We are lucky in the North West of England in that bluebells grow better here than in anywhere else in Europe.

Our warm wet springs suit them perfectly and our bluebell woods are envied by botanists over the rest of Britain.

There is lots of folklore connected with bluebells but in days gone by the plant was actually farmed.

If you found a bluebell stem it feels sticky and that is just what it is used for – as a glue. Both the stems and the bulbs were boiled in water to produce a glue which was important both in war and peace.

Bluebell glue was used to stick the flights into arrows and this weapon accounts for some of our surnames.

The man who made the flights was called a fletcher, the man who made the bows was called bowman and the man who fired the wesapon was named archer. The bluebell glue was used to stick the leaves into books.

The Anglo-Saxon word for a block of wood was buk (pronounced ‘book’). Big leaves from trees were gently boiled and this removed the green. The ‘leaves’ were then stuck into the buks. An ink was made by boiling up the mushrooms to produce a blue liquid.

Not only do most of our flowers have a folklore but they also had their uses.

This is the time of year to enjoy our bluebell woods, but don’t wait too long. The season for this plant is quite short and it does not ‘stick’ around for very long.

Swift to arrive and swift to leave

Of all the migrant birds to arrive first in British summe time is the swift and it is also one of the first to leave.

The swift – scientific name Apus apus – is all black in colour and this explians why it is often called the devil bird.

They have been town dwellers ever since the days when horses dragged their heavy loads and deposited their dung in the streets which attracted the flies on which swifts feed. Today the ever-increasing number of take aways ensure that the over-flowing waste bins are also ideal breeding grounds for flies.

Swifts arrive from South Africa during the early days of May and after raising a brood of two or three chicks, the majority have left Britain by the end of August.

Although people often assume that they belong to the same family of swallows, swifts are actually very closely related to hummingbirds. The body of the swift is dark brown and they do have a pale area in the region of the throat.

The swift is one of the most aerial of all the birds and they even mate on the wing.

Their legs are so short and their wings are so long that once they are on level ground they are unable to take off which is why cliff tops and high buildings have to be chosen as nest sites.

Splendour of canal walks

As the weather starts to improve (we hope) now is the time to plan some beautiful canal walks which can delight naturalists’ in the warmer months.

To reach the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Bank Newton follow the A59 and in between East Marton and West Marton. A minor but well-signed road leads to Bank Newton locks. There are fewer better views along the whole of this cut than from this system of locks.

On the day of my visit on St George’s Day it was dull and cold.

But I looked at last year’s diary when I visited on July 10 and the sun shone. My 2012 bird list included sand martin, swallow, wheatear and redstart – all summer visitors.

Among the resident species seen was coot moorhen, dabchick, mule swan and heron. There were flowers everywhere including dandelion which is said to be at its best on St George’s Day.

I also found primrose, dog’s mercury, bullerbar and the blossoms of blackthorn.

The flowers of blackthorn appear before the leaves in contrast to the whitehorn which we know better as hawthorn.

The latter is in full leaf and this stock was green enough to welcome the spring.