Category: Nature

Plan for Autumn

autumn01Autumn is well and truly here with trees and shrubs showing full autumn colour. What a good year it’s been for garden bedding plants of all varieties, but especially geraniums, and the various kinds of begonias. I grow both bedding varieties and the big showy ones and the latter have been huge this year, so much so that the weight of the flowers have often caused the patio pats to keel over in a bit of wind.

If you have a greenhouse now is the time to pot up plants you want to overwinter. They will survive quite low temperatures providing the compost is kept fairly dry.

Clear out greenhouses of tomatoes etc and wash down glass and glazing bars with ordinary household disinfectant.

Pot up spring bulbs to provide early flowers for next year.

On the allotment, take down bean sticks to store away for next year. Rough dig over bare ground and bury weeds, but remove perennial weeds such as docks, thistles and bindweed.

Sow autumn varieties of broad beans at least 3-4ins deep and protect rows to keep pigeons away. Thin out branches on blackcurrant bushes, taking out the dead wood. Remove blackberry canes that have fruited and tie in the long new shoots which will bear next year’s crop. Gooseberry bushes need very little pruning. Just remove some of the old wood.

Finally autumn is here and the leaves are falling. Don’t waste them! Leaf mould made from decomposed leaves is a great potting compost, soil improver and mulch Collect and store them in bin bags and leave to rot down. Chop them down and water first to speed things up.

 

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Tree Planting

 

Tree Planting in Wales

treescolo02We have been going on about trees in recent issues, firstly how good they are for our physical and mental well-being, but equally, how many are being cut down and how few planted. A few years ago a UK Government think tank set a reasonable target of planting 21,600 hectares across the UK each year. So, how well are they (or we?) doing. In 2013/14 they achieved 59% of their target – not too bad a start. But in 2014/15 only 48% of the target was managed and last year (2015/16) the figure had dropped to 25%. UK tree planting is now at its loweswellingtonia01-1-of-1-2t level for 45 years.

And how are we faring in Wales? With over 8% of the UK's land mass Wales managed 900 hectares in the first year, around 7% of what was planted. By the second year Wales had dropped to 100 hectares, less than 1% of the total and last year it remained at 100 hectares which was actually 1.8% of the total because everywhere else was well down. Put another way Wales's total of 100 hectares last year compares with Scotland's 4,600 hectares of tree planting. Scotland is just under 4 times bigger than Wales but managed 50 times more tree planting. Northern Ireland is two thirds the size of Wales but managed the same level of planting. It can come as little consolation that England proportionately was even worse than Wales and was described as 'appalling' by the conservation director of the Woodland Trust.

Of course virtually anyone can do something about it. You can lobby your elected people-planting-trees-clipart-1representatives, join the Woodland Trust or even go and plant a tree. If you have children or grand-children get them involved in the planting. You do not need acres of garden (which you would for the Wellingtonia in the photo) – there are plenty of small trees that will help both mankind and wildlife.

 

 

Winter Bedding Plants etc

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In mid September I did my usual browse through the winter catalogues to decide on winter bedding plants. Not that there was much of a decision to make because I always send for the same plants anyway-pansies, viola, primula, polyanthus However I remembered that last spring I realised that I have been negligent in re-stocking with spring bulbs. When you plant your bulbs you think they go on for ever. Not so and crocus, snowdrop and even daffodils have all but vanished. I grow the latter in patio pots but there’s nothing as pleasing as the sight of a full bed of golden yellow flowers cheering up the dark winter days. So now that the summer bedding is almost cleared away, my priority will be to get in a selection of spring bulbs.

Now a question for readers of this column. Are your favourite flowers fashionable or uncool?dahlia01

Recently I read an article on the increasing popularity of flowers which for some time have been considered to be unfashionable and the following is a breakdown of twelve flowers that are “in” or “out”.

These are the IN flowers – Gladioli, Dahlias, Roses, Gypsophila, Chrysanthemums, Peonies and Wild spring flowers.

