Category: Nature

June Activities

A busy month started with the village craft fair where it was good to meet many Wenvoe residents who visited our table which was shared with beekeepers Barbara and Howard. We gave away 100 packets of wildflower seed and 30 tress including Downy Birch, Oak, Ash, Bay Sycamore. The proceeds from the raffle were generously donated to the group and we shall be using the money to produce a leaflet showing the locations of our sites along with a project with the school covering life cycles. Thank you also to individuals who made donations.

In association with Keep Wales Tidy and Wenvoe Primary School we painted a number of Yellow Fish alongside street drains in and around the school. This nationwide campaign which was described in a previous issue of Whats On is aimed at reminding people that anything that goes down these drains goes directly into our streams, rivers and oceans causing potential pollution and poisoning fish and other wildlife. Detergents from cars cleaned on drives and litter commonly contribute to these problems.

The specimen tree walk we arranged at Insole Court as part of its Heritage Open day was well-attended. Led by Chris Powell around 40 trees were identified and described including several champions. Amongst these was Kowhai, Myrtle and a stunning Benthams Cornel. The Loquat is also unusual although you can see one in Wenvoe close to the library. If you have not visited this gem of a house in suburban Cardiff (with a cafe!) it is well worth finding the time. New rooms are being opened up in the next couple of months.

Open Farm Sunday at Goldsland Farm attracted its normal sunny weather along with many visitors thanks to the tireless efforts of the Reader family. Our stand was again shared with Barbara and Howard who talked about bees and beekeeping. We led wildlife and lichen walks and set up a colouring table for younger children. This is Wenvoe's biggest event and needs our full support.

 

 

The Marble Gall

We often refer to the Marble Gall at our talks and on our walks and usually comment that they are regularly confused with Oak Apple Galls which we have never seen. On the Orchard Walk in May we saw one for the first time and this was on the border of a patch of woodland near New Wallace Farm. Seen in the photo it was as described in the books – much larger than the Marble Gall (about 4 to 5 times its size) and soft and spongy rather than the hard and smooth of the Marble Gall. Parts of England still celebrate Oak Apple Day and this is often associated with the restoration of the Stuart monarchy after the Commonwealth period under Oliver Cromwell. Towns and villages like St Neot in Cornwall, Upton Gray in Hampshire and Upton upon Severn all celebrate the occasion in different ways but often involve parading through the village, wearing or carrying oak sprigs and ending up at the local pub. It is sometimes referred to as Shick-shack day (a term for the Oak Apple) or Oak and Nettle Day. The gall is caused by a wasp which lays its eggs in the tree and the larva injects chemicals which cause the gall to form and provide the larva with a food supply.

 

 

The Orchard Walk

 

Improving weather has helped us to get out and about and we were very lucky to have ideal walking conditions for our Orchard walk which took place as part of the Vale of Glamorgan Walking Festival. 32 walkers (plus 3 dogs) joined us for the day coming from all over South Wales as we wandered up to Burdons Hill, down to Goldsland and back via the St Lythans Burial Chamber and the Welsh and Wild Orchards. A grass snake at the Elizabethan Orchard and Oak Apple not far from New Wallace Farm were both new wildlife records for the area. It was nice to have with us a good number of Wenvoe residents who were keen to see how things were progressing in the orchards.

We have been concentrating on keeping the sites tidy for Green Flag judging and we await the results with interest. More recently we have been planting up the new Farm Orchard at Goldsland and its surrounding hedgerow. We have planted wildflower seed in a number of locations and donated seed to groups in Dinas Powys and Cowbridge along with over 100 packets to individuals who turned up for the Craft Fair. With funding from Grow Wild we are planting wildflower plug plants at Goldsland Farm and setting up areas where we shall be growing fungi – not for consumption but to help to tell the story of how important fungi are to our lives. If you come to the Open Day at Goldsland on Sunday 10th June you will be able to see what we are up to. And what a free day out for families with lots of other things going on!

 

 

Things to Do This Month

The Cherry blossom on the village green in early May was just fantastic. You would be hard pressed to find a nicer village view anywhere than that from the corner of Vennwood Close by Ty pica farm house, looking towards the church. A lot of effort has been going on around the Village with residents planting out their gardens to put on a good show. If you need inspiration the usual suspects are at it. Silvia Davies, opposite the Walston Castle, always provides a great visual entrance into Wenvoe. The renowned Gerry Crump and the forever young Ieuan Williams, both excellent gardeners, are the supremoes of Rectory close. And of course, there are many more around the village.

