Category: Nature Notes

Is ours a loveless county? Judging by the records of Mistletoe growing in the Vale of Glamorgan, you might think so. The wildlife database, Aderyn, only has two records for the Vale of Glamorgan – one in Wenvoe and two in Dinas Powys. The photo shows the one in Wenvoe. Of the two in Dinas, one has gone when the branch it was growing on collapsed but there are two clumps growing on an apple tree which appear to be in good health. Mistletoe is usually associated with apple trees but also grows on Hawhorn, Poplar and many other tree species. The Wenvoe clump is growing on an Acer which is uncommon but not unknown.

There is plenty of Mistletoe in Cardiff, particularly around Llandaff and near the Taff where it mainly grows on Poplar. With all the orchards that used to grow in the Vale one might have expected there to be more around and we have asked via Facebook for people to get in touch if they know of other locations. At time of writing we are following up some leads and will keep you informed. If you know of cases, do get in touch with the Wenvoe Wildlife Group with photos. Mistletoe can get confused with larger bird nests or tree growths such as galls.

Some gardeners believe that Mistletoe kills trees. It is a parasite (strictly speaking hemiparasitic) but it would require a very heavy infestation to do any serious damage. But benefits are that birds enjoy the sticky berries and some species, like the Mistletoe Weevil, are mainly associated with it. It can either be male or female but it is only the female plants that bear berries and then only if they have been pollinated by a male plant nearby. You can use berries bought at Christmas on Mistletoe to try to propagate it on existing mature trees but generally only a few seeds will germinate. But still worth having a go! That was how the Wenvoe Mistletoe got there.

 

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Mrs Tiggy Winkle will be a familiar name to most of you but Beatrix Potter’s character is just one appearance of a hedgehog in literature. Shakespeare often referred to them although mostly less than flatteringly; and you can find them turning up worldwide in stories, even as far afield as Mongolia. But what if the only hedgehogs the children knew were from books and poems – the live animals having become extinct?

Hedgehogs have been around for 15 million years, far longer than modern humans and are one of the oldest species of mammal on the planet. But they are in decline and are classed as vulnerable with around 50% lost in the countryside since 2000 alone. But the news is a bit better in our towns and cities where they have ‘only’ dropped by 30%. They are regularly seen in some Wenvoe gardens and there are many things you can do to help them survive and prosper such as:

Create access holes in your fences so they can move from garden to garden. These are known as hedgehog highways.

Hedgehogs can swim but can get stuck in steep-sided ponds. Ensure your pond has a shallow side or place a log or plank in it that they can use as a ladder.

Avoid using slug pellets or other chemicals.

Many are injured by strimmers, so check the area first and move them if you find any.

Check bonfires before you light them for the same reason.

Make or buy a hedgehog house which can be used for hibernating in winter or shelter in summer.

Give supplementary food such as cat or dog food especially before or after hibernating. Also provide water but never put out bread or milk.

Create a wild section in your garden including piles of leaves which will also benefit other wildlife.

Get all the family involved and register with PTES (Peoples Trust for Endangered Species) as a Hedgehog Champion.

Help to ensure that Mrs Tiggy Winkle is not, like the Dodo, just a distant memory.

 

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Now is a good time to be thinking about installing homes for wildlife. You can often buy them cheaply on-line or at the budget supermarkets. Alternatively, they can be constructed at home quite simply with instructions found easily online. For example, the RSPB website tells you how to build both birdboxes and bug hotels. Birds will start looking for potential nesting locations quite early in the season – just remember to site them away from spots that are very sunny as the nestlings might get too hot. Also, they should be placed where cats cannot get at them. In contrast, bug hotels should be located in the sunniest spot in your garden. These will be used by solitary bees which are usually no threat to man or beast.

No harm in putting out hedgehog homes although most of them will already be hibernating; can also be found online or in garden centres. The advice is to find a spot in your garden which is quiet, dry, sheltered and shady and avoid the entrance facing north as this will be colder. A number of gardens in the middle of Wenvoe have occupied hedgehog homes and whilst there are only so many hedgehogs to go around, you could be lucky.

 

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The Big Butterfly Count

The results for the Big Butterfly Count for 2022 show a continuing overall decline in numbers – a 2.8% drop for the UK but an increase of 9% for Wales was encouraging. The butterfly with the biggest rate of decline was the Marbled White and this was the same result for Wales. Wales also showed significant reductions for Ringlet, Large White and Small White. The biggest increases were for the Common Blue and Holly Blue but with Wales recording the biggest increases for Holly Blue and Brimstone. We have noticed Holly Blues doing well in Wenvoe particularly along the trees in the school and in gardens. A blue butterfly flying higher up, say around 5 to 10 metres above the ground, is likely to be a Holly Blue.

The Speckled Wood (see photo) has done well both in Wales and throughout the UK with several local people reporting them in their gardens. One interesting behaviour we have noticed is how territorial they can be. One adopted a small section of patio, turning up by mid-morning every day and then furiously defending it against any other trespassing butterflies, no matter which species. Even the occasional falling leaf would be checked out and warned off.

