Category: Nature

Amazing Photo Of A Honeybee Nest

Amazing Photo Of A Honeybee Nest 

Sent in by a resident was this amazing photo of a Honeybee nest in the wild. A local beekeeper pointed out that this will probably not survive the winter. Bee colonies in a hive and sheltered from the elements stand a fair chance of getting through. So if you come across one outside a hive, get in touch with a local beekeeper and they will try to recover the nest and bring it to safety.


The Honeybee is not a native of Britain but was introduced because of the honey it produces and most honeybees that visit your garden will have flown from a nearby hive. Several residents keep bees and one of the Wildlife Group orchards is host to a couple of hives.
Not only do they produce honey, beeswax and royal jelly but they help to pollinate our crops and flowers.

The Wildlife Group Thank All

Wenvoe Wildlife Group

The Wildlife Group Thank All

By the time you read this the Tuckers Reindeer Sale will have taken place and, again, we would like to thank all those who have supported the event and, not least, Mike and Glenys for arranging the occasion and giving so much support to the Wildlife Group. We get no other financial help and this is invaluable in enabling us to maintain our 7 Green Flag sites. During November we have had strimmers and brushcutters in to clear the rampant vegetation at the Goldsland Watercress beds and the St Lythans Wild Orchard. On behalf of the Wildlife Group we would like thank all of you who have supported us through the year and wish you a Very Happy Christmas.

 

The Festive Season Is Upon Us

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

The Festive Season Is Upon Us

With the festive season upon us, the garden gets a bit neglected. That is probably one of the reasons artistic gardeners say we should leave the dead stalks of perennials standing, as it gives structure to the plot. It’s bad enough that the garden starts to look untidy let alone adding to the mess. If you must have some winter structure, get some dogwoods as they have colourful stems and really do look like you’re trying to do your best. Most of the bulbs we’ve planted are in pots that have been dug into the ground so that when they’ve finished flowering, we can retrieve the pots and give the bulbs a feed then let the foliage die down out of sight ready for the Autumn. Hedgehog houses are a good addition to the garden and we are encouraged to help our little friends but check on the occupants as rats love the dry space you have so kindly provided. The Wenvoe Wildlife Group and other prestigious charities would like us to have a wood pile which provides shelter for insects and a snacking area for birds, frogs and hedgehogs. Don’t just throw the wood down like some irate fly tipper; stack it properly so it’s not an eyesore. A couple of stones stacked up will entice the snails to settle in for the winter, then just before the green shoots of Spring appear you can collect and dispose of the blighters.

If we are properly organised, then we should be sending the mower for a service. There is usually a discount at this time of year. If you wait for the Spring when the workshops are busy it can be weeks before you get your machine back. Sharpen all your hand tools now so you’re ready when growth starts. There will be a sharpening day at the wheel wright shop in January for shears, secateurs, mower blades and hooks. Details of dates in the next issue of What’s on.

 

Have a lovely Christmas and a good new year.

Take care and happy gardening

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

 

It Soon Went Bottoms Up

VILLAGE ENVIRONMENT GROUP

It Soon Went Bottoms Up

What started as a full complement of eager veterans ready to clear the vast amount of detritus from the bottom of Pound Lane, soon went bottoms up. Things were going so well, until the police turned up with a warrant for the arrest of team member Gareth (Shady) Williams. Despite some not so convincing protests from the rest of the team, they put Shady in a police van. Big John took it upon himself to lay in the road to prevent the constables taking Shady away, the problem with that was, he didn’t have his glasses on and was lying down at the back of the van and they just drove off. Shady was later bailed for £5. His friend has started a gofundme page to get a legal team on the case. It stands at 90p. Charges relate to his time in France before he was extradited.

Our meeting for December has yet to be confirmed as there could be more arrests from our group if Shady starts squealing under interrogation. If you think you might fit in with this bunch of outlaws, please let the Godfather know.

 

Merry Christmas you filthy animals.

