Category: Nature

Grasshoppers And Crickets

Grasshoppers And Crickets

If you have replaced your lawn with artificial turf or keep it close cut through the summer you will probably not see any grasshoppers. However, let the grass grow, even in just a patch or two and you are likely to be rewarded with some. In the first year that the School let the grass in the wildlife patch grow tall the children found (and heard on hot days) several of them. There are a number of species of both grasshopper and cricket that pop up in sympathetically-managed gardens in Wenvoe and we have recorded Field, Meadow and Common Green Grasshoppers along with Speckled Bush Crickets, Dark Bush Crickets (see photo) and Short-winged Coneheads. Bush Crickets are different from ‘true’ Crickets which we are unlikely to see locally. Bush Crickets have long antennae whereas grasshoppers have relatively short ones.

Grasshoppers often appear in literature. One of Aesop’s fables was the Ant and The Grasshopper and Keats wrote a poem entitled On the Grasshopper and Cricket. Charles Dickens wrote The Cricket on the Hearth. And who can forget the dapper Jiminy Cricket in Pinocchio. Against a backdrop of a decline in our flying insects by 60% over the last 20 years we cannot afford to ignore the plight of many species. A Government report states – ‘Invertebrates are integral to our natural environment, fundamental to the food chain and excellent indicators of the health of our natural habitats’.

Watering, Weeding And Dead Heading

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

Watering, Weeding And Dead Heading

Watering, weeding and dead heading are the jobs that need attending to every day at this time of year in an attempt to keep the garden looking it’s best for as long as possible. Some of the late flowering plants, such as dahlias and lilies, will need supporting in the wind and possible rain. Penstemons will need to have the spent flower heads removed to encourage the plant to give one more display before the end of the season. Wisteria whips should be cut back to keep this vigorous plant in check. Rhododendrons and camellias will need extra water at this time of year to encourage next years flower buds to develop. Take cuttings of pelargoniums and fuchsias for propagation. A little care will be needed but they will be free plants for next year. Late August into September is the best time to treat perennial weeds. They will take the weed killer back into the roots as they come to the end of their season.
Garden centres will have some good offers during August on perennial plants that have finished flowering this year. With a little care these will come back next year, bigger and with more blooms. You will know when the offers are on, as the Christmas stuff will be going on the shelves.
If you’re going on holiday in August be prepared for a very different looking allotment when you return, unless you arrange with neighbours to do some watering and to pick some of your produce. It’s better to share than waste. If you stop picking, some crops will go to seed or go past their best.
This time of year there will be a lot of green waste and not enough of the dry brown stuff to stop the compost from being sludgy. By shredding some paper and drying some of the green stuff under the sun you will help keep the compost heap working as it should. It’s a a good time to be turning the compost bins over, as the more heat you can get into it the better.
The village show on September 7th will hopefully be as successful as last year. This, of course, will depend on folk entering their wares and the volunteers.
Take care and happy gardening.

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

 

What About The Other Swifts?

What About The Other Swifts?

Many people are very excited by Swift – well, Taylor Swift, to be precise. But what about the other Swifts?

The poet Ted Hughes wrote:

A bolas of three or four wire screams

Jockeying across each other

On their switchback wheel of death.

They swat past, hard-fletched

We seemed to wait an age this year for our Swifts, House Martins and Swallows to return but they made it in the end. Our Swifts have flown from sub- Saharan Africa, a journey of some 3,500 miles each way. They eat, sleep and mate on the wing only pausing to nest – some can go for 10 months without landing anywhere. They are more closely related to Hummingbirds than Swallows and can fly at speeds over 100mph. They typically live for 10 to 20 years and have been known to make it to 30. If you want to help them consider putting up a Swift nest box. They can be purchased or you can make them with some simple carpentry. Alternatively you can now buy Swift bricks which can be incorporated into brick structures, which look very neat and require no maintenance.

 

The Humble Hoe Is Your Best Friend

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

The Humble Hoe Is Your Best Friend 

The humble hoe is your best friend when it comes to keeping weeds under control during the Summer. On dry days just run the hoe between your flowers or veg beds. Not doing this at least a couple of times a week will leave you wondering where all the plants have gone. As we soon realise, weeds grow at a phenomenal pace at this time of year.

Another important task is dead heading, this is so important to keep the flowers producing new blooms. Not doing this will make the plant think its task is done and it will stop flowering. Pick as many sweet peas as you can for the house, the more you pick the more they flower. Cut back hardy geraniums now and they will produce another display before the season ends. Sunflowers definitely produce bigger blooms with a bit of tomato fertiliser fed to them. Wisteria can be cut back to within 8 inches of the main stems.

