Discover: Blakey Ridge
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Date posted: 31/03/2022
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Time to read: 6 minutes
Charlie Fox
Charlie is Content Manager for the North York Moors National Park Authority. Previously working as a journalist, focused on environmental issues, Charlie first came to the National Park Authority with a desire to work alongside an organisation with shared values and a commitment towards the natural world. “One of the best things about my job is writing about this striking landscape and the people who care for it”.
Heading from the southern fringes of the North York Moors National Park I headed over Blakey Ridge – a vast upland of moorland and dale. It was a pale, light day. The clouds were white, flat, and sparse, but still held the warmth of sunlight.
Such a space has an openness that draws the land closer to the sky. To be amongst it, looking far into the distance where treetops shape the skyline, I felt for a moment bolder, but then, in a good way, smaller. Smaller than the rolling valleys, smaller than the hills, clouds, sky.
As captivating as such a landscape is, I had to move on, past the village of Westerdale towards a narrow beck that ran at the bottom of a steep decline – a shaded and tranquil waterway in sharp contrast to the rawness of the surrounding moorland.
It was here at a small, gravel car park that I met Ellie Davidson, a young Conservation Trainee for the North York Moors National Park Authority, who is leading on a project to protect and enhance juniper trees. Wearing a spirited smile, Ellie emerged from her car. We laced up our boots and headed out into the landscape.
It wasn’t long until we came across what Ellie described as her ‘favourite juniper’. Now this is what is referred to as a ‘tree’ juniper, as oppose to the other subspecies ‘dwarf’ juniper. Such trees appear in all sorts of forms and grow up to 10 metres tall. They are dioecious, meaning that male and female structures grow on separate trees and have small, needle-like leaves of green and silver. Female juniper produce fleshy cones that look like berries and when mature have vibrant hues of purple, indigo and black.
At roughly three metres tall, Ellie’s juniper didn’t have a dominating presence, but its long branches were quite distinct by the way they flowed down the tree, in some cases to the ground, before rising sharply at the tips. This feature was so distinct that it gave it an ornamental quality and from certain angles it looked like the wide-opened mouth of a whale.
Sadly, such trees are becoming increasingly rare in England as a result of habitat fragmentation and the fungus–like pathogen Phytophthora austrocedrae. Ellie’s work is to survey current populations within the National Park, revitalise previous conservation efforts and take new steps to cultivate healthy junipers – a necessary step towards a brighter future of what is one of only three native conifers of Britain.
What has remained with me since this journey is the striking diversity of the landscape of the North York Moors National Park and how that supports a wide variety of life and experiences. You can seek shelter in quiet spaces like shaded becks, or you can stand boldly against the elements high on the moorland. There is a richness here that I would identify as not only being necessary to nature, but necessary for the nourishment of our minds – a place that can soothe, challenge and enrich.
Article Banner image credit Ebor Images
Mae’r Bele yn un o famaliaid prinnaf Cymru, ond mae eu niferoedd yn tyfu yn raddol. Mae hynny’n newyddion da i’n coetiroedd ac i’r Parciau Cenedlaethol, sy’n darparu rhai o’r cynefinoedd pwysicaf ar gyfer bywyd gwyllt ledled Cymru a Phrydain.
Ym Mannau Brycheiniog, mae’r prosiect adfer wedi gosod blychau nythu yn y coed, ac mae gwaith monitro wedi nodi presenoldeb y Bele, gan gynnwys grwpiau teuluol. Mae’r ffilm arbennig hon yn dangos un ohonynt ar waith. 🐾
Mae’n atgof hyfryd o’r hyn sy’n bosibl pan ddaw coetiroedd iach a gwaith cadwraeth arbenigol at ei gilydd i roi’r gofod sydd ei angen ar rywogaethau prin i wella.
Pine Martens are one of Wales’ rarest mammals, but they’re slowly making a comeback. That’s good news for our woodlands, and for National Parks, which provide some of the most important habitats for wildlife across Wales and Britain.
In Bannau Brycheiniog (the Brecon Beacons), the recovery project has installed treetop den boxes, with monitoring identifying pine martens, including family groups. This special footage shows one in action. 🐾
It’s a lovely reminder of what can happen when healthy woodlands and specialist conservation work come together to give rare species the space they need to recover.
