Category: Nature

Impressive Bonfires to Come

Wenvoe Wildlife Group

Visitors to the Upper Orchid Field will have noticed that the piles of bramble and brash are getting even larger as more areas are being cleared. There will be some impressive bonfires once the piles have had a chance to dry out. New trees continue to be planted including Small Leaved Lime, Black Poplar and Beech. Wildflower meadow mix seeds are being scattered on the charred surface where old bonfires have burned. Trees previously totally or partially hidden by vegetation are now seeing the light of day again and these include Hornbeam, the Chequers Tree, Wild Pear and Crab-apple. A spectacular Hawthorn should hopefully display its impressive blossom soon – we often think of these as mainly hedgerow plants but given the opportunity they can grow quite tall.

Primroses were already in bloom on the field in mid-March. April will see the Cowslips follow on and these will be part of a Europe-wide survey. Starting in Estonia the survey looked at the two types of Cowslip – Pin and Thrum – and how they compared in terms of numbers. Distinguishing the two types is not difficult with a bit of guidance and children as young as 4 or 5 took part and proved they were well up to the task. You can download an ‘app’ and record the results. If you know of anywhere that has cowslips which you can access you can do your own survey. For more information, contact the Wildlife Group who will also publish the results of the Upper Orchid Field survey in What’s On.

We have taken delivery of a number of items funded by the Vale of Glamorgan’s Local Nature Partnership including a water butt, pond, bee hotels and plug plants. The latter are for a range of native wildflowers such as Betony, Birds Foot Trefoil, Southern Marsh Orchid and real rarities like Shepherd’s Needle. We also now have a Moth Trap which will help to remedy a section of wildlife which we have done little work on to date. We continue to keep searching for signs of otters in the parish and we now know from an ecology survey carried out at Dyffryn Gardens that they have been present there.

 

 

Gardening Advice for April

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

Gardening Advice for April

Tips from Mair Jones of Brynheulog Nurseries:

  1. Divide hostas before they come into leaf.
  2. Apply slow release fertilizer to your flower beds.
  3. Trees are wonderful, but not just outside your window. Check on their final size before buying.
  4. Invest in a water butt.
  5. Grow some carrots in a pot; lovely foliage and so sweet to eat.

Craftsman Eric White on what to get right this month:

  1. Pinch out the tops of sweet peas to make more substantial plants.
  2. Always read the label on plants so you don’t put it in the wrong place.
  3. Make sure your young plants are kept watered. Otherwise it is just a waste of money and effort.
  4. If purchasing a new implement make sure the handle is the right size for you.
  5. Golden rule. Do not walk past a weed, or the next time you see it, it will have produced offspring.

Do not be fooled by April. We can still have cold nights that will ruin all your hard work of raising tender plants. Just try to be patient, they will soon catch up. Planted up hanging baskets will come on tremendously well in the cold frame or greenhouse. Show gardeners like the late Kenny Condick would never put a hanging basket outside until June. Perennials, which will eventually need support, should be staked early and tied in as they grow. Protect fruit tree blossom with fleece if there is any sign of frost in the weather forecast. When mulching around the trees make sure to keep it away from the stem. Forsythia will still be in flower this month and one of the loveliest displays is at Church Rise, on

the left hand side just after where the shingle starts. This plant needs to be cut back just after flowering as it produces flowers on this year’s new growth. A great time for planting annuals direct to the soil where they will need just a bit of thinning out as they emerge. Mark where you sow these as they could be mistaken for weeds. Lawns will start to look good now after a feed and weed. This is a good time to sow grass seed on any bare patches.

Leaving the EU has created an opportunity for British nurseries to step up to plate. They have known about this situation for quite some time and although the choice may be a little diminished, there is no excuse to put up prices on what is available.

From this month on, there will be people offering garden services. Some will be okay but others will disappoint, so please be careful. If you need help it’s better to have a friend or neighbour recommend someone. British Soil on Station Road will give you advice on the best way forward. For general gardening advice, the best place to find it is at the Twyn yr Odyn allotments. You will never meet a friendlier bunch. They have a wealth of knowledge ready to share – especially Sue and Barry.

