Category: Nature

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.

He Was In Deep Poo

VILLAGE ENVIRONMENT GROUP

He Was In Deep Poo

The team were joined by new member Steve this month, who insisted on being in the front as he was a good sight younger than the rest of them.

It didn’t take long before he realised that a big part of our efforts was to keep Shady out of harm’s way. As the lads started clearing the border in front of the Community Centre, we were made aware of a fracas near to the shop where Shady had been litter picking. He had picked on a van load of pothole repair men who had parked too close to a corner and to compound matters one of the gang threw a cigarette butt out of the vehicle which sent Shady into a rage. One on one with a road worker he didn’t stand a chance, one against a van load meant he was in deep poo. By the time we reached him the gang had run their roller over Shady. Tony, our first responder, analysed that Shady wasn’t looking great and suggested that we get the defibrillator from the Community Centre. Ieuan thought a foot pump would be a better course of action. To diffuse the situation Martin scraped him up off the floor and we took him to his home.

Sue wouldn’t answer so we folded him up and slipped him under the door. When she realised what had happened and opened the door, only to say that he was a resilient fellow and this had happened be-fore and once she had straightened him out, he would be as good as new.

We have eventful times when out and about. Our next sortie will be outside Shady’s house, where people have filled what they thought was a skip, when it was in fact Mike’s car and he’d only stopped there to cut the grass (take the hint Mike T).

ORCHID FIELD GROUP

When you offer your services free of charge to a group or charity, you’re not looking for thanks. You just want to help. There are no contracts to sign or set hours, you just want to do your best. Well think again!! There are a bunch of nature lovers who won’t take any excuse you may have, as a reason for not helping, if you said you would.

This poor chap tried in vain to retract from his task. He had a sick note, but that did no good. They sent around their special team, to persuade him to cooperate. He nearly got away…but no-one escapes!

A Mix of Two Ancient Cultures

VILLAGE ENVIRONMENT GROUP

A Mix of Two Ancient Cultures

Well, well, well … following last month’s successful Tai Chi session, Tony, one of the elders, asked if he could bring something to the table which he had learnt while on active service in the Far East (Newport Road to be exact). He said this would involve a mix of two ancient cultures and bring warmth and energy to our lives. As a group we encourage folk to bring enlightenment to the fore. But first, our gang master had us cleaning debris from the old part of Walston Road and team member Mr Guest arranged for the Vale to supply a road sweeper to tidy up after we had finished.

When all this was finished, we waited in anticipation for Tony to enlighten us. Right on cue a moped arrived with a large case on the back. The driver then handed out foil cartons of Thai and Chinese. We were surprised, but grateful for Tony’s interpretation of wellbeing.

Our meeting on 13th April will be at the village green and will end with Mrs Phyllis Crump giving a taster session on line dancing, which will be a roaring success with this bunch of cowboys!

Year of the Fire Horse

YEAR OF THE FIRE HORSE

It is the Chinese Year of the Fire Horse. Whilst we cannot include Fire Horses in the list of Wenvoe’s wildlife, we do have a couple of species with ‘horse’ in the title. Arguably one of our best-known trees, still visited by adults and children from near and far, is the Horse Chestnut with its popular Conkers. Grange Park has some very fine specimens. Introduced from South- East Europe in the late 16th century, extracts of the fruit are still used for a wide range of medicinal treatments. In the First World War, children were paid to collect conkers from which Acetone could be extracted, and this was used in the manufacture of the explosive, Cordite. In the event, the process was not viable and the factory involved closed in 1918. A particular characteristic of the Chestnut Tree leaves in Grange Park is their tendency to turn brown as early as August, prompting some people to assume Autumn has come early. However, the colour change is caused by the larva of a very small moth which tunnels inside the leaves. Assuming every leaf on our trees has half a dozen caterpillars, mathematicians might like to try to calculate how many larvae there are in Grange Park!

The other species including horse is the Horse Leech, a harmless but large leech up to 15 centimetres or 6 inches long. They used to be seen in the watercourse that ran between the back gardens in Rectory Close and the Grange Estate. However, since the housing development, there is very little flow of water, and we can assume the Horse Leech has disappeared from that location

Fed Up with What Claims to Be Compost

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

Fed Up with What Claims to Be Compost

I am so fed up with what claims to be compost just being a poor excuse for it. Even the expensive stuff for growing seeds and seedlings, needs to be sieved before you can use it to any effect. The wastage from general purpose is ludicrous. The gardener at Weycock Barns is using coir now, which comes in blocks and you just add water. He’s mixing it with Supagrow from British Soil for seed planting as there are no weeds and no wastage. Silvia Davies, one of Wenvoe’s really good gardeners, is using Lidl’s compost, which she says is the best of a bad lot. Best of all, make your own if you have room.

