Devil’s Bit

A visit to Roudsea Woods and Mosses National Nature Reserve. We followed a nature trail, and I had downloaded a leaflet to my phone so we could identify things of interest, including the industrial archaeology- the potash kiln, the tan bark peeler’s hut, the tan bark store, the gunpowder store, the charcoal burners clearing. Two hundred years ago and more woodlands must have been hives of activity.

The image is devil’s bit scabious. Scabious because apparently it was used to treat scabies and other skin conditions. And devil’s bit because apparently of a bit of folklore that it has a short black root because the devil was so annoyed at the plants healing properties that he bit its root off.