If you’re cleaning the weed from your pond, leave it on the side for a while, to allow any life form to return to the water.

There are some lovely gardens in and around the village. The way they keep them so nice is an absolute credit to them. Lyn and Sid Cottle always put on a good display even when people try to prevent them. The Warrior and his wife in Greave Close love their garden and it shows. Heather and Charlie put a lot of effort into their outdoor space which reflects their personality.

Allotments and veg gardens are bursting with produce. Strawberries, raspberries, peas, potatoes etc are all ready for harvesting. Be prepared to share your produce with the wildlife if you haven’t put in measures to prevent their invasion. Time now to fill empty spaces by planting Kale, carrots and some potatoes and these will be ready for Christmas.

A big problem will be with potatoes. If we have damp weather, there will almost certainly be blight which can ruin your crop. There will be dark blotches on the leaves starting at the tips, if you see this then immediately remove the foliage and put in your green bags for the council to dispose of. Do not compost it because, unlike the council you will not be able to get the heap hot enough to destroy the organism. The potatoes can then be used but will not store well. Do clear any debris up thoroughly. There are some things you can do to minimise the problem. Firstly, plant as early as you can so that harvesting can be done before blight hits. Secondly, when planting, space out the tubers to give the foliage more room which will allow air to flow between the plants. If you need to water the potatoes, try to keep the foliage dry. These methods work well in your back garden but on an allotment, you need everyone singing off the same hymn sheet.

The Village Show is on 7th September so please enter some produce to show off your prowess.

Take care and happy gardening

 

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

 

Dillwyn Davies Memorial

VILLAGE ENVIRONMENT GROUP

Dillwyn Davies Memorial

 

The team met on the village green to keep weeds and thorns at bay. This time of year, it’s a game of catch up. What with hospital and doctors’ appointments, the visits from carers and podiatrists and their outings with the Silver Foxes, it’s a wonder they can find the time, but the lads are always willing to give an hour or so to help keep the village tidy. Our lead singer Edwardsville Gareth told everyone who would listen which party they needed to vote for on July 4th. It seemed we didn’t have a choice.

The boys decided to remember the bravery of those who were there on D Day, by putting up a stone and plaque in memory of Dillwyn Davies from Wenvoe. He came through the horror of that day to tell his story. The stone is in a quiet corner of the village green. Those of us who knew Dillwyn, will remember a quiet peaceful man

Our team will meet next on 8th July. The destination is secret at present, as we don’t want fans bothering our lead singer.

 

So Much To Be Getting On With

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

So Much To Be Getting On With

As always there is so much to be getting on with in our gardens. Regular watering is another task to add this time of year, along with weeding and feeding. All this is essential to make the best of our displays. Hanging baskets will need feeding every week and watering every day. There never seems enough time to sit and enjoy the garden during the growing season but that’s the way of gardening. Just being amongst the plants makes us feel better.

Now is the time to take cuttings from lavender, forsythia and fuchsias. Plant seeds of primroses and pansies for transplanting out in the autumn. Canterbury bells and foxglove seeds can be planted now for flowering next year. Seeds planted at this time of year take a bit more looking after as shallow seed trays seem to dry out very quickly.

Watering is key to success. We are advised by the RHS of the need to water wisely due to some areas of the UK having severe water shortages. They advise we water in the mornings as plants start to use water when the sun comes up, with the soil and foliage likely to stay drier for longer than when watering in the evening, which will discourage slugs snails and mildew diseases. When watering soak the soil well as light watering encourages root systems to reach towards the surface and as soon as the top of the soil dries out the plants will suffer. The less room a plant has to collect water the more water it needs as in containers or pots.

If the weather patterns continue with very long dry spells, we will need to consider the plants we buy and look for more drought tolerant varieties, which seems not in keeping considering we have just had the wettest spring on record. So it’s a water butt on every down pipe on every house with a garden in future.

The National Allotment Society advice on jobs for June. Hoe at every opportunity to remove weeds and break up the surface of the soil to allow water to soak in. Train in your climbing beans and continue to add sticks to the peas and water these well to get the pods to swell. Successional sowing of salad crops and sow winter cabbage seed. Use soapy water on any black fly or greenly. Cabbage root fly can be a problem, the fly lays her eggs in the soil close to the young plant. When transplanting put a collar of cardboard at the base of plant to prevent the laying of eggs. There are nematodes for this problem that destroy the larvae.

