FROM the healing moss which grows on top of Hadrian’s Wall, to the mystical Harebells occupied by sleeping fairies growing in Allenbanks, park ranger Daniel Madden, who lives in South Shields, has spent years analysing the folklore of Tynedale’s flora.

“Northumbria is a fantastic area for botany because there is such a variety of landscapes,” he said.

“You’ve got coasts, woodlands and uplands, which all have their individual plant types, each one with its own unique folklore.”

In recent years, Daniel has taken his passion for plants across the region, holding regular lectures and talks, where he gives the public a slice of his knowledge of botanical folklore.

One of Daniel’s favourite spots in Tynedale to forage for flowers is Housesteads Fort on Hadrian’s Wall, because of its variety of plants.

“Sphagnum moss grows across parts of the wall which is most known for its ability to soak up huge amounts of water, but it is in fact also naturally antibacterial, and had an important part to play in both world wars.

“Soldiers would collect the moss to be used as wound dressing on the front line – both for its healing powers, and its ability to soak up blood, as it would rainfall.”

Another plant local to the Wall, and known for its healing properties is Eyebright.

Pharmacists, chemists and herbalists in the 17th century believed that plants which resembled a certain body part, could be used to treat ailments of those body parts.

This theory became known as The Doctrine of Signatures, and it caused countless illnesses and deaths, but in some rare cases, also proved effective.

One such plant which was used to cure infected eyes was Eyebright, named after its healing properties and its resemblance to an infected eye, with its white petals often stained with yellow and purple tinges.

Eyebright, Daniel said, was therefore used to help soothe eye infections, and still is today, with the ingredient currently being used in modern medicine across the world.

Another plant used for medicinal purposes can also be found in the wildflower fields around Hadrian’s Wall.

Devil’s-bit Scabious’ name derives from its folklore, where it was believed that the plant was an effective cure for the the skin infestation scabies, caused by tiny mites.

When the Devil found out that humans had discovered a cure for the illness, he was so enraged at their success that he proceeded to bite the roots off of the plant, and they’ve grown shorter than the other members of the Succisa family ever since.

Gorse, which grows along the side of the A69, might be overlooked by many as they speed down the carriageway, but the flower was once a famous symbol of romance in the past.

“Gorse is always in bloom,” Daniel said. “And so the saying goes ‘when the gorse is out of flower, kissing is out of fashion’, and of course neither ever is.”

Another one of Daniel’s favourite botanist spots is the National Trust site at Allen Banks & Staward Gorge, which he describes as having a “abundance” of interesting flora.

One such flower is Enchanter’s Nightshade, also known as Circaea Lutetiana, which is most well-known for its part in Homer’s Odyssey, where it was used by the empress Circe to turn Odysseus’s army of men into pigs.

Enchanter’s Nightshade is not the only plant assigned a dark folklore which grows amidst the woodland in Allen Banks however.

“Wild garlic was once the centre of an old wives’ tale,” Daniel said. “When the air becomes denser at dusk, wild garlic’s strong smell travels further, and so mothers used to warn their children to come home before they could ‘smell the Devil’s breath’, which meant nightfall for coming – and so therefore was the Devil.

“Many children believed that if they weren’t careful and came home before dusk, they would risk being snatched up by him.”

According to folklore, Hexham should also be on the look out for the supernatural, as it was believed that witches were known to run across the hawthorn hedges, and steal the branches to make their brooms out of, leaving many of the town’s gardens and country rounds at risk of a witch invasion.

Harebells, which are also native to Allen Banks woodland, were often known to be frequented by magical folk too, including Witches, who would hide beneath their drooping buds as hares. Fairies were also thought to take shelter from the rain beneath the Harebell flower.

Daniel’s fascination for flowers began in his teenage years, when he was inspired by TV’s most famous natural historian David Attenborough, which led him to begin researching botany.

“I bought myself a book on plant identification,” Daniel said. “And from there I began to head out on walks where I could put my research into practise. Eventually I began to forage different plants, and now I’m stuck with what a call ‘the curse of the botanist’, where I walk around with my eyes fixed constantly on the floor looking out for plants.”

Deciding that he wanted to turn his hobby for botany into a career, Daniel enrolled at Northumbria University to study geography and environmental management, where he spent time in the rainforests of Indonesia, examining unsustainable material for furniture was disturbing the rainforest.

After graduating, Daniel became a ranger, and now works for the National Trust, at its Gibside site, where he can work surrounded by greenery every day, and helps to encourage young people to develop their own green fingers.

“Last year at Gibside we held a young rangers day. We invited children and teenagers to come along and experience what working in the great outdoors is like.

“They loved the strange folklore associated with the plants they were taking care of, and I honestly believe it might have helped to inspire some of them to go on and work in conservation or botany themselves one day.”

As well as teaching children about nature, Daniel has recently begun to share his knowledge about plant folklore with adults.

His latest talk will take place here in Tynedale, where he will be hosting a evening of storytelling, and an informative lecture about The Doctrine of Signatures and its creation, with members of Wylam Gardeners’ Society, and any keen amateur botanists.

The talk will take place on Thursday, January 17 at the Wylam Institute from 8pm.