On Saturday 1st May from 10.00am, there will be a plant sale at our home in Vennwood Close. Covid regulations in place at that time will be followed. Some friends and fellow growers from the village will be joining us to peddle their best flora. Please ask for advice on the day, with the likes of Joyce, Brian and Sandra, Bruce, Gordon and Ann in attendance. It will be like Gardeners Question Time.

Take care and happy gardening.

 

 

Good News on The Tree Planting.

Good News on The Tree Planting.

For once there is a little bit of good local news on the tree planting front although the overall position for the UK remains dire. Despite the importance of trees for carbon capture, climate change and biodiversity, despite the impressive commitments and bold targets from all the UK governments whatever their political persuasion, the actual delivery of new trees in the ground can only be described as lamentable. Take the example of Wales where the Welsh Government’s target is to plant 2,000 hectares of trees every year. Achievement in 2019/2020? 80 hectares – just 4% of its target. So where is the good news?

Tree-planting on any scale in the parish of Wenvoe and St Lythans has been very limited and with road-widening, housing development and cutting down of trees by individual householders, we have probably had a net loss of tree cover every year. The last significant tree planting was at the Jubilee Wood by the Vale of Glamorgan Council around 9 years ago of 5.5 acres (2.2 hectares) and how many of you know where that is? But now, walkers on the public footpath from near the corner of Walston Road to Whitehall Farm can glimpse the tree-planting that has been carried out by Cemex as part of the quarry restoration plans. This involves 2,530 trees and 1,100 shrubs – a significant number by any standards. There is a lot more potential good news in the scheme including the variety of trees planted including Cherry, Aspen and Rowan and the planting of woodland and pond margin plants. Whilst there is no public access to the site at the moment, it is assumed that either Cemex or the Vale of Glamorgan Council who own the site will be arranging both access and information when the site is secure and ready in the future.

Meanwhile the Wildlife Group continue to plants trees as they have for 13 years now. 28 fruit trees donated by Keep Wales Tidy were planted last month in Wenvoe, St Lythans and Twyn yr Odyn. New varieties are being planted on the Upper Orchid Field. These include Black Poplar, described by the Woodland Trust as ‘imposing, elegant and rare’. Once widespread in the UK it is now isolated with Somerset being the nearest county with established numbers. It is the food plant for many moth caterpillars including the Figure of Eight, Poplar Hawk and Wood Leopard moths. Bees and other pollinators take advantage of the early pollen in the catkins and birds enjoy eating the seeds – see photo. Ideally the tree flourishes best in damp conditions so we may well need to supplement our generous rainfall with dousings of extra water in dry periods.

The Quarry and the Upper Orchid Field will be complementary, particularly as they are next to each other. The Quarry will have a large number of trees but fewer species – 11 on present plans. The Upper Orchid Field will have fewer trees but more species with 30 planned for this year. It will be interesting to compare the biodiversity on the two sites as the trees become established

 

 

Otters in the Middle of Cowbridge

Otters Seen in the Middle of Cowbridge

The news that Otters had been seen in the middle of Cowbridge where the River Thaw flows under the main street was a reminder that this mammal is making a bit of a come-back. We have yet to get a confirmed record of it in the parish – ideally a photo – but there is no reason why they should not be seen here. After all they have been spotted in Porthkerry Park, Fonmon Estate, Rhoose Point, Cosmeston, Lavernock and Llantwit Beach. They are well-established in the River Thaw and many of the watercourses in the Goldsland Farm area flow into the Thaw. So if you do come across one, please take a photo and contact the Wildlife Group.

Known variously as the Eurasian Otter, European Otter or Common Otter, this species was driven to near-extinction by hunting, pesticides and loss of habitat. It is a large member of the weasel family weighing up to 12 kgs and measuring up to a metre in length. In contrast, the Mink (which have similarities in appearance) is only around 1.5 kgs and about the same size as a ferret. Otters are a priority species and fully protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. It is amazing to think that whilst they were on the brink of extinction in the 1950s it was not until 1978 that hunting them was banned

An otter’s home is a ‘holt’ and the collective noun for a group of them could be a ‘romp’, ‘lodge’, ‘bevy’ or ‘family’. Whilst most people would love to see an otter, not everyone welcomes their return. Owners of fish farms and managed fisheries can suffer significant losses to their stocks but in a good example of working together a consortium of interested parties have been issued with licences allowing them to trap otters in certain circumstances before returning them to the wild in a different location. Project Otter has been launched in the Vale of Glamorgan to try to establish how they are doing so if you would like to participate by doing some surveying, get in touch with the Wildlife Group who can pass on contact details. Full training will be given.