The tremendous amount of rain we’ve had over the winter will have washed a lot of goodness and structure out of the soil unless you had it covered or had a deep mulch on it. The best way to replace this is with manure. If you’re using something like blood fish & bone then only put it where you’re going to plant, or you’ll only be feeding the weeds.

The lawns have taken a battering over the winter. Even the ones that drain well will have moss in them. Any treatment due now should include moss killer. When this has taken effect, you can rake it out. Don’t panic when it looks awful, as this is the only way to start on improvement. Next job is to mix some grass seed with compost and sand then rake it in and water.

The village gardens have had their fair share of pest and diseases over the last couple of years. These include fuchsia gall mite and, unless your garden is sheltered, you will be affected. This affects the ends of the plant, and you will need to cut these off and bin them. The other pest which has caused devastation through the south of the country is the box tree moth. The caterpillars of this moth hide in a web on the bush, and they affect most strains of Buxus. There are some treatments, but you will have weeks of work in front of you and the bad news is that they will return. Even Alan Titchmarsh has taken them out and replaced with yew.

On the allotments there is a lot of growth on show. On inspection they look very vulnerable with their bright green leaves just perfect for a late frost or a hungry mouse or rabbit. Controlling weeds is always a full-time job whether it’s a flower border or veg patch. The late Trevor Case always had a hoe on hand to tackle them on dry days and would leave them to wilt on the soil.

Take care and happy gardening.

Desperate To Go Out into the Garden

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

Desperate To Go Out into the Garden

March brings longer days but not necessarily better weather. We are desperate to go out into the garden and get it ready for Spring. We need to be sowing annuals and getting veg beds ready to plant carrots, turnips, beetroot, peas and broad beans. I’ll be planting some more tomato seeds to replace the ones planted earlier in Feb when I couldn’t wait to get started, then didn’t take enough care of them. Get a couple of pots of French tarragon and leave on the windowsill, this is lovely for fish dishes and will keep growing back when you use it. Hostas will be putting up new shoots now, so will need protecting from slugs. Purchasing copper rings and tape are expensive and not very effective. Sand and ashes will deter the little blighters but best of all are containers with beer in them as they can’t resist it and you can rest assured that they passed away in good spirits.

This month is the best time to prune back the roses and being careful where you prune will give a brilliant display by the end of May. Also, a slow-release fertiliser containing seaweed will help them to be at their best. This type of feed would benefit most shrubs, except for the likes of blueberry, azaleas and rhododendrons which need an ericaceous feed (acid loving). If in the unlikely event the weather is kind enough, we can repair some of the bare patches on the lawn, in my case caused by the jackdaws looking for leatherjackets in the late Autumn. I considered buying nematodes to kill the leatherjackets, but you have to do this annually, so decided to let the birds do it for me. The only way to solve this problem is to add more drainage to the lawn, which is not always good considering the summers we’ve had in recent years as it means more watering. So I will just live with it.

Any early Spring bulbs which are going over will need to be deadheaded, preferably before the seed head forms and then give the leaves a liquid feed to ensure a good show the following year. When the likes of Alex Cooper and Barry Oliver were in Wenvoe school there wasn’t a daffodil out to pick for St David’s Day. Everyone wore a leek and chewed at it which used to stink out the classrooms. They’re both getting on now, but are well which proves the benefit of fresh produce, even unwashed. Nowadays daffs are in bloom on the village green before Christmas.

I know I keep on but just resist those tender young plants on show in the shops and garden centres until the weather improves, think twice buy once.

 

Take care and happy gardening.

Community Orchard Works

Wenvoe Wildlife Group

Community Orchard Works

The wet weather has delayed much of the activity we had planned to do by now. The Community Orchard is waterlogged, and the annual cut of the Upper Orchid Field has been delayed by the muddy conditions.

Despite this, the Welsh, Goldsland and Elizabethan Orchards have been strimmed and much of the Bee Loud Glade has been cleared. Mike Tucker has also ‘hedgelaid’ the new hedge we planted in the Glade around 6 years ago. We have also cleared around the Holland Pond which few will be aware of, but which harbours a wide range of wildlife especially newts and dragonflies.

The Upper Orchid Field working party continue to meet there every month and they are clearing around trees, applying preservative to benches and keeping paths clear and tidy. If you fancy joining them the date is published in What’s On and there is a WhatsApp group so that members can keep in touch with each other.

 

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