OUT are Lilies, Orchids, Begonias, Carnations and Sunflowers.

sunflower01So what do you make of that?

Most flowers have their charms but some are preferred above others. After all, like most things in life it’s down to personal choice. There are only four varieties on the combined list of twelve that would be top of my list, two of which are OUT, so I’ve concluded I must be UNCOOL!!

 

 

 

Goldsland Farm Charity Scheme

squirrelIf you find yourself in Tescos up till around 9th October you will have an opportunity to vote for us under the Bags of Help scheme. We were delighted to have been one of the three charities to be supported in the latest round and our project involves the development of wildlife habitats and education at Goldsland Farm near the Golf Course. So you are looking for the charity that is likely to include ‘Goldsland’ in the title. The scheme works by offering you a token at the check-out and you can then vote for the charity of your choice. There should be containers normally near the exit.

If you have not been to Goldsland Farm (the annual open day has attracted thousands of visitors), it is a working dairy and arable farm with a lot of history. One of the barns is a Grade 2 listed building datOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAing back to mid- Victorian times and the ponds which extend to just under an acre are referred to as watercress beds on old maps. There is a viewing area where visitors such as school parties can watch the cows being milked. Our project will involve putting up a notice board and bee hotel like the one on the Community Orchard, installing benches, creating a nature trail and planting wildflower areas and an orchard. We hope to put in a nest-cam and install equipment to monitor the local bats. Much of our conservation work will focus on clearing the undergrowth that is covering the watercress beds.

If we come last in the voting we will still receive £8,000 making it the biggest grant we have received. Second is worth £10,000 and first is £12,000. If we are lucky enough to be first or second the additional money will be used for visiting school parties and special needs groups of both children and adults who we are already working with.

In a separate project, Abi Reader, who farms Goldsland is working with the Welsh Government on a project which hopes to install reed-beds to process the slurry from the farm-yard – an initiative with potential major ecological significance. This provides an opportunity to tell a fascinating story starting with the pollinators who ensure our crops grow and wildlife prosper, through the dairy herd which provides the milk and ending with how the waste products are safely disposed of and the processed waste put to good use. As with all the Wildlife Group’s activities if you would like to get involved in any way (no knowledge or experience is necessary) do get in touch. You can follow us on Facebook (Wenvoe Wildlife Group), check our notice boards of which we have 5 or look at our website wenvoewildlifegroup.co.uk

 

 

Ancient Trees

 

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Possibly the oldest in Wales? Recently we wrote about Citizen Science – how anyone can contribute to what we know about our world by recording what they see. One example is the Ancient Tree Register managed by the Woodland Trust. The Wildlife Group is registered as a recording group so if we come across a tree that is likely to be particularly old we take measurements and send the details off. So far we have recorded 18 trees, many of them in our parish. These would be regarded as 'veterans' – to be 'ancient' a tree has to be at least 400 years old – the likeliest candidate being the yew in St Mary's churchyard facing Old Port Road.oct-tree-near-tretower

However, whilst walking near Tretower recently members of the group came across a massive oak. It measured over 10 metres around the trunk and details were sent off along with photo, grid reference and lists of the mosses and lichens growing on it. The response we received from the Ancient Tree Register was encouraging. "This is a most remarkable ancient oak you have recorded in the Brecon Beacons… What a great find and thanks for adding it to the Woodland Trust's Ancient Tree inventory. Although the girth could be exaggerated by the tree's condition, falling open, it still suggests that this is one of the biggest and possibly oldest oaks in Wales"

oakleaves01It was as recent as 2014 that was is considered to be Britain's oldest tree was discovered in a churchyard in Wales, a yew in St Cynogs churchyard at Defynnog near Sennybridge which is thought to be 5,000 years old. The Pontfadog Oak was believed to be Wales's oldest oak at 1,200 years but it fell over in 2013. It will be interesting to see how our oak comes out when investigations and surveys have been completed

 

 

 

Planning for Winter

Summer is now almost over and gardeners are beginning to plan for winter planting in borders and containers. You can’t go wrong with the familiar plants like winter pansies, viola, primula, polyanthus, to name but a few, and pretty soon garden centres will be full of bulbs and there are many available in the catalogues that keep appearing through the post.