 

 

All About Trees

Wenvoe Wildlife Group

Despite wet and then freezing weather this has been a good month for planting trees. Firstly Keep Wales Tidy donated 28 fruit trees to us (4 for every Green Flag Application site). An apple has been planted in a garden close to the St Marys Church and 12 in a new orchard on the outskirts of Wenvoe. 12 have also been planted in a new orchard at Twyn yr Odyn and the last three in the Community Welsh Orchard near Maes y Felin. There are 4 different varieties – three apples, Irish Peach, Herefordshire Russet and Laxtons Superb, none of which have been planted in the Community Orchards previously. The 4th variety is Victoria Plum, featured in the photo.

We also received native broad-leaved trees which we had ordered mainly for the Upper Orchid Field including Wild Cherry, Bird Cherry, Black Poplar, Aspen, Beech, Small-leaved Lime and Purging Buckthorn which are all new to the Upper Orchid Field and some of which are new to the Parish as far as we know. These are being planted on the perimeter of the Upper Orchid Field, keeping as much of the meadow free for wildflowers as possible. They are being put in the ground as we clear the bramble which had been starting to invade the field. We have been successful in applying for a small grant from the Places for Nature scheme. This involves the purchase of a moth trap, small, pond water butt and bug hotels for the Bee Loud Glade plus a wide range of native plants including Southern Marsh Orchid, Betony and Birds Foot Trefoil.

We have started measuring and recording the large trees in the parish, starting with the large oaks on the road to the golf course. We shall be covering those where we can get access but if you have a large tree which is not accessible to the public but would like to have it recorded on the Woodland Trust’s Ancient Tree Register, do get in touch. We shall let you know in a future edition of What’s On what we believe to be the largest in the parish but if you want to have a guess as to which it might be, do contact us.

 

 

Gardening Advice for March

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

Gardening Advice for March

Pam Owens of Hopkinstown gardens, Carmarthen, offers her tips for March.

  1. Start mowing if the ground is dry enough.
  2. Enjoy the early Spring bulbs.
  3. Put new batteries in your torch and get out after dark to catch those slugs.
  4. As soon as daffs start to go over remove the seed head to allow the plant to concentrate on feeding the bulb.
  5. Weed those borders to give yourself a head start.

Julie the village hairdresser on garden problems.

  1. Hair clippings put around plants are a great way to keep slugs at bay.
  2. Those stick on copper bands do not deter the slugs from my pots.
  3. Plant marigolds with tomatoes, it will help keep pests at bay.
  4. Garlic grown alongside roses is well known for keeping roses healthy.
  5. Any poor soil will be good enough to grow wildflowers in, as they don’t need much nourishment.

Help those ericaceous shrubs such as Azaleas Camellias and Peiris to flower well by putting an ericaceous compost on top of the roots and fork in. Give your roses a final prune to encourage new growth then feed them: preparatory feed is worth the cost. It is time to top dress the shrubs grown in pots by removing the top 25mm which will contain mostly pests and disease and replace with fresh compost. Gardeners World magazine has said if you’re growing a fig tree, you should keep it in a pot as this will restrict the roots which will in turn encourage fruiting.

Planting seeds early will give you a good start, but they will soon go back if you can’t keep an area warm for them. Young tomato plants will suffer if they are subjected to a cold spell, which will only show up when the plants start to come into flower. Peppers and sweetcorn need a long growing season so an early start is a must. A good tip from The Sunday Gardener, is to bring the compost in from the cold before using it. Terry Walton of BBC radio said he starts his broad beans and sweet peas off by filling a freezer bag with compost and seed then, with his wife’s permission, places them in the airing cupboard where the all-round warmth will soon promote root growth. He then transplants them into deep pots to ensure a good root system.

The Wenvoe allotments are busy with old and new plot holders working hard as the days get longer. They are sowing carrots early to try and beat the carrot root fly, some are using raised beds to avoid the pest. Whatever allotmenteers are doing it will be under the watchful eye of Herbie who will be resting on his seat against the tin sheets so as not to miss anything. Herbie recommends that you ought to grow your strawberries in hanging baskets to stop slugs ruining your crop. He would also recommend putting fresh grass clippings in a trench before filling with soil, this will keep the soil warm and encourage your seeds to germinate.