The Royal Horticultural Society things to do list for this month: –

1. Keep borders weed free by hoeing regularly.

2. Be water wise, especially in drought conditions.

3. Pinch outside shoots on tomatoes.

4. Harvest lettuce, radish and early potatoes.

5. Mow lawns every week.

6. Plant out summer bedding.

7. Stake tall or floppy plants.

8. Prune spring flowering shrubs.

9. Shade greenhouses to avoid scorching.

10. Keep bird baths topped up with fresh water.

June is the month when gardeners who enter competitions position their hanging baskets and containers outside. These need a lot of care and attention but are stunning to see. If you have the time to do this the results are worth it.

This year saw a problem with Moles in gardens on the edges of the village. There are only two ways to get rid of them. You can either trap them or use a sonic device that will probably move them on to your neighbours who won't be best pleased.

You will need to cut back Spring flowering shrubs if you have not already done so. Deciduous Magnolias need to be trimmed back as soon as they are in full leaf. If you leave this job till later in the year it can cause die back and ruin the look for next Spring.

Greenhouse work never ends with trying to control the temperature and dealing with pests on our precious tomatoes. Red spider mite is a nuisance and caught early is easy to control by washing them off the plants with plain water. An infestation can only be controlled by insecticide. Keeping the greenhouse humid is a good way to deter them.

Any gaps in the borders at this time of year are best filled with annual bedding plants for instant colour. It's not too late to sow fast growing and late flowering hardy annuals such as Calendula and Godetia. Hellebore seeds can be harvested and then planted as soon as possible. You know if they are ripe when you you squeeze the pod and it splits easily. These seeds will test your patience as they need a period of dormancy to germinate. Perennials such as Hollyhock, Delphinium and Lupin seeds can be planted now.

Plastic has been in the headlines for some time now and most of the supermarket chains have plans to either use recyclable or compostable pots on their own labelled plants within the next couple of years. Garden centres are a bit slower on the uptake with only a few offering any time scale on plastic reduction. Monty Don has been banging the drum on this subject in his latest series of Gardeners World. The convenience of collecting our compost etc in plastic bags is adding to the pollution.

I am really looking forward to Wenvoe gardens full of colour this Summer. Don't forget the sun screen, take care and happy gardening.

 

 

Vale of Glamorgan Walking Festival

 

A number of residents joined the Wildlife Group walk last year as part of the Vale of Glamorgan Walking Festival. This year it takes place on Thursday 17th May starting at 10.30am from St Marys Church and proceeding via the Elizabethan Orchard at Burdons Hill, then on to Goldsland Farm to look at the Watercress Beds and other initiatives, returning via St Lythans and the Welsh Orchard. No booking necessary but the walk is 5 to 6 miles so be prepared for that distance and bring lunch. 40 walkers from all over South Wales joined us last year and we hope to repeat that success again this year.

Work has concentrated on getting the wildflower beds ready for their annual sowing of seed. The patch in Grange Park has been given a thorough going over with a rotavator and many substantial tree roots removed. Seed has been donated to the Vale of Glamorgan Council for the Alps roundabout and to the group that looks after Old Hall Gardens in Cowbridge. A limited number of small seed packets will be given away at the Craft Fair on Sunday 20th May. If you get a packet note that these are annuals and should be sown onto bare soil, not into grass.

Despite some pretty poor weather over Easter a number of youngsters successfully completed the Easter Egg Trail on the Upper Orchid Field which now looks a lot tidier having been cut and baled by John Crockford. A second cut will take place in the Autumn – we are grateful to the Community Council for their support which has helped to ensure that the field has a future as one of the last wildflower meadows in the area.

Judging for the Green Flag awards takes place on 2nd May and we have five sites entered, the newest being the Wild Orchard at St Lythans.

 

 

RHS ‘must do’ List for May

 

RHS garden 'must do' list for May

1. Open greenhouse vents and doors.

2. Earth up potatoes and plant any remaining.

3. Plant out Summer bedding at the end of the month. As long as Derek the weather man gives his ok.

4. Water early in the morning and late at night to get the most out of your water. Recycle water where you can.

5. Regularly hoe off weeds. Best done in dry weather as they will die off quicker.

6. If you can manage it, mow the lawns weekly.

7. Watch out for late frosts. Protect young plants.

8. Check for nesting birds before attempting any hedge work.

9. Lift and divide clumps of Daffs and other spring bulbs.

10. Watch out for Viburnam beetle and Lily beetle grubs.

This may not seem to ring true but it's time to sow next year's Spring bedding, including Pansies, Wallflowers and Daisies. This needs to be done by July to be certain of flowering next Spring. Any winter bedding can be sown as well.

