Dear Reader,
It's been a while since we've talked about sundews, but the biting midges that have appeared in the back garden were a good reminder of how much I love them. These plants eat bugs (literally) and love the boggy soils of Dartmoor.
A few weeks ago, we took a plant identification course with Southwest Peatland Partnership at the raised bog on Tor Royal Farm. A raised bog is a build up of peat that causes a hump in the landscape which is above the natural bowl or curve of the valley. From this description, I assumed it meant "hill". Nope, it can be quite small. The one at Tor Royal is the only raised bog in Devon and Cornwall. There were plenty of sundews on site, and we learned about the fourteen or so different types of sphagnum moss that can be found here.
Perhaps the most interesting fact of the day was that peat can form from any type of plant. The rule for peat formation is simply a wetland vegetation that has only partially decomposed.
Thanks to my volunteering with SWPP, I've made a few new friends who've been ever-so-kind at sharing more research with me on the pollen record of Dartmoor. The pollen record at Tor Royal: approximately 9000 years ago the area appears to have been an open birch-hazel woodland (dots and clusters of trees, not a "forest" per se). Acidification of the soil started around 7000 years ago. Deforestation has mostly been gradual. The final hazel trees appear to have been replaced by cereal grains during the medieval era. (From Paleoenvironmental investigations at Tor Royal, Central Dartmoor by Steve West, Dan Charman, and John Grattan.)
If you're interested in letterpress and Dartmoor prehistory, we have both a chapbook and a shorter broadsheet.
Craft Festival - June 12-14
We are now in the final preparations for Craft Festival in Bovey Tracey, Devon. Now in its twenty-second year, the event is multi-award winning and hands-down the best outdoor show we've attended. The organiser, Sarah James, is an absolute delight and has been incredibly supportive of our work.
For those of you who are able to make it to Bovey this year, here are my top tips:
- The show runs Friday-Sunday 10am-5pm. We're in marquee C.
- Buy your tickets ahead of time. They are more expensive on the door. Under 18s are free.
- Free parking is limited in the centre of town, but there is a "park and ride" (check the FAQ for details).
- Dogs are allowed in the festival, but not the marquees.
- This year there is a nut allergy advisory. You may be asked not to bring nut products (incl peanuts and actual nuts) onto the grounds.
- On Saturday there is also the (free) Fringe Artisan Market in the Methodist Hall.
- For the month of June, there is a Town Trail, which highlights six amazing venues in Bovey Tracey (including the Cheese Shed, YUM). Our work will be on display at Grace and Favour (which is also home to First Draft Bookshop).
- Be sure to stop in to MAKE Southwest, too. There is a fantastic exhibition on right now featuring heritage crafts.
Looking forward to seeing you soon!
Best inky wishes,
Emma