DESPITE what many pessimists suggest our environment is less polluted than was the case not too many years ago.

Not everything in the garden is rosy and some of our native species are having problems. Three species which are under special threat are our native crayfish, the cuckoo and the burnet rose.

White-clawed crayfish:

BEFORE 1980 our native crayfish was widespread in much of Britain. All it wanted was low levels of pollution and plenty of lime in the water.

Like all crustaceans the crayfish needs lime to contract its exo-skeleton. This protects the body of the animal like a suit of armour. Adults can reach a length of about five inches (12.5cms).

At one time the crayfish was so common that it provided country folk with food being rather like a small fresh water lobster.

In the last 20 years the white-clawed crayfish has declined for two main reasons. Firstly many have been killed by the onset of a fungus which affects the breathing gills and secondly the introduction of the much larger and more aggressive signal crayfish from the United States.

Experts on the British species point out that the decline is accelerating and the white-clawed crayfish could become extinct.

The species is nocturnal and spends the daylight hours in the shallow waters of our rivers hidden under stones. This decline is a great pity because just as our rivers are getting cleaner a couple of recent and even more deadly threats have emerged.

The cuckoo:

THERE is an old rhyme about the cuckoo which still holds true:

"The cuckoo comes in April,

Sings its song in May,

Then in June it changes its tune,

And then it flies away."

Most people over the age of 50 will remember the sound of the cuckoo echoing from most of the hills of East Lancashire. This year I heard one bird calling on Waddington Fell. There seems to be no one explanation with regard to the decline of the cuckoo.

Some say it is loss of habitat but our East Lancashire moors have not changed much in recent times. Others say we use too many chemicals on the land. We do not, however, use chemicals on hillsides occupied by sheep so I am not happy with this explanation either.

Soon our few remaining cuckoos will have migrated back to Africa so could there be a problem around these wintering grounds?

One thing is certain the once common cuckoo is now very rare indeed. I would be interested to hear from any reader who has heard a cuckoo calling in East Lancashire during the last few years.

Burnet rose:

A FEW years ago large areas of the Lancashire coastline was being threatened by new housing and industrial development.Thanks to the efforts of bodies such as English Nature, the RSPB and the National Trust many areas are now safe.

Sand dunes are particularly rich in flowers and are the most beautiful is the burnet rose. This very prickly species grows low to the ground and has large, white and very attractive flowers. When these fade they provide black shiny hips which are very rich in vitamin C.

During the 1939-45 war when fresh oranges were not available, common and burnet rose hips were collected to make rose-hip syrup which was given to babies to ensure they were fed enough vitamin C throughout the year.

During August and early September the flowers seen around sand dunes are a joy and make a picnic even more enjoyable. We must all ensure that these areas are protected.