We can remove faded Spring bedding to make way for Summer plants. Divide Hostas as they begin to grow and plant out Dahlia and Canna lily when we've had the last of the frosts.

Apply a liquid feed to Spring bulbs after they have flowered. You can dead head them but don't touch the leaves as you need to allow them to die back.

Lawns have taken a hammering over winter and and will take a while to recover, especially those in shaded areas. A couple of people have had their lawns relaid which could be a regular theme unless you improve the soil that you're laying the turf on. As with most things it's all about the preparation. Seeding or turf laying towards the end of May can be a struggle due to the drier weather as you have to keep the soil moist. Mr Darlington (who must be an expert on lawn care) cuts his grass throughout the year at least once a week, always uses an edging shears and, to be fair, his grass is immaculate. If you use one of those edging spades then once a year should be enough and then use an edging shears. Otherwise your lawn will start to shrink.

2017 saw a marked increase in infection from insect bites. If the bite or sting doesn't clear up in the time you would expect it to, increases in size or becomes very red and inflamed you should seek medical attention quickly as it could be Cellulitis which can lead to Sepsis. Be safe and cover up.

The Wild Life Group will be present at the Wenvoe Spring Craft Fair on May 20th (the proceeds for the raffle at this fair goes to the Wenvoe Wildlife Group so come and along and buy your tickets). They will be able to give you lots of information about the tremendous work they do in the area and places to visit. One member of their Group, Gwyndaf Breese, (probably the best wood worker you will ever see) will be showing his work on a table at the entrance on the day. The Village Gardener will also be in attendance on the day so if you have any questions I'll point out some of Wenvoe's best gardeners to advise you.

Most gardeners love to share their knowledge and none more so than Clive Phillips. Clive can be found having lunch most days at our local garden centre [Pughs]. All of the staff know him so he'll be easy to find. Honestly, a more approachable man would be hard to find.

Although the work to improve the pavements through the centre of the village took away some of the floral Spring display, the show of daffodils have been wonderful. If previous years are anything to go by we can look forward to some beautiful gardens around the village .

Take care and happy gardening.

 

 

Mistletoe Growing in Wenvoe!

 

The discovery of a small plant of Mistletoe growing in a front garden in Wenvoe was quite notable as it is only the second recorded for the Vale of Glamorgan. That is not to say that there will not be some growing elsewhere but if it is, it has not been officially recorded. Whilst the Wildlife Group have been trying to get mistletoe to grow on apple trees (so far unsuccessfully) this one turned up on a Japanese Maple. Mistletoe is often associated with Apple trees and therefore orchards and a drive through Monmouthshire, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire will reveal many old orchards covered in it. A survey in the 1990s found it growing principally on Apple but also Lime, Hawthorn, Poplar, Maple, Willow and Crab apple. In fact between 70 and 100 trees and shrubs can act as host. Walking around the Brecons near Tretower we found a large area of Hawthorn heavily infested with it.

Everyone has their own theory on how birds help to spread the seeds of Mistletoe but research indicates it varies with the bird. The Mistle Thrush, hence its name, swallows the berries whole and secretes them in a half-digested berry pulp. Most fail to germinate but any landing on a branch stand a chance of getting established. By contrast the Blackcap separates the seed before swallowing and wipes it off its beak directly on to a branch making it a much more efficient Mistletoe-planter than the thrush. In London the Ring-necked Parakeets have been seen taking the berries so may play a role in spreading it around the capital.

Mistletoe was supposedly sacred to the druids and particularly when found growing on Oak although, if true, this presents something of a problem for the Welsh druids as it is not present in most of Wales, least of all in their final stronghold in Anglesey. It is also very rare on oak throughout Europe. But as the main source for this information was the Roman writer, Pliny the Elder, it may be of questionable validity.

The final question is what sex is our plant as only the female plants carry the berries – watch this space!

 

 

About Lichens

We mentioned Lichens in a previous issue of Whats On and with the launch of the new Lichen Trail down at Goldsland Farm in the next few months it is worth reviewing why they might be on interest to anyone. As soon as you walk out onto the pavement you will find yourself treading on round or irregular white and yellow blobs. They are on walls, roofs, fences, trees and the gravestones in the churchyard. In fact they are the dominant species on 8% of the world's land surface whether on the frozen tundra, arid deserts or forests.

