Category: Nature

The Queen of Foraging Plants

THE QUEEN OF FORAGING PLANTS

So, once upon a time, the Vale of Glamorgan was pink. These days the predominant colour in the fields is yellow with Oil Seed Rape. But before tractors arrived and up to the 1950s you could expect to see acres of a pink, reddish crop. It is estimated that one in seven fields was planted with it. This was Sainfoin and is seldom seen these days. However, it is a great fodder crop and was known as the queen of foraging plants. Here are some of its benefits:

Sainfoin is a high-yielding, drought-resistant plant which needs no nitrogen fertiliser and little phosphate. It won’t cause bloat, is a natural anthelmintic and, with rumen protected protein, produces top quality meat and milk. Sainfoin has deep penetrating roots making it highly suitable for the dry, alkaline soils. Sainfoin has many positive characteristics as a forage. In ruminants, these are the result of its content of high levels of chemicals called condensed tannins.

However, Sainfoin has another great benefit – it is very attractive to bees and other insects and is great for beekeepers because of the quality of the honey it produces. For this reason, the Wildlife Group is planting it in different locations, including the Upper Orchid Field, Bee Loud Glade, Goldsland Orchard and Cae Ysbyty.

Shady And Jack Are Prone To Mishaps

VILLAGE ENVIRONMENT GROUP

Shady And Jack Are Prone To Mishaps

The morning started so well, with Kim joining the team to clear up the mess at the roundabout area of Greave Close. When we are at full strength, tasks are easily completed.

Greave Close is home to two of our members – Shady and Jack Tar. We are not quite sure why, but Shady and Jack are prone to mishaps. This time Jack’s wife rang to say that he was being held against his will in the porch of their house. As it was close by, we went to investigate. He was definitely trapped as we could see his face against the glass of the front door. Jack had purchased an out-of-date life raft from Temu to use as a paddling pool in the garden. The cord, which sets off the inflate mechanism, had caught in the door jam, the raft had inflated and pinned the poor fellow to the door. We had to drill a hole through the door and into the raft to deflate it. Still, it was a lovely morning.

Our next outing will be on 13th July in the underpass at Vennwood Close

Prolonging The Flowering Season

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

Prolonging The Flowering Season

It’s now all about prolonging the flowering season. All the work that’s been done to get to this point shouldn’t be in vain by slowing up on the basics. Hoeing weeds before they set seed is a must. Picking sweet peas for the house will keep them producing new blooms, along with removing seed heads. Alstroemeria also benefits from being picked and these flowers last a long time in a vase. Cut back early flowering plants like delphiniums and herbaceous geraniums to ensure a second flush. You won’t get as many flower heads but it’s well worth doing. A second and last feed for the roses along with deadheading is essential. The roses have been brilliant during early June. The week of wet weather followed by the sunshine at the end of May seemed to be just perfect for them. Try to keep up with the watering, especially the pots and any newly planted flowers. One house in the village has put in a watering system with timers and soaker hoses, it is working very well for them as they are away a lot and control the system from an app on their phone. It can be a bit expensive, but it suits them.

One exception to watering regularly is the lawn. Unless you are prepared to waste reservoirs of water and time on it then don’t even bother as you’ll do more harm than good. Just sprinkling a bit of water on your grass will bring the roots nearer to the surface searching for the small amount you had time to do. This would mean that a dry spell will leave the roots, now nearer the surface, exposed to drought and this weakens the grass more than anything.

If you are starting an allotment now, chances are it will be overgrown with brambles and full of weeds. There may, if you’re lucky, be some veg you can use. Don’t try and attack all of it in one go, just clear a little at a time and cover the cleared ground with weed control fabric until you’re ready to plant. There’s a lot of veg to plant now – broccoli, cabbage, kale etc. The one thing you won’t be short of is advice. Allotment folk love to share their knowledge and they’re a good bunch.

The gardening club at the hub is going well and with the likes of Joyce Hoy there you are guaranteed to get both good advice and the Latin names of plants.

The village show will take place at the community centre on Saturday 29th August, so bring your produce along and show what you’ve accomplished.

Noticeboard Has Been Vandalised Again

Wenvoe Wildlife Group

Noticeboard Has Been Vandalised Again

Visitors to the Upper Orchid Field will have been disappointed to see that our main noticeboard has been vandalised again with all our notices removed and taken away. This is the fourth occasion on which it has happened and coupled with the damage to the Council’s padlock on the main gate there is a suggestion that someone is trying to deter visitors to the Nature Reserve. Police are investigating. If you see anyone taking down notices and feel comfortable doing so, please ask them what they are doing. WWG members are the only ones who should be doing this and will be happy to dis-cuss it. If not, please report it to the police – our PCSO is Stephen Davies 07584 771040 – ideally with a photo.

