yew - known as a poisonous plant - can be used to do so much good - and that back-garden hedges can be vital for the production of sophisticated and life-saving modern medicines.

Our own harvest...

On the smallholding, the courgettes are finishing, but the tomatoes and mushrooms are ready to eat...





We bought dowels, impregnated with mushroom spawn, several years ago and planted them into these logs. Nothing happened for three years or so, and then they did - and every year since, we've had mushrooms. We usually pick them early in the morning at weekends and have them with fresh eggs for breakfast.

Clouded Yellow Butterflies

Finally, I'm still looking out for butterflies although there aren't so many flying now it's late summer. But I did see some lovely Clouded Yellow Butterflies in an area of wildflowers close to the smallholding...









I'm taking a break - and a blogging break - until later in the month. I'm going to enjoy catching up with everyone's blogs then!



Wendy x

44 comments:

  1. Lucky, lucky you with the wonderful clouded yellow. I still haven't seen one yet but am still hoping! Fascinating about the yew and the forest looks beautiful. I find the atmosphere in some Iron Age sites friendlier than others- it all depends what happened there in the past I suspect. Enjoy your break. CT x

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    1. Thanks CT. Hope you manage to see a Clouded Yellow this year. It took three visits to this area of wildflowers to see one - third time lucky! I'm fascinated by Iron Age sites, too. I don't think there is any evidence of a battle at Ambresbury Banks from the archaeology, just the simple tools used in everyday life.

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  2. Enjoy your break Wendy. I have never visited Epping Forest, but think it's terrible they put roads right through it. Lovely Clouded Yellow images-I have still not spotted one here.

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    1. Thanks Suzie. The road is depressing, it's a real scar through the forest and of course fast cars and wildlife don't mix well. It is obviously too much to hope for that we put the forest first.
      And I was delighted to see the Clouded Yellows so close to home.

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  3. The local churchyard here has 99 huge yew trees which are all clipped each year and sent to make the cancer drug. I am also reminded of Foxgloves, Digitalis, which is also poisonous but used for the treatment of heart conditions. This is why it is so important that we protect our wild plants and trees.
    What a lovely butterfly the Clouded Yellow is, and it looks so becoming on your yellow daisies.
    Have a lovely break.

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    1. Thanks Rosemary. Yew is just like Digitalis, isn't it? They are plants that can be both deadly and lifesaving. That's very interesting about your local churchyard. Although I did know that yew was used in medicines, I didn't it know that it was gathered on such a small scale i.e. from back gardens. Church yards must provide a lot of the yew needed.
      I completely agree about protecting our wild and native plants because apart from anything else - they can directly benefit us.

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  4. Without the 'benefit' of the traffic noise, Ambresbury does look atmospheric. I've often wondered about trying out mushroom spawn, glad to know it works! Have a good break.

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    1. Thanks Jessica. Ambresbury would be so atmospheric without the traffic noise. Perhaps a visit very early on a May/June morning is the time to be there!
      We did have to wait a while for the mushrooms to first appear; we'd virtually given up on them.

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  5. We visited Epping Forest a few times when our daughter was living in Essex, lovely place, but we didn't find your Iron age fort unfortunately. Does Ambresbury have bluebells in the spring? We make sure we visit the one near us for our annual fix of bluebells. Super photos of the Clouded Yellow butterfly, haven't seen one yet, but keep hoping!

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    1. Thanks Pauline. I don't know Epping Forest well, and followed a map to the site. And I don't know about the bluebells, but it might be worth a visit to see if they're there. So many of the other woodlands around here have a stunning display - and because they would have been part of one large forest once it is possible.
      Hope you also see a Clouded Yellow this summer!

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  6. Epping forest looks beautiful through your camera lens and so do the butterflies. I am intriqued by the mushrooms, I like that idea and will have a go at that. My courgettes are still going strong but the tomatoes have still yet to ripen in the greenhouse. Enjoy your break xxx

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    1. Thanks Fran. I'd like to visit Epping Forest more often - I am thinking about visiting again in a few weeks to see the autumn leaves.
      I'm glad your courgettes are doing well; my tomatoes were late, too.

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  7. Isn't it amazing what plants can offer us? I'm always fascinated with the medicinal aspects of them as I am with the ancient Iron Age tribes and the hill fort in the forest looks very atmospheric. I've really enjoyed reading your post - have a lovely break:)

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    1. Thanks Rosie. I'm fascinated by the medicinal aspects of plants, too, I always love learning something new about them.
      I wish we had more Iron Age sites here for me to visit, but there's been too much development in this area since the Romans!

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  8. Really interesting post :) Well done on your Clouded Yellow sighting - lovely photos. Am feeling rather green as I've never seen one!!

    Enjoy your break!

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    1. Thanks Caroline. These are the first Clouded Yellows I've seen. Apparently the area of wildflowers where I saw them is very good for lots of different butterflies, so now I know this I'll be visiting more often!

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  9. Great photos i have not seen any clouded yellow so far this year lucky you

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    1. Thanks Julie. I'm still looking out for more Clouded Yellows!

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  10. What a great post! I was in the forest this time last week on our travels. We were too exhausted to go into London to the Science Museum, so went for a gentle walk instead. I'm ashamed to say that I've never been to the banks, but next time we're up there, we'll make the effort - they look amazing.