 

Products Have Only Travelled 10 Miles

Wenvoe Wildlife Group

Products Have Only Travelled 10 Miles

There are not many products you can buy which have only travelled 10 miles from source to point of sale. But if you bought some of the preserves and conserves from Daisy Graze at the first Wenvoe Farmers Market that is exactly what would have happened. With fruit from our orchards such as crab-apple and bullace, over to Dinas Powys for preparation and back to Wenvoe for sale. Delighted to see Wild Orchard Bullace jam with this uncommon fruit around here picked in the orchard at St Lythans. To buy from Daisy Graze either try Farmer’s Markets or call in at Janine’s house 22 Greenfield Avenue, Dinas Powys, CF64 4BW.

We would like to thank the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s Local Nature Partnership team for cutting the Goldlsand and Community Orchards. This year has seen rampant growth of the vegetation, and we have struggled to keep it under control so help like this is most welcome.

We have renewed the Licence we have with the Vale of Glamorgan Council to look after the Upper Orchid Field so this now runs for another 10 years.

A New Recruit

VILLAGE ENVIRONMENT GROUP

A New Recruit

 

We as a team are happy to announce a new recruit. Martin, son of long-term member Ieuan (pictured), joined in the tidying of the village green in preparation for remembrance Sunday. As with all our team they come with an Achilles heel. Martin being a bicyclist has more than one. This restricts his ability to communicate unless he’s riding two abreast down the middle of a road. He wouldn’t have his picture taken unless he was stood by someone

Now that we have two members below seventy, our insurance allows us to work 500 metres from a defibrillator instead of 50.

Our main source of inspiration, Gareth, turned up late with an excuse that was so unbelievable, we can’t repeat. But his arrest is imminent.

The good men which may not include Gareth, will meet at the triangle of Pound Lane on Remembrance Day. We will remember them

Jobs for the month

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

 

Jobs for the month

 

  1. Depending on the weather, try to lift any dahlias and clean them off; then store in kiln dried sand or dry compost in a frost-free place.
  2. Collect any rose leaves with black spot and bin them. If you don’t do this the spores will infect more plants next year.
  3. Make sure you plant your tulips this month. Plant them deep or you may only get one season from them.
  4. Lift any remaining begonia tubers and dry them, then store as dahlias.
  5. Cut roses down by a third to prevent wind rock.

 

It’s hard to get motivated when it’s gloomy and with less daylight, but anything you can do now will be a big help for next season. Weeds seem to grow whatever the weather, it’s a miserable job in the Summer but seems worse at this time of year. It is an essential task though and cannot be ignored. Mulching is very important, to keep the ground covered and stop soil erosion. This should be laid about 3ins, 75mm, thick to do a good job, which can be expensive if you buy the stuff television gardeners recommend. Grass cuttings, fallen leaves or old compost will suffice. The worms will love you for it and it will improve the soil no end. It’s a fact that if it were not for worms then we wouldn’t have such productive soil so the more worms you have the better the soil. Worms add 5mm to soil depth each year. They are brilliant at breaking down pollutants and turning them into nontoxic molecules. I could go on, but all these facts are available on the Soil Association site. They are the leading charity on the protection of our soil and the way it’s used.

The overall message from the allotment folk is that the year to date has not been good. With the coolest summer for nine years, it has proved to be challenging at Twyn Yr Odyn. Even the prolific Gareth Lewis has had an off year. He has been heard playing Slayer (a rock band apparently) to his plants with no improvement. Some of the older gardeners have seen it all before and love the challenge of tending the soil on top of the hill in a howling gale with rain lashing across – and that’s in June. They are committed to their task, that’s for sure. Even with all this to put up with, they will be planting peas and broad beans to over winter and give an early crop next year hopefully. The National Allotment Association is a membership well worth considering if you’re serious about your patch.

Please remember to check any bonfires you may be lighting, as hedgehogs find them irresistible. If you do cook one accidentally then take salt & pepper with you as they are quite bland.

Take care and happy gardening.

 

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

 

It Was A Brock,

IT WAS A BROCK,

It was a brock, a grey, a pate or a bawson. They were around in Britain between half a million and three quarters of a million years ago where they co-existed with wolves, brown bears, arctic foxes and wolverines. They live underground in setts and a group of badgers living together is called a clan. To those of you who follow our Facebook Page (Wenvoe Wildlife) you will have seen some great shots of badgers in the parish. We do not reveal where they have been seen as badger baiting (using dogs to hunt and kill badgers illegally) is still a problem.