#BreconBeacons #BannauBrycheiniog #PineMartins #Wales
It’s the Autumn Equinox 🍂
Our National Parks are always changing in time with the rhythm of nature, but this becomes particularly noticeable when autumn arrives.
Deer begin to rut, spiders’ cobwebs glisten in the fresh light, fungi become more prominent, and leaves begin to change colour.
What changes have you noticed so far? 🧡
#Autumn #AutumnEquinox #NationalParks
“You look after the National Park not for yourself, but for people who are coming, the ones who are following you.”
These are the words of Ron Wood, who has been volunteering for the Lake District National Park for over 60 years. His story reflects the vital role volunteering plays across our National Parks: keeping them thriving, communities invested, and people connected to and caring for our landscapes.
Over the decades, Ron’s incredible journey has seen him remain steadfast in his commitment through droughts, hand, foot and mouth disease, and the ever-changing rhythms of nature. Through it all, one thing has remained constant: his dedication to looking after the environment for those who come after him.
You can read Ron`s full story by clicking the link in our bio or learn more about volunteering at nationalparks.uk/volunteering 🔗
📸Photos by @lakedistrictnpa
#LakeDistrict #Volunteering #NationalParks
A quiet autumn transformation is beginning to take place. 🍁
Bracken gradually fades to burnt oranges. Mist sweeps across the horizon. Grasses brown and trees begin their annual shaking of leaves.
Our National Parks are never still. They are constantly changing and transforming with the seasons - a living rhythm of growth, decay, colour and renewal.
These four photographs perfectly capture our Parks on the cusp of autumn 📸
1. Dartmoor @ryanbrowningphotography
2. Lake District @jonny.gios
3. New Forest @acornsandscapes
4. Northumberland @calbrownphoto
#Autumn #NationalParksUK
🍄 They’re not just wonderfully weird – they’re vital for our National Parks, too. Fungi can be more prominent as we enter autumn, and across our landscapes they’re helping to protect the fragile environments our Parks depend on.
Our National Parks are home to over 80% of the UK’s priority conservation habitats, and every single bracket or tiny woodland fungus is part of a vital wider workforce that supports our ecosystems.
They can look small, but they’re certainly mighty.
#Fungus #UKFungi #Mycological #NationalParks
Autumn brings some unusual visitors to the @newforestnpa 🐷🍂
As the leaves turn and acorns begin to carpet the Forest floor, you might spot a few more snouts among the trees.
Each autumn, New Forest Commoners exercise an ancient right known as pannage – turning their pigs out to forage for fallen acorns, beech mast and other natural foods that might be harmful to other grazing animals.
It’s a tradition that has been part of life in the New Forest for many years. Just like many of our Parks, it shows how these landscapes are shaped by history and the unique ways of working that protect the environment.
📸This beautiful photograph was captured by @hang_ross76.
#NewForestPigs #Autumn #NewForest
🍂 Autumn is creeping in, and the nights are slowly drawing in around us. But darkness isn’t just something we notice. For countless bugs, it’s essential.
Two-thirds of invertebrates are partially or wholly nocturnal, relying on the natural rhythm of night and day to feed, move, reproduce and survive. Yet increasing light pollution is disrupting this vital nighttime world. 🐜
September is an active time for bugs - spiders seek shelter, wasp colonies reach their peak size, and many are migrating or laying overwintering eggs.
Our National Parks are home to some of the UK’s darkest skies and important habitats where we can protect the darkness that bugs depend on.
Together, we can help even the smallest of species to thrive.
Clips via @buglife_ict
1 & 2: Moth © Patrick Chadwick
3: Running Crab Spider © Patrick Chadwick
4: Millipede © Patrick Chadwick
5: Common glow-worm (Lampyris noctiluca) © Kristian Pikner
6 & 7: Ringlet butterfly roosting © Patrick Chadwick
8: Wasp © Patrick Chadwick
#BugLife #DarkSkies #NationalParks
💚 Our National Parks are intertwined in many of our lives, whether it`s on a daily basis or less often. But they don`t just happen by themselves.
They rely on people and communities every single day. From the friendly faces in a visitors centre to the farmer right out in the wilderness, our parks are what they are thanks to the people who give their time to them.
#NationalParksUK #PeopleinAction
