Nunney Combe, Snowdrops
par John Willetts
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Nunney Combe, SnowdropsThe World > Europe > UK > England |
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Snowdrops are my favourite flowers. Their appearance marks the end of winter and the the start of the glorious explosion of colour that marks springtime in England.
Although they are not a truely native species - they were introduced from central Europe in medieval times - they are rarely found in the wild, like here along the banks of Priddy Brook.
The red fungus growing on the trunk of the tree is called "Beefsteak fungus" because of its colour and, like blood, its juice is also red. Unlike steak, unfortunately, it's flavourless.
This Somerset village has a history going back a thousand years. Local iron ore and coal mines led to...
18th Century parkland with its avenue of planted trees with their leaves turning to autumn gold, is o...
This is Ancient Woodland, meaning that it is least 400 years old. The wild daffodils, which used to b...
The proper name is Ransons but like most others, I call it Wild Garlic because of its distinctive, he...
Remember "The Suspicions of Mr Whicher"? The family would have known this place well - just off the o...
The Somerset village of Norton St Philip goes back over a thousand years. It might be beautiful but i...
king Alfred's Tower is a brick built folly,lying 2 miles north-west of the famous Stourhead Garden. T...
Hoar Frost is usually formed during freezing, foggy weather. When it drifts across solid objects like...
Europe is generally agreed to be the birthplace of western culture, including such legendary innovations as the democratic nation-state, football and tomato sauce.
The word Europe comes from the Greek goddess Europa, who was kidnapped by Zeus and plunked down on the island of Crete. Europa gradually changed from referring to mainland Greece until it extended finally to include Norway and Russia.
Don't be confused that Europe is called a continent without looking like an island, the way the other continents do. It's okay. The Ural mountains have steadily been there to divide Europe from Asia for the last 250 million years. Russia technically inhabits "Eurasia".
Europe is presently uniting into one political and economic zone with a common currency called the Euro. The European Union originated in 1993 and is now composed of 27 member states. Its headquarters is in Brussels, Belgium.
Do not confuse the EU with the Council of Europe, which has 47 member states and dates to 1949. These two bodies share the same flag, national anthem, and mission of integrating Europe. The headquarters of the Council are located in Strasbourg, France, and it is most famous for its European Court of Human Rights.
In spite of these two bodies, there is still no single Constitution or set of laws applying to all the countries of Europe. Debate rages over the role of the EU in regards to national sovereignty. As of January 2009, the Lisbon Treaty is the closest thing to a European Constitution, yet it has not been approved by all the EU states.
Text by Steve Smith.