On a happier note, our latest Wildlife Junior Workshop took place at the Elizabethan Orchard on a fine day and the 7- to 11-year-olds enjoyed raking the cut grass and jumping on the pile of cuttings, hunting for mini-beasts and, generally, engaging with the countryside. Our thanks to Angela Peterken from Wild Thymes for running the workshop.

Trialling The Use Of Wool Pots

Wenvoe Wildlife Group

Trialling The Use Of Wool Pots

The project with the Nursery section in the school is well underway with children involved with planting various vegetables and herbs including potato, peas, nasturtium, asparagus, rosemary and lavender. We have also trialled the use of wool pots. Helping to avoid using plastic pots, many of which end up in landfill, the wool pot can be planted into the soil, deterring slugs and snails and providing nutrients around the growing plants. Conservation work has concentrated on the Bee Loud Glade which includes a most unusual tree, the Bee Bee tree. The flowers are a magnet for bees and other pollinators. We have also cleared the access to the Watercress Beds down at Goldsland, a wonderful spot to visit.

Hanging Basket Time Is Here!

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

Hanging Basket Time Is Here!

Summer is here and the gardens should be full of colour. To keep the flowering going we will be succession planting by removing late spring flowers and planting summer bedding. Deadheading of the roses has started along with the calendula, these annuals will flower all summer with a bit of care. Add hoeing of the weeds to this and we’ll be well on the way to a lovely garden. Plants such as Aster, Phlox and penstemon can have the Chelsea chop if they’re a bit leggy or you wish to delay their flowering. This will give you a bushier plant with more blooms. Cut the plants down by as much as half and water well after.

Hanging basket time is here! Things started off slowly but I’m now having to reduce stems on the trailing fuchsias to bush them out. Baskets are a lot of work but done properly they add so much to a garden. Heather Thomson at the top of Gwenfo Drive has the best display of hanging baskets I’ve seen. Summer months in the garden can give so much pleasure and make all the hard work worthwhile. Another garden on Gwenfo Drive is the home of Sid & Lyn Cottle which always looks well cared for.

Are you growing veg? If not, why not? It doesn’t take much space, and nothing tastes like home grown. No greenhouse – no problem, at this time of year tomatoes and cucumbers can be grown outside in a sunny position and will taste all the better for it. Runner beans give a good floral display before providing you with a deliciously flavoured vegetable. Sow some garden peas, they are nicest when picked and eaten straight off the bush. Nicola at the allotments is so knowledgeable and loves sharing her skills on gardening and her love of wildlife is well known. Barry Oliver on the other hand, although knowing a great deal about growing food stuff, will only pass on his knowhow if you cross his palm with silver or tell him a tale of old Wenvoe he hasn’t heard, which will be a feat in itself. Alex Cooper is your go to fellow if you want to feel like a gardening expert, as he knows little on this subject and will make you feel like a horticulturist.

Take care and happy gardening

The Spiked Star of Bethlehem

THE SPIKED STAR OF BETHLEHEM

Not many may recognise the plant in the photo which is popping up around the Upper Orchid Field. On the logo of the Wildlife Group in a design by Heather Pollington, it is Spiked Star of Bethlehem which was first recorded growing along Caerau Lane in the 1980s. This is possibly the only site in Wales where it is established in the wild. It grows through the hedgerow, but it is a mystery how it got there, one possibility being that it was grown along the edge of the adjacent field and seeded itself into the hedgerow. Also known as Bath Asparagus, it grew around the city and was sold in local markets as a substitute for Asparagus. The Wildlife Group have attempted to plant it in new sites around Wenvoe, so it becomes even more widely established but the bulbs cost £5 each so it is not cheap. However, if you see a plant in seed why not try growing some and plant it either in your garden or semi-shaded locations in woodland

Wenvoe Wildlife Group Summer Birdwatch

Wenvoe Wildlife Group

Wenvoe Wildlife Group Summer Birdwatch

Sunday 17th – Saturday 23rd May

Many What’s On readers have taken part in previous winter birdwatches in the parish and last year for the first time we also carried out a summer birdwatch.

Following this year’s winter birdwatch we are now planning our second summer birdwatch which will take place between Sunday 17th and Saturday 23rd May. The aim is to gather more information on the birds that are in the parish and compare our summer and winter findings.

