A FESTIVAL to celebrate the culture, crafts and wildlife of the ?Ruby Country? around Hatherleigh and Holsworthy will begin on Saturday June 4. The Colours of Culm Festival is named after the Culm grassland, which is the traditional pasture of North West Devon, and will take place during the prime flowering season. It forms part of the month-long North Devon Festival which has more than 250 events in 60 towns and villages. As well as enjoying the heady smells and an array of butterflies, including the threatened marsh fritillary, people will be able to join nature trails, a star-gazing workshop, a Celtic traditional skills and cuisine day, musical and food events and even participate in the Ruby Run half-marathon on the last day of the festival on June 12. Visitors will be able to explore the natural world and investigate wildlife with Forestry Commission rangers as well as get creative in a Mongolian yurt with artist Jennie Hale. Astro Adventures will be leading the star-gazing evening on June 10 where people will be able to use a powerful telescope to view planetary nebulas through some of the darkest skies in England. Devon Wildlife Trust?s wildlife champions manager Richard White said: ?Culm grassland is a critical thread in the living tapestry of North Devon and June is the perfect time to see it in all its glory. ?Its past is woven into the way that we have managed the land and its future is inextricably linked to the way in which it is valued by local communities. For a full programme of events contact the North Devon Festival hotline on 01271 324242 or visit the website: http://www.northdevonfestival.org">www.northdevonfestival.org