Take care and happy gardening.

 

 

Mighty Oaks From Little Acorns Grow

Mighty Oaks From Little Acorns Grow

‘Mighty oaks from little acorns grow’ and we have many fine oaks in the Parish. The recent decision to remove two of the immature oaks on the Upper Orchid Field has prompted some questions on the best ways to promote and enhance biodiversity. So, first some thoughts on the oak tree. They take around 150 years to mature and produce a good crop of acorns at which point they will typically have a girth of around 3 metres 50 cms. An oak with a circumference of 5 metres will be about 300 years old and take us back to the reign of George l. The oaks being removed on the Upper Orchid Field varied between 70cms and 110cms.

Wenvoe has many oaks, whether you are looking in the school playground or wandering around the Playing Fields. There are some good-sized oaks still left in and around the new Grange development. The best collection are on the fields either side of the road to the Golf Club where there are around 20 in a typical Capability Brown landscape. Not that Capability Brown was ever involved but his son–in-law, Henry Holland, did work on the design and development of parts of Wenvoe Castle. The girth of some of these trees would put them at 200-300 years old. The Wildlife Group will be measuring and surveying these trees and recording them on the Woodland Trust Ancient Tree Register – this does not guarantee their survival but increases the chances of the wider community at least being aware of them. There are two types of native oak – the English and Sessile oak. The former is the main one to be found here and is distinguished by having the acorn on a short stalk. The Sessile Oak has a stalkless acorn although, just to complicate matters, they can hybridise so the tree you are looking at could be a bit of both.

The oak tree can support a wider range of wildlife than any other native tree so plays an important part in the ecology of an area. However two oak trees will not have twice the variety of species as one although it may well have double the volume of them. To increase the range of species in an area it is necessary to plant a range of different tree varieties each of which will attract a number of species which favour that type of tree. Many species are almost exclusive to a particular tree-type, such as the White Letter Hairstreak on Elms or the Four-spot Lift Moth on Dogwood. It is difficult to estimate how many trees we have lost just in the last ten years but road-widening, housing development and natural ageing will have accounted for several hundred. Whilst some losses are inevitable it is noteworthy that there is little evidence of any plans to replace them in this parish by the local authorities.

On the positive side a number of residents have been planting trees whether as individual trees, fruit trees or hedgerow and these include donated packs from the Woodland Trust. The Wildlife Group have planted 190 trees this year, including 15 Oaks, and including many varieties that, although native, are probably not found in the area at the moment such as Black Poplar, Aspen and Purging Buckthorn. It is planned that the Upper Orchid Field will have 30 native tree species growing by the Summer of this year which will make it almost unique locally. We do have our wonderful parks such as Bute and Roath but most of the trees are non-native specimen trees. Tree walks will be held once the trees are in leaf and a Tree Trail is being developed for the Upper Orchid Field.

 

 

13 Years of the Upper Orchid Field

It is around 13 years since the Wildlife Group first got involved in looking after the Upper Orchid Field.

At that stage it was quite neglected and the sloping area was covered in self-seeded Ash trees. At first the Vale of Glamorgan Council were prepared to cut the field but financial issues soon meant that they could no longer help. Currently the field is cut by a contractor with removal of debris and the costs are shared between the Wildlife Group and the Community Council. The field is important because it is one of the last wildflower meadows in and around Cardiff and Britain has lost around 97% of its meadows in the last 100 years. We have plenty of fields but these are mainly just grass with a few nettles, creeping thistles and docks and relatively devoid of wildlife. In contrast the Upper Orchid Field has records of over 400 species of plant and animal and that is without having any expert surveys done. Also the field is a popular spot for walkers, joggers and families with great views and plenty of colour from Spring on, including several thousand orchids in the Summer.

We have noticed that Bramble has been creeping in from the perimeter and we have lost in excess of 5% of the area of the field to this recently. Hence the combined efforts of the Wildlife and Environment Groups to reclaim this land in the last few months and the large bonfire piles awaiting a good dry spell.