We really do need your involvement! You only need to give up one hour of your time during the seven days. We have spread the birdwatch over a whole week to give people the best opportunity to take part. It does not get dark in mid-May until about 9.00pm, so plenty of time in the evenings to carry out your birdwatch!

All you need to do is to spend one hour recording the birds you see in your garden. So, for example, if you saw one blackbird on its own five times that counts as one. If you saw two blackbirds together at the same time, that counts as two and so on.

Then all you need to do is send your results to nigelrbillingham@yahoo.co.uk or bruce7@bt internet.com as soon as you can including your postcode and the date you carried out the birdwatch. The postcode helps us log what type of birds are in the different areas of Wenvoe. Don’t worry if your bird knowledge is limited, there are plenty of identification guides online.

If you would like to carry out a second birdwatch you could do this in one of the eight Wildlife Group’s sites which are listed below. This could be carried out on your own or in a small group on a day of your choosing within the above dates. Why not take a picnic whilst counting the birds? If you would like to do this, please let us know which site you are interested in, and we will ‘book you in’ to avoid duplication

We are delighted to say that the village school will also have one class taking part during the week.

The eight Wenvoe Wildlife Group sites are: Upper Orchid Field, Community Orchard, Elizabethan Orchard, Wild Orchard, Welsh Orchard, Goldsland Orchard, Watercress Beds and the Bee Loud Glade.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

It All Kicks Off In The Garden

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

It All Kicks Off In The Garden

This is the month where it all kicks off in the garden. Warmer weather brings out all the pests we will be fighting against for the rest of the growing season. Most of the slug eggs will be baby slugs within 2 weeks and ready to forage straight away. Green fly will be attacking the soft leaves on our roses, with my neighbour telling me not to spray as the ladybirds will eat them. Unfortunately, by the time the cavalry turns up these days the damage is done. Timing seems to be out of sync in the world of nature to deal naturally with pest control. With fewer small birds around to help, green fly are having a good time.

The colder weather during the middle of April caught out those who put in their bedding plants because of some good weather over Easter. Just be patient and wait for Mr Brockway to give you the all clear. Keep hardening them off and they will come on in no time when the weather’s right. One thing you shouldn’t delay is cutting back your Spring flowering shrubs as most produce their flowers for next year on this year’s growth so if you want to keep the shrubs in shape and manageable start trimming. Because of a cooler spell after Easter my hanging baskets have been slow to fill but as any nurseryman worth his salt will tell you, do not put baskets out until the 1st of June. They will definitely flower longer and be healthier

Here we go with lazy bones homeowners advocating No Mow May. When you hear the reasons that naturalists give it makes good sense. But when June arrives and your house looks like no one has occupied it for a while you will have ticks biting your limbs when you’re rummaging around in the long grass trying to find the lawn mower you discarded at the end of April. Then you try and cut it which sends mice and other vermin scurrying for cover while the machine that was so efficient at keeping the lawn cut before chokes up and stalls under the enormity of the task. When you’ve finally cut it and look at your handiwork it bears no resemblance to the lawn you once had. Grass was meant to be cut. Cattle, horses, geese and goats all graze it while sheep munch it down to root level and it bounces back stronger. Have a small wild patch instead with a mixture of meadow grasses that will benefit insects.

This is the time of year to get the kidney bean seeds in. They’re easy to grow and with a little care will give you enough beans to freeze for use over winter. Grow these in tubs with a few sticks for support and water well. Second crops of peas along with carrots will keep the veg coming for months. Later grown carrots are better in raised beds or pots to avoid the dreaded carrot root fly.

Take care and happy gardening.

Twinning with Squeal Piggy

VILLAGE ENVIRONMENT GROUP

Twinning with Squeal Piggy

Wenvoe’s twinning with Squeal Piggy in the state of Deliverance USA, has meant that the village cultural attaché along with a chosen few, have flown stateside to forge bonds with our American cousins.

Because of this exodus, it has fallen on those left behind determined not to let this historic event pass us by. So, to impress our American cousins, the Environment Team, with some extra help and rooting tooting cowgirl Judy, put on a line dance routine reminiscent of a Black Friday sales event in Currys. Unlike a flash mob who appear out of nowhere then disappear without trace, this lot took hours to arrive by all manner of transport and an hour after the event they were still to be seen leaning on anything that would hold them up! They might be mad to put themselves forward for this, but Wenvoe is a better place for it.

Those who had the energy left, cut the hedge around the memorial and trimmed some shrubs back.

We meet again, with no surprises, on 11th May at the Community Centre.

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