12th June, 2017. Wild strawberries and memories of Malham Tarn.

Colonies of wild strawberries, now coming into fruit after flowering (see above), can be found in the parish of South Ferriby, one beside the perimeter fence of Ferriby Quarry (south side) the other across the man-made headland along the Humber bank north of ‘New Quarry’ (see Geology PDF in Publications section). This ground-cover plant is able to flourish in chalky areas where soils are too thin for most other plants to survive. The little flowers are delightful and the small red fruit provide food (I presume) for small mammals and birds.

Years ago there use to be an annual field day from Cottingham High School Geography department to Malham village, Gordale Scar, Malham Tarn and Malham Cove (a circular route), this led by Dave Blamires, head of department. In those days it was my introduction to the Yorkshire Dales and one clear memory is of my first encounter with wild strawberries as the field day was generally in June. The ground-cover plants thrived on the carboniferous limestone bedrock and seemed to be left alone by close-grazing sheep. Malham Tarn, despite its height above sea-level, has a surprisingly low level of acidity and can support diverse flora and fauna. It and the area are a high-level nature conservation area.