There are also 7 immature Oak trees (see this month’s Nature Notes) in the middle of the field and as these grow larger we estimate that we will lose 25 square metres of wildflower area each year. We decided to remove three of these to maximise the space for wildflowers although we are planting 16 more trees on the perimeter of mixed species which will greatly increase the biodiversity on the site – including Black Poplar, Cherry, Buckthorn, Aspen and Rowan.

However, with some creative work by Mike Tucker we now also have a small area set aside for young families where you can picnic.

We shall celebrate National Meadows Week with a tour of the site on 6th July – check What’s On nearer the time for more details

 

 

Your February Garden Tasks

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

Thompson & Morgan February Tips

  1. Install a water butt, especially good for watering ericaceous plants.
  2. Shred or chop up woody prunings to help with composting.
  3. Trim hedges before birds start nesting.
  4. Cut back ivy and Virginia creeper to prevent your windows and gutters being covered.
  5. Force rhubarb for an early crop.

Suttons Seeds Tips of the Month

  1. Thin out snowdrops and use spares to generate new clumps while they are still in the green.
  2. Cover prepared ground with cloches or polythene to warm up the ground for early planting.
  3. Use those yellow insect tapes in greenhouses to identify which pest is most prevalent.
  4. Check overwintering plants for any with disease.
  5. At the end of the month start off begonia tubers.

The heavy rain at the end of December caused flooding over most of East Wales. Closer to home, Wenvoe had flood water at Nant Isaf and the junction of Walston Road and Old Port Road by St Mary’s Church also had flood water problems. Although the rain fall was exceptional, we can expect this to become a common occurrence. Householders can help by using permeable surfaces when creating new accesses or making garden improvements.

Dahlia tubers stored over winter can be started into growth by placing them in a light warm place to sprout before planting. Misting with a spray bottle will stop them drying out. Place gladioli corms in seed trays and find a light warm spot for them to shoot before planting out to ensure an early display. Prune buddleia and elder down to the base to stop it taking over your plot. Mahonia and winter flowering jasmine can be trimmed after flowering.

If you have a greenhouse or some space on windowsills it’s time to get those seeds started, following instructions on the packet. Don’t worry if you’re a couple of weeks late in getting started as they will soon catch up when warmer weather comes. You can then look forward to some great garden displays throughout the summer.

Growing fruit on a frame [espalier] is a great way of being able to harvest the produce at whatever level you wish. It also makes an excellent windbreak, especially if you have an allotment on the Twyn where anything not fixed down gets blown into next week.

The Wenvoe Wildlife Group have asked if gardeners could see their way to assist the wildlife in our village by cutting hedges as soon as possible so as not to disturb nesting birds and by not turning over their fresh compost heaps until April if possible as some small animals may still be hibernating.

Take care and happy gardening.

 

 

Pausing To Review 2020

WILDLIFE GROUP

As we head into a New Year it is worth pausing to review how we got on in 2020. Covid managed to affect many people’s lives and for those who had friends or family catch the virus it may well have been a difficult year. However, one consequence has been the number of people who have started exploring the countryside and discovering our Community Orchards and Nature Reserves. These have been created by the Community and for the Community and without the following we would not be where we are today. First a thank you to the landowners, principally the Reader family who have allowed us to create several wildlife oases on their farms. Then there are those who donate and in the last few months this has included 4 benches (Tricia, Ann and Abi), some tools and a small pond (Pat) and not least, the Tuckers who managed to raise a fantastic sum for the group from the Reindeer event. We refurbished and installed two new noticeboards donated by the Village Hall Committee and Community Council. Some individuals have donated plants (Sue & Mike) and many have volunteered for the Group either by clearing bramble, cutting back trees, planting hedgerows and fruit trees, painting noticeboards and repairing benches. Lee and Dominique walk all the way from Barry before working hard at the Goldsland sites. John Smith cut the Goldsland Orchard for us saving goodness knows how many volunteering manhours. Many helpers are from outside Wenvoe (Peter from Radyr, Pat and Roger from Llanishen, Phil and Shirley from Dinas Powys). So to all those who have helped, particularly those who have not been mentioned but do sterling work for us, a sincere vote of thanks. We hope to be in touch with you all again this year.
And for those who wondered about the photo we included in our article last month, this is East Orchard castle near St Athan – a surprising ruin complete with house, barn, chapel and dovecote.

 

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