Those who want to help our butterflies are encouraged to plant wildlife-friendly habitats – for instance Holly and flowering Ivy for the Holly Blue and Hop, Elm and Nettles for the Comma. The caterpillar of the Speckled Wood favours our taller wild grasses such as Cocksfoot, Yorkshire Fog and False Brome so if you have sufficient space for a wild area, that can help all sorts of wildlife

 

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Hedgerows – Small But Mighty

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Described by the Woodland Trust as ‘small but mighty’ these are ‘the most widespread semi-natural habitats in Britain’. We mean, of course, hedgerows. Taken for granted by most people they bring a huge number of benefits as have been described by the Peoples Trust for Endangered Species. Soil erosion is reduced as a hedge lessens wind speeds which can blow topsoil off a field and this helps to minimise the pesticides which can accompany the soil into our watercourses. Pollution is also reduced from herbicides which can be washed off fields in the same way. The severity of flooding can be minimised as hedge plant roots improve the ability of water to penetrate the soil but the roots also themselves suck up some moisture. Biological pest control comes from all the spiders, beetles and birds for whom hedges provide shelter. Climate control benefits from the ability of a hedge to absorb carbon and a well-managed hedge can provide some wood fuel. The benefits of a hedge extend to 16 times its height so a 2-metre hedge spreads its help to some 32 metres over the adjacent land. The warmer soil brings benefits to livestock as lamb mortality from hypothermia is reduced and during hot spells cattle are kept a little cooler. Crops are also helped with warmer soil and the host of insects which pollinate the crops. Many species of wildlife, including Dormice, get an advantage from the corridors provided by a hedge rather than ending up in isolated pockets.

In spite of all this, farmers were once incentivised to grub up hedges and since 1950 we have lost 118,000 miles of hedgerow in Britain. Nowadays planting a hedge can attract grant money but there is some way to go. Many people may be able to help by planting a stretch of hedgerow in their garden or replacing an existing hedge which may just consist of Leylandii, Privet or Laurel which brings limited benefits to wildlife. A traditional hedge often included a mix of Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Hazel, Ash and Oak with extra fruit from Bramble and Guelder Rose (pictured). The Scouts are planning to plant some more hedgerow at Goldsland Farm this Autumn so if you would like to help, look out for more details in the coming weeks

 

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A Key Plant For Wildlife

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It features in John Constable’s famous picture, The Hay Wain. It made an important and powerful wand in the Harry Potter stories. Its pith has been used by watchmakers for many years. Its flowers are used to make a rural ‘champagne’ and the berries a jam and wine. Cultivars can be seen in many Wenvoe gardens. And there is much, much more we could write about this small tree which, if you have not already guessed it, is Elder.

In the Hay Wain you can see a small tree growing by a wall on the edge of the cottage and this has been identified as Elder, emphasising its importance to country folk. Herbalists used it – in the 16th century, Gerard recommended its seeds for those who were too fat. It was often planted close to cottages as it was believed to ward off the Devil but may also have helped because its ability to absorb water might have reduced the incidence of damp.

It is a key plant for wildlife, the berries consumed by more bird species than any other native tree although mammals tend to avoid them. It is second only to Ash in the number of Bryophytes (mosses and lichens) it supports. However, you should not see it in any of our orchards except for the Wild orchard. It is believed to inhibit the growth of sweet apples, plums and pears etc. so the recommendation is to avoid having it growing there. Our Wild orchard is made up of native trees which have co-existed with Elder for thousands of years and you will see Elder there growing alongside Crabapple, Wild Cherry, Wild Pear and Bullace.

Unspectacular and easily overlooked, Elder is a key plant in our countryside both for wildlife and for its rich cultural history. For more on this topic try articles by Jeff Ollerton e.g. British Wildlife vol 33, no. 6.

 

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Unusual and Interesting Variations

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Even the commonest plants and animals can throw up unusual and interesting variations. This photo shows a wildflower found all round the village which is Great Bindweed. Usually it is trumpet shape but the variation in the photo has the petals split and is called Quinque partita. It is growing close to the bus-stop near Pughs Garden Centre along with plenty of the normal version. And whilst the bindweeds can be a nuisance to gardeners, the bees love them.

Several people have noticed white versions of the Common Spotted Orchid growing in the Upper Orchid Field and the field by the Premier Inn. White versions of the Early Purple Orchid often appear on the footpath between Whitehall Farm and Burdons Hill and an albino buzzard was spotted a few years back which was being mobbed by crows. A blackbird was reported in Vennwood Close which had some white feathers – a form known as leucism caused by a melanin pigment deficiency. Last year we found a double form of a buttercup growing in the wild.

So, keep your eyes skinned and be on the lookout for anything unusual. If you find something different, take a photo and let the Wildlife Group know.

 

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There Is Wildlife All Around

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Look up – look down; there is wildlife around. Scan the skies for a sighting of the Red Kite, being spotted more frequently around the parish. Common in Shakespeare’s London where they helped to keep the streets clean by scavenging for dead animals, the Red Kite has been here in Wales far longer than Homo Sapiens. Bones have been found in Gower caves dating back 120,000 years along with those of lions, bison and rhinos. In mediaeval times the birds were protected but by the 16th century, farmers were poisoning them in the mistaken belief that they killed lambs and a bounty was put on them by the king – you could earn yourself a penny for every one you killed. By the beginning of the 20th century they were extinct in England and Scotland and there were just two breeding pairs in mid Wales. With protection and reintroductions from abroad we are now back up to around 4,500 breeding pairs in the UK. It is the National Bird of Wales so look up and see if you can spot one.

Many of you have a pond in your garden, so look down and you could well find a newt or two. If you do have them they are likely to be the Smooth or Common Newt. The small Palmate Newts tend not to be found here but the very large and rare Great Crested Newt has been found in the parish but usually in larger ponds in the countryside. Create a pond, large or small, and newts will soon find their way to it. Whilst they seek out ponds to breed, newts spend much of the year on the land. They breathe air so if you are patient you will often see them breaking the surface to take in air. Better still go out after dark and shine a torch into your pond as newts are more active at night. Many residents have reported having them in their ponds but as they love eating tadpoles you might not get so many frogs. A young newt is called an ‘eft’.

 

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