The moors in this region are widely covered with bracken which is regarded as a poisonous pest, being dangerous to both animals and humans.

One problem is that is spreads rapidly and apparently defies attempts to control it, some authorities suggesting it is increasing to the extent of around 3pc each year. In some parts of our moorland, it is taking over from the heather.

Various methods have been used in attempts to get rid of this persistent plant, ranging from spraying with chemicals to cutting it down before its roots can become established.

A few years ago, there was even talk of introducing from South Africa a moth called Conservula cinesigna, whose caterpillars eat bracken leaves, but there was some concern that these little creatures might also prefer to eat other plants.

An old-fashioned, but highly effective, means of controlling bracken was to crush the young plants with heavy stone rollers and this continues to be used in some areas. That was known as bracken-bashing.

In the fairly recent past, of course, bracken was harvested for use as animal bedding or even as domestic fuel, and this presented a modest form of control. Neither of these are used now, the old style of harvesting being found to be too expensive in modern times. It also had limited use as a material for thatching outbuildings, but it is no longer used for that purpose either.

One problem with harvesting bracken was that it regenerated itself far too quickly, almost as if cutting it down was a challenge to the plant.

Burning has also been found ineffective because it also destroys other plants which help to keep bracken at bay - after a fire, the bracken

has the freedom to grow where it pleases and it will rapidly do so. It grows much faster than the heather and loses no opportunity to establish

itself in a new area.

There is no doubt that the spread of bracken, and the damage it does to the heather, in addition to its ability to poison sheep and cattle, is causing concern. If it spreads out of control it will eventually obliterate the moorland heather which in turn will lead to the loss of our grouse and other moorland creatures.

When moorland sheep eat bracken, it poisons their systems to the extent of being fatal; if they survive, they will go blind.

Another problem is that densely-growing bracken also encourages the breeding of ticks which affect both sheep and grouse, at the least causing irritation and, at the worst, death.

It is also feared that bracken spores, the plant's means of reproduction, can cause cancer in humans and that the plant can pollute water supplies.

It makes sense for holidaymakers and ramblers not to spend too much time close to bracken patches during the summer months when the spores are ripening and being cast into the air.

Occasional exposure to these spores is not considered too harmful, however; the real danger comes from prolonged periods in its presence.

It was the spores of ferns, of which bracken is a family member, which our ancestors believed could make them invisible. It was also believed that collecting the spores would endow a person with the ability to exercise power over all living creatures, including other humans.

For this reason, men would trek onto the moors specifically to collect the spores of bracken, often doing so because they were in love with a woman who did not respond to their advances.

A love-sick man believed that by collecting bracken spores, he could exercise power over

the lady of his choice and so persuade her to marry him.

Collecting the spores was not easy, however. It had to be done in complete silence between 11pm and midnight on Midsummer Eve. This meant

it must be done during the hours of darkness, which added to the difficulty.

The collector had to take either a white cloth or a pewter dish and place it under the plant so that the spores would fall onto it. But he must not touch the fern or bracken with his bare hands, and

was not allowed to shake the plant to dislodge the spores. They must be allowed to fall naturally.

In some parts of the country, however, it was

permissible to use a small forked hazel stick to bend the stem of the bracken to ensure the spores fell into the waiting receptacle, but under no

circumstances should the plant be shaken.

There is little wonder the collection of bracken spores for their magical value was extremely difficult and worrying, especially when evil spirits and witches were doing their best to prevent it. And it was quite a regular occurrence for a man to believe he had been successful, only to return home and find the spores had vanished.

There is no doubt he would believe witches had stolen them.

In contemplating this strange ritual, it seems that collecting the spores was also a means of controlling the spread of bracken.

Updated: 12:36 Wednesday, April 14, 2004