If you want to raise your own plants next year, late August/early September is the time for gathering seed. Home – grown plants will cost you nothing and seed sown fresh usually germinates more readily than long – stored options..

Early summer varieties will have already shed seed but many more will mature over the coming weeks. Be ready to collect seed when pods and capsules are dry or on the point of splitting. Gather seed in large envelopes ( not plastic bags) and keep them open in a dry place, to enable dehydration to continue. They will be ready for cleaning and packaging when they are completely dry.

Hippeastrum, more familiar to us as Amaryllis. If you have been watering and feeding these plants they should be carrying plenty of long leaves, but now they need rest. Stop watering and allow the leaves to completely wither. Remove the dead ones only when they have dried and don’t water until early to mid October. Re-pot only if the plant has become badly root-bound. Begin watering in autumn, sparingly until the first buds appear, then water more freely. Feed regularly with high nitrogen plant food when the first buds have appeared and continue until next summer.

September Nature Notes.

Wander into the countryside and you can easily spot birds and wildflowers. Even if you cannot see the birds you can often hear them calling despite being hidden in trees and undergrowth. But how many mammals will you see? Deer are not yet seen around Wenvoe but you might spot the odd fox or badger. Evidence of moles comes with the molehills often visible in early Spring before the vegetation gets too tall. And if you venture out on a warm summer evening you will see bats whether in the centre of the village or out in the countryside. But what about the many small mammals that we know are out there – the voles, mice and shrews? Not only do we not know how they are faring locally but even nationally there is very little information on how well or badly they are doing.

We do know that the UK has lost 500 native species of wildlife in the last 200 years including the extinction of 12% of our land mammals. Hedgehogs are down in the last 40 years from 30 million to 1.5 million. To our children and their grand-children Mrs Tiggy Winkle and Ratty (the water vole in Wind in the Willows) will be as remote as the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood (officially Britain's last wolf was killed in 1680). Here is a quote from the Act for Wildlife website:

‘Conservation must start at home in our back gardens, parks, cities and open spaces. The wildlife we have in the UK is fascinating and diverse and it is our heritage and responsibility’.

So what about our small furry friend in the photo? It is a field vole found alive and well on the Upper Orchid Field. They favour tussocky grasslands and orchards. One of the reasons the grass on the Community Orchard has been allowed to become tussocky is to encourage them and we know that they are establishing themselves there although whether there are 2, 10 or 100 we really do not know. Hopefully one day someone with the necessary survey skills will be able to give us a clue.

GROUP NEWS

 

Green Flag Award Ceremony

 

Green Flag Award CeremonyThe photo shows Sue Hoddell receiving our Green Flag awards at a ceremony for Vale of Glamorgan winners. We have decided that our fourth entry next year will be the Welsh orchard near Maes y Felin. This is our largest orchard and includes fruit trees of Welsh origin. If you would like to be involved with the development of this orchard please contact the Wildlife Group.

A number of people have mentioned that they are not clear on where our community orchards, woodlands and meadow are situated so we shall be featuring each of them in turn starting with the Upper Orchid Field.

First where is it? Also known locally as the Sledging Field it is midway between Wenvoe and Twyn-yr- Odyn and can be approached by footpath from either end. From Wenvoe go round Walston Road until you come to the sharp turn at the northern end and follow the public footpath and Upper Orchid Field signs through woodland. Cross a road which is used by lorries filling Whitehall Quarry and the Upper Orchid Field is the other side of the gate. From Twyn-yr-Odyn cross the road to the Quarrymens’ Tribute and follow the new public access footpath which brings you into the top of the Upper Orchid Field. There are other footpaths leading into the field if you look at a map but most people use the two described here.