    Fascinating about the yew clippings and VERY envious of your Clouded Yellows; I've never seen one either. Have a great break an dI'll really look forward to the next post. x

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    1. Thanks Em. We could have been in the forest at the same time! It is lovely there walking under the shade of those beautiful trees, isn't it? I want to go back and visit Loughton Camp one day - a smaller Iron Age fort in the forest which is part of the same line of defences.
      The warm summer must have made it a good year for Clouded Yellows coming over from Europe - if it stays warm hopefully they'll be around for a while yet.

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  11. How interesting to find out more about Epping Fores, it's on my list of places to visit, it does look beautiful.
    I love yew, the Victorians loved their yew hedges, but they are such a slow growing tree. I've had a few in pots for years and nothing much has happened in terms of growth. They are often found in old church yards as well as it was thought they allowed the living to communicate with the dead. I had no idea that yew was used in cancer drugs.

    I love that little butterfly, I've never seen one so a treat for me.

    I love those mushrooms, I keep meaning to give that a go....

    Have a wonderful break, I'll look forward to hearing all about it, and the bees.xxxx

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    1. Thanks Snowbird. I love Yew as well; ancient Yew trees are so magnificant and some are such a great age. But as you say they are slow growing. I knew that they were once considered sacred but I didn't know about the communication between the living and the dead - that's fascinating. Our wizard woodcarving in the barn is Yew - it's the perfect wood for it. It has such a lovely red/brown colouring.
      The Clouded Yellows are beautiful and I'm always amazed that something so small and fragile like this butterfly can fly all the way over from Europe. It must have some hidden strength!

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  12. A lovely post, and how interesting about the yew clippings. Fantastic photos, especially the butterflies, I know how difficult they are to take. Hope you have a really good break.

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    1. Thanks CJ. It must be amazing to own a Yew hedge and know that clippings from it go into lifesaving medicines all over the world.
      And I wanted to take a pic of the Clouded Yellows with their wings open, but they're butterflies that rest with their wings closed and only open them when they fly, so I had no success with that.

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  13. Glad you got to see the Clouded Yellow Wendy.

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    1. Thanks Roy. They really are beautiful butterflies, aren't they?

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  14. Oh good lord - I'm ashamed to say I'd never heard of the place you mentioned - in spite of having grown up spending time around the Forest both on foot and on horseback! Might have to go for an explore on Friday now...

    Beautiful butterfly shot too - do you photograph up close with a macro lens or from a distance with a telephoto?

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    1. Thanks Robyn. Well; I don't suppose 'Iron Age' Epping Forest has ever been promoted much. I enjoyed an excuse to visit the forest just as much as visiting the site.
      I must admit I've got into the habit of letting my camera do the work for me; so I rely on its one lense. I have a canon bridge camera with a good zoom. I have promised myself that I will explore its other features more.

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  15. Good stuff Wendy and well done managing to photograph a Clouded Yellow :-) I never knew that Yew clippings were used in anti-cancer drugs and as you say it is amazing that an otherwise poisonous plant like Yew can be used for so much good. Enjoy the mushrooms, they look delicious :-)

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    1. Thanks David. The Clouded Yellows were within walking distance of me - so I was really pleased about that. I've learnt all sorts of things about yew clippings and medicine, such as this is the time of year (late summer/early autumn) to 'harvest' them.
      And I think we'll plant more mushrooms - they've become a reliable crop!

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  16. I have never seen a clouded yellow! How lovely. Enjoy your break.

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    1. Thanks Elizabeth. It was a real treat to see them.

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  17. I never knew about the hill fort in Epping Forest. It's fascinating that it's still there, but hidden in the trees! xx

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    1. Thanks Debbie. I agree; for once this is a site that is more wooded today than it was in the Iron Age! I wonder how much of the forest had been cleared around the site at this time - I imagine it was a fair bit if this border post was a look-out.

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  18. What an interesting and diverse post, Wendy. Like Robyn, I spent years living near Epping Forest and I am ashamed to say I had no idea about the hill fort. How wonderful to see so many Clouded Yellows! Enjoy your break. I look forward to hearing about your bees on your return.

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    1. Thanks Gardening Shoe. Ambresbury Banks is very well hidden by the forest, I only discovered it when I was hunting out ancient sites in this area. And I enjoyed reading about your own sightings of Clouded Yellows; they are such beautiful butterflies, aren't they?

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  19. I hope you are enjoying your break! Really interesting post, I do love woodland walks!

    I wasn't aware that yew was used in cancer treatments and I did a biomedical science degree, so should really! I might have to do some research on that at some point!

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    1. Thanks Lou Mary. Epping Forest is always worth a visit. And I've certainly found out more now about yew gathered from gardens and used for cancer treatment - it is fascinating.

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  20. I have never been to Epping Forest - but I love woodland so am sure I would enjoy it. Your butterfly shots are beautiful, so full of sunshine. Fresh mushrooms are my favourite food, especially on toast - I usually collect field mushrooms but haven't seen any about yet - although we did have quite a few puffballs dotted around the field.

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    1. Thanks Elaine. Each ancient forest or woodland has its own history or story doesn't it? They are such beautiful places. I'm interested that you gather field mushrooms; although I gather other foods I don't feel expert enough with mushrooms. I hope to learn more in the future.

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    1. Thanks Julie. The butterflies were beautiful and there are still some about now.

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  22. Just a quick stop by here. Lovely photos and fascinating post. Hope you are having (or had) a good break! x

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    1. Thanks Suzy. I did have a good break - but it flew by!

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Thank you for taking the time to leave any comments. I do love to read them.