Alex Burton Hargreaves

@AlBuHa
22 Followers
37 Following
496 Posts
Natural history and local history writer from Padiham in Lancashire
Alex Burton Hargreaves1d ago

Speckled Woods

http://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/05/06/speckled-woods/

Speckled Woods

Speckled Woods are a familiar butterfly to most of us here in Britain yet are often overlooked in favour of flashier species like the Peacock or Red Admiral. Understated and widespread they may eve…

Northwest Nature and History
Alex Burton Hargreaves6d ago

Purple Saxifrage, Jewel of the High Fells

http://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/05/02/purple-saxifrage-jewel-of-the-high-fells/

Purple Saxifrage, Jewel of the High Fells

A creeping, mat-forming plant Purple Saxifrage possesses small, opposite, overlapping leaves (hence the latin epithet oppositifolia) that are fleshy with a tiny pore at the tip which can exude lime…

Northwest Nature and History
Alex Burton HargreavesApr 28

The Duties of a Gamekeeper; Spring on the Moors

http://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/04/28/the-duties-of-a-gamekeeper-spring-on-the-moors/

The Duties of a Gamekeeper; Spring on the Moors

For the Upland Gamekeeper spring is a season of intense activity, a critical time of fast change at the fulcrum between the wild & windy months of winter and the more benign months of summer, w…

Northwest Nature and History
Alex Burton HargreavesApr 22

The History of Read Park

http://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/04/22/the-history-of-read-park/

The History of Read Park

Tucked away on the outskirts of the quiet village of Read, in Lancashire’s Ribble Valley, sits Read Park, a 450 acre estate surrounding Read Hall, a Grade II listed manor house that has been a loca…

Northwest Nature and History
Alex Burton HargreavesApr 18

Northern Shores: The Common Tern

http://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/04/18/northern-shores-the-common-tern/

Northern Shores: The Common Tern

Adults are very smart and distinguished in their breeding plumage, sporting a silvery-grey back and upperwings, a clean white underbody, and a distinctive black cap. Their bill is long and orangey-…

Northwest Nature and History
Alex Burton HargreavesApr 14

The History of St Leonard’s Church in Padiham

http://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/04/14/a-brief-history-of-st-leonards-church-in-padiham/

A Brief History of St Leonard’s Church in Padiham

St Leonard’s Church stands proudly in the heart of Padiham, Lancashire, and is a striking example of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture that continues to serve its original purpose. While its cu…

Northwest Nature and History
Alex Burton HargreavesApr 12

The Moorland Breeze, by Edwin Waugh

http://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/04/12/the-moorland-breeze-by-edwin-waugh/

The Moorland Breeze, by Edwin Waugh

OF all the blithesome melody
    that wakes the warm heart’s thrill,
give me the wind that whistles free
    across the moorland hill;
When every blade upon the lea
    is dancing with deligh…

Northwest Nature and History
Alex Burton HargreavesApr 9

Northern Shores: Thrift

http://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/04/09/northern-shores-thrift/

Northern Shores: Thrift

Thrift is a member of the Plumbaginaceae (aka Leadwort) tribe, a small and tough family that specialises in harsh habitats, having evolved ‘chalk glands’ that excrete salts, allowing it to flourish…

Northwest Nature and History
Alex Burton HargreavesApr 6

Easter, by Gerard Manley Hopkins

http://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/04/06/easter-by-gerard-manley-hopkins/

Easter, by Gerard Manley Hopkins

Break the box and shed the nard;Stop not now to count the cost;Hither bring pearl, opal, sard;Reck not what the poor have lost;Upon Christ throw all away:Know ye, this is Easter Day. Build His chur…

Northwest Nature and History
Alex Burton HargreavesApr 4

The Bowland Nature Recovery Plan: A Vision for a Wilder Landscape, with a Blind Spot for Those Who Keep it Alive

http://northwestnatureandhistory.co.uk/2026/04/04/the-bowland-nature-recovery-plan-a-vision-for-a-wilder-landscape-with-a-blind-spot-for-those-who-keep-it-alive/

The Bowland Nature Recovery Plan: A Vision for a Wilder Landscape, with a Blind Spot for Those Who Keep it Alive

In December 2023, the Forest of Bowland National Landscape (formerly the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) published its Nature Recovery Plan, a 71-page roadmap with the stated aims of reversing …

Northwest Nature and History