What is it? The Upper Orchid Field is a traditional meadow of 4-5 acres covered in wildflowers, not least orchids, and with a high concentration of wildlife. In Britain we have lost most of our wildflower meadows and with them the insects, birds and small mammals that are associated with them. It is one of very few left near Cardiff. There are paths around the site, noticeboards with information and features such as Molluscopolis where you can find out about snails and slugs. It is owned by the Vale of Glamorgan Council (VoGC) and managed under licence by the Wenvoe Wildlife Group. The licence obliges the Council to cut the field every year but since 2014 it has been a victim of budget cuts and we have relied on the help of local farmer Robert Reader to get it mown. If this was not done it would revert to woodland, scrub and bramble which was very much the state it was becoming when we first became involved just under 10 years ago.

You will also hear references to the Lower Orchid Field. As you emerge from the bottom of the Upper Field heading back towards Wenvoe this is the field to your left running alongside the quarry access road. It is also owned by but is not managed by anyone although a hay cut is often taken. There are no public rights of way through it although a path down the southern boundary is often walked.

The Upper Orchid Field can be accessed at any time and visitors are most welcome. If you are new to Wenvoe why not wander over and take a look. If you would like to get involved with conservation work either here or at our community orchards get in touch with the Wenvoe Wildlife Group. For more information look at our website www.wenvoewildlifegroup.co.uk or Facebook (Wenvoe Wildlife Group).

Citizen Science

Citizen Science is a phrase that we hear more and more often these days. As they say, there is nothing new under the sun and in many ways this is simply a return to times past when there were no field ecologists, Wildlife Trusts or Biodiversity Action Plans and most wildlife observing and recording was done by amateur enthusiasts. So what do we mean by Citizen Science? This is as good a definition as any:

‘The collection and analysis of data relating to the natural world by members of the general public typically as part of a collaborative project with professional science’.

In practice this could mean you wandering out into your garden, seeing a sparrow and reporting it. A popular misconception is that you have to be an expert and only report rare species. But it is the most common ones that are often under-recorded. The South East Wales Biodiversity Recording organisation (SEWBREC) have a species of the month for which they are seeking new records and recently these have included moles, garden spiders and house martins.

And so to the image shown here which is of a small spider perched under a pot on a patio table in Wenvoe. Taking a photo and checking in books or on the Internet indicates that this is the Toad Spider. It is not rare – simply under-recorded as this example turned out to be the first in the Vale of Glamorgan on two different databases.

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August 2016

Green Flag Award

 

We have heard that all three of our applications for a Green Flag award have been successful so the Upper Orchid Field, Community Orchard and Elizabethan Orchard will soon be displaying their award certificates. We have not yet seen the results for the rest of Wales but the probability is that we are the only village in South Wales, possibly all of Wales, to have three sites with Green Flags and we may have the first green space on farming land to have achieved accreditation.

Despite the indifferent and unpredictable weather the wildflower plantings are doing well and the Alps roundabout has been spectacular with its open and ‘sunny’ location. The blues of Borage and Bugloss came first followed by the oranges of Californian Poppy, Closer inspection (don’t try this when you are driving) reveals Clarkia, Cosmos, Zinnia and Coneflower.

We are grateful to Waitrose at Barry for including us as one of their charities for June. Unfortunately we heard too late to let people know for the June issue of Whats On so that they could consider voting for us. If you want to keep abreast of news from the group keep an eye on Facebook (Wenvoe Wildlife Group) which has up-to-date information and images. We would particularly like to hear from schools or other groups of young people as we can arrange guided visits, outdoor activities, pond-dipping etc.

The image in the photo is of a small bug and bee hotel which you will see popping up in our orchards. These can be purchased for a few pounds, look good and are used by solitary bees and wasps.

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