Badgers are at the centre of a major debate between those farmers who believe badgers can help spread TB (bovine tuberculosis) to cattle and those who believe killing the badgers will not cure the TB problem. In the last 10 years it is believed that around 230,000 badgers have been culled. However in Wales the Government have put an end to culling whilst other options to eradicate TB are considered. To find out more about the pros and cons go online.

Badgers have played a significant role in literature including the Wind in the Willows, the Redwall series, Watership Down and Beatrix Potter books. Sometimes they are friendly, sometimes less so. Going back further, they appear in both European and Asian folklore – Chinese and Japanese tradition have them as shapeshifters. They are meticulously clean animals having latrines a little way away from the sett and changing their bedding of straw, grass or bracken periodically. At times they will take their bedding outside to ‘air’ and kill off any bugs and parasites. They have even been known to bring garlic leaves into the sett to help deter unwanted insects.

Along with the poet, John Clare, 200 years ago we can celebrate:

The badger grunting on his woodland track

With shaggy hide and sharp nose scrowed

With black roots in the bushes and the woods

 

The Veg Gardeners Of Wenvoe Are Still Busy

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

 

The Veg Gardeners Of Wenvoe Are Still Busy

The RHS have made it quite clear that the use of water butts must be a priority for anyone with a garden. We are asked to be prepared and start storing ready for next year by fitting them to down pipes and add others to them as funds allow. It is said that up to 24,000 litres of rain falls on a roof throughout the year, with most over the Winter period.

Strulch, organic garden mulch, seems to be the next gimmick that advertisers say we can’t do without. It makes fantastic claims, which must be true, or they wouldn’t be allowed to say so. It is expensive and like any mulch will be absorbed into the soil over time. Options to this are plentiful, one could just spread old compost over the ground and even grass cuttings now and again and this time of year fallen leaves will do the same job. This I promise you will do more for your soil and less damage to the bank balance. Leave it on the shelf and buy more plants to cover any bare soil. If you really need to put straw on your beds, buy a bale from a farmer at a fraction of the price.

 

While working in Dyffryn the other week we were cutting back a big shrubbery where each year we leave all the clippings on the ground. This keeps the undergrowth manageable and by the Spring it has all disappeared. All the plants do well, without any other nutrients being added.

 

The gardens look a bit scruffy now. In this part of the country, we are still cutting the grass and weeds are growing as well as ever. Cutting back perennials, pulling out annuals and raking the leaves off lawns are must-do jobs. Take out the trays from under pots and lift them off the floor to stop water logging. You don’t need to buy those pot feet; a few stones will suffice. Cut roses back by half to stop the wind loosening the roots. The main pruning will be done in March when you need to take a little more care.

 

The veg gardeners of Wenvoe are still busy. Nicola will be dividing the rhubarb and adding well-rotted manure. Barry Harper takes hardwood cuttings of currants and gooseberries to replenish the older stock and Bernard cuts back the asparagus stems once they’ve yellowed. Don’t dig up the roots of peas and beans, they are a good source of nitrogen and will rot down in the soil. It’s the perfect time to plant garlic, an inch deep and be sure to label. You can tell it’s October as Northerner Mike Johnson can be seen in the churchyards collecting leaves to make leaf mould for next year. The allotmenteers have not had their best year. They say that the coolest summer for 9 years with only short spells of good weather were the main reasons.

 

There are some vacant plots at the allotments. There is nothing like growing your own fresh produce along with all the free advice you will ever need.

 

Thanks to all who entered the village show, without your participation it wouldn’t happen.

 

Take care and happy gardening

 

 

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

 

Plans To Recruit Pillars Of Society

VILLAGE ENVIRONMENT GROUP

Plans To Recruit Pillars Of Society

While on a routine cleaning up of Clos Llanfair. The team were approached by an official from the home office, who informed the men of government plans to recruit pillars of society into a sort of local volunteer force to help quell some of the unrest in the country. As soon as the gentleman started speaking, Gareth Mainwaring (front of photo) piped up and told the official of his past war record and said that he would lead the men. No uniform or weapons will be issued. The task force would have to verbally calm any situation with the troublemakers. Gareth has a known ability to be able to wind up a sloth, so will have to stay at a safe distance or rioting will prevail.

If we remain in one piece, we will meet at the junction of Pound Lane and Walston Road on 14th October

 

1 … 5 6 7 8 9 … 44