They have their uses. They are eaten not only by reindeer but by people – Iwatake is a delicacy in Japan. They have been used for dyeing for centuries and are mentioned in the Old Testament. They were once a considerable cottage industry with the lichens being scraped off rocks by people with metal hoops or even seashells and then processed in factories. One near Glasgow covered 17 acres and worked its way through 250 tons a year.

They have been used in the perfume and cosmetics industries since the 16th century and if you use Calvin Klein, Estee Lauder or Yves St Laurent you will have been applying some lichen extract to yourself. Some have antibiotic properties and were used in babies nappies in New Zealand. Popular in folk medicines and used to indicate pollution levels and the presence of metals, they are now being considered to help clear up or extract toxic or valuable metals.

Despite the fascination of lichens very few people study them so experts are few and far between. If you are a teacher, particularly at the Primary level, the topic opens up all sorts of possibilities linking into other disciplines such as design, medicine, art, environment and nutrition. If you are interested, get in touch with the Wildlife Group who will be happy to work with you to produce audio-visual presentations, teachers notes and short outdoor activities.

The Wildlife Group commissioned a survey at Goldsland in preparation for the Trail and this identified 21 different species close to the barns. Interestingly, there were no examples of the lichen featured in the photo which is an Usnea species. These are intolerant of high levels of nitrogen which is exactly what you would expect in and around a dairy farm. This photo was taken on the trees close to the library in the centre of Wenvoe.

 

 

Spring Activity Report

 

By the time you read this the Upper Orchid Field should have been cut. We are delighted to be working in conjunction with a local contractor and by ensuring that the field is not only cut but the vegetation removed this will help the wildflowers to flourish. It will be cut again in late September and thereafter annually in the Autumn. We have heard that we have been successful in obtaining a grant from Grow Wild. This money will be used up at Goldsland farm where we shall be planting wildflower plugs and creating an orchard meadow – a relatively rare habitat in Britain. Our main focus will be on the creation of fungi beds which will enable visitors to understand and get close to fungi. We have started planting a new orchard at Goldsland which will include some rare and interesting fruit trees such as Gabalva and Kenneth. Cadwallader is an example of a cider apple and we have three varieties of specially grafted Perry Pears, namely Gwehelog, Gwehelog Red and Blakeney Red. Work continues around the Watercress beds where we have pushed back the brambles and cut down some willows – see photo. The latter will regrow from the base and produce material that can be used for basketry and other woven goods.

 

 

 

Birds Don’t See Windows

A recent BBC item highlighted the problem of birds crashing into windows mistaking them for openings or seeing a tree reflection with tragic consequences. The city of Toronto in Canada sits on a major migratory bird route and every year is witness to huge numbers of bird deaths due to this phenomenon. They have now changed their building rules so that new constructions must incorporate bird friendly initiatives such as recessed windows to prevent reflection and smaller glass panes rather than buildings shrouded in vast glass panels. The article demonstrates a significant reduction in bird strikes and deaths indeed in one building alone down by a massive 90%.
Here in Wenvoe many residents love to feed garden birds with large numbers of feeders and bird tables across the village. As we now approach spring the birds are becoming more active in courtship and nesting so using more energy than normal. These feeders create a dichotomy as birds become dependent on them and less territorial in nature. That means birds often congregate in smaller areas given the ready supply of food. Territorial competition is part of nature and as birdsong is wonderful to us humans it's actually a robust warning message to other birds to stay away and go elsewhere.
This congregation of many different breeds of birds at garden feeders creates excitement and competition amongst our feathered friends often resulting in fights and disputes which creates confusion and disorientation. All too often birds in their haste mistake dark windows as open gaps or see reflection of sky or trees resulting in impact. Smaller birds weighing only a few grams can survive these collisions but bigger birds like wood pigeons and crows or fast flying birds like green woodpecker are often killed by breaking their necks or at the very least badly stunned.
This is easily preventable. The RSPB recommends breaking up the dark window (not literally!!) by closing curtains to prevent reflection; putting plants on the windowsills as a visual deterrent or by adhering stickers to windows to show there's an obstruction. There are varied and lovely stickers available on the RSPB website and other outlets which are not too expensive and a great way to support these beautiful little gifts from nature. See  http://shopping.rspb.org.uk/bird-window-stickers.html

 

 

 

1 … 25 26 27 28 29 … 34