Take care and happy gardening

 

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

 

An Unusually Dry Morning

VILLAGE ENVIRONMENT GROUP

An Unusually Dry Morning

On a day when rained threatened to curtail any activity, a skeleton crew tidied up and replanted the flower beds at the memorial, with plants donated by Michelles nursery in Suffolk. . The missing members had excuses beyond belief. Big John announced that his wife had glued his hand to his foot so he couldn’t come out, Gareth (the gypsy wrangler) had by all accounts, been set in a bucket of concrete because of an altercation with ne’er-do-wells, Alan said he couldn’t find his way to our location, Martin tweeted that the dog was blocking the exit and Mark had claimed to have eaten too much cake at the plant sale on Saturday and wasn’t in the mood for activity.

Our next gathering will be on Monday 10th June at 9.30 to check on the pile of stones and get the rest of the concrete off Gareth. Bring a hammer.

 

Another Great Day At The Plant Sale

Wenvoe Wildlife Group

Another Great Day At The Plant Sale

 

Another great day at the Plant Sale which generated over £1,600 for the Wildlife Group. Our thanks to Mike and Glenys Tucker for continuing to organise these events which not only raise funds but act as a social gathering for both residents and visitors. Shirley, Judith and Sian manned the Wildlife Group table so we are grateful to them along with all those who donated plants. Our appreciation to all of you who turned up on the day, bought plants and raffle tickets, donated raffle prizes and purchased the delectable cakes on offer. And well done, Geraint, for his great idea of having a bring and buy table for garden tools and pots with all proceeds to the Wildlife Group. We have had a big programme of noticeboard refurbishment in our orchards and the photo shows the completely rebuilt noticeboard in the Welsh Orchard

 

What Am I ?

What am I ?

 I breathe through my skin and have 5 pairs of simple hearts

 I am eaten by the Makiritare people of Venezuela, the Maori of New Zealand, the aborigines of Australia and Papua New Guineans

 Our ancestors were on the planet around 209 million years ago

 I am a keystone species; that means that without us humans would struggle to survive

 Sophie Smith, aged 10, charmed 567 of us in half an hour – a World Record

 I can live for 10 years or more

 I have been an ingredient in medicines for centuries

 Charles Darwin wrote a book about us which sold as many copies as The Origin of Species

 Our babies can move a weight 500 times heavier than their bodies. This is equivalent to a human pushing a Humpback Whale to one side

 Mucus from our bodies is often added to anti-wrinkle and skin regeneration cream

 We are so sensitive to sunlight that just an hour of daylight can paralyse us

 We are neither male nor female but both

 We can be as short as 1cm or as long as 3 metres

 Seeds that we have eaten and passed through our bodies are more likely to germinate

 The collective noun for us is a ‘clew’ from an Old English word meaning a ball of string

And for more fascinating insights read ‘The Book of the Earthworm’ by Sally Coulthard.

The image from Gower is Worms Head

 

Thanks for The Photos of the Wildlife Sightings

Wenvoe Wildlife Group

Photos of the Wildlife Sightings

Our thanks to all residents who have sent in photos of their wildlife sightings including Bee Flies (see photo), Brimstone butterfly, Bumblebees and wildflowers Ivy -leaved Toadflax, Wild Arum, Lungwort and the rare Herb Paris. With the help of our wildlife cameras we have recorded 20 bird species and 5 mammals. These are all recorded on the South Wales Biodiversity database which can help to inform planning decisions and designate nature protection areas.

We have been mentoring Rosie Robyns who lives in the village and is doing the Welsh Baccalaureate. To help with one of her assignments she has carried out various activities with the Group and has designed 2 anti-litter posters which are being displayed on our noticeboards. Rosie writes: I had a wonderful experience with Bruce and Judy from the Wenvoe Wildlife Group. They were very kind and willing to help me with my community action project for the Welsh Baccalaureate. I had to complete 15 hours of community action that would benefit my community. Judy helped me gain experience whilst working within the orchards and showed how we can do little things to help keep their habitat clean. Bruce was also very informative and knowledgeable when it came to the orchards. He helped explain to me the types of trees and animals that live in the orchard. Overall they were really kind to give up their time to help me with my project. I would like to thank them for being so kind and welcoming towards me. It has motivated me to try and become more involved with the Wenvoe Wildlife Group in the future.”

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