Countryside Rangers column: The end of the summer

Of course, there’s still plenty going on out there in the wonderful world of wildlife.

On a slight tangent, I’m going to start this month by stating that I’m not a fan of garden roses – by which I mean the big, blousy blooms that are such a common feature of flowerbeds.

Wild roses, on the other hand, are magnificent and a couple of members of that family will be putting on a show this month.

Meadowsweet is a common plant of damp grassland, ditches and bogs. It’s a tall plant with delicate sprays of fragrant, creamy-white flowers.

Its leaves are dark green and give off an antiseptic smell when crushed. The leaves may often be covered in an orange rust fungus.

Although found in meadows, the name is actually thought to derive from the fact that it was used to flavour mead and other drinks. In fact, it has had a number of uses associated with its taste and smell.

Not only can it be added to stewed fruits and jams, historically it was also strewn across floors to give rooms a pleasant smell and has been included in pot pourri.

This wildflower has also been extensively used in folk medicines, mainly to treat pains and fevers.

Meadowsweet in flower

Meadowsweet contains a chemical called salicylic acid, which is essentially the basic ingredient of one of the world’s leading painkillers.

Its name, Aspirin, is derived from the old scientific name for meadowsweet – Spiraea ulmaria (the name was later changed to Filipendula ulmaria).

Rowan trees are having an excellent year with regard to fruit, their branches being absolutely laden with bright orange-red berries. Having said that, they rarely seem to have a poor year and are one of our most productive trees.

The berries are really good food for birds during autumn and winter and are a particular favourite of blackbirds and visiting winter thrushes such as redwings. They are edible for humans (the berries that is, not the birds) and can be made into a jelly which is rich in vitamin C.

Rowan berries

Rowans were traditionally planted near houses and churches, as they were believed to protect against witches. During spring, whole houses would be decorated with rowan branches and lambs were made to jump through a hoop made of rowan to protect them from evil.

One unfortunate side effect of having rowans close to houses was that chickens would eat the fallen, rotted berries. This would lead to the chickens becoming intoxicated, hence the tree was referred to as ‘hen drunk’ in some parts of Scotland.

Like birch, rowan is a relatively short-lived tree which is regarded as a woodland pioneer species. This means it’s a species found in the early stages of a woodland, providing shelter for longer-lived species which may eventually replace it. As such, the rowan plays an invaluable role in the development of native Scottish woods.