Category: Nature Notes

NATURE NOTES

Wildlife Photos In The Parish

Those who follow us on Facebook will have seen the large numbers of photos of wildlife taken in the parish. Many are coming from gardens, others from the countryside, as more adults and families are walking the footpaths around the village. Species sent in include moths such as the Cabbage, the Silver Ground Carpet and Grass Wave; beetles including the Red-headed Cardinal and Wasp beetle; a rare form of Early Purple Orchid known as ‘var. alba’ and fungi such as Dryad’s Saddle. The Cockchafer beetle has been snapped – Thomas Gray referred to this in his Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard – ‘Save where the beetle wheels his droning flight’. A Dormouse was believed to have been seen up Pound Lane – we are not aware of any formal records of this in the parish although it has been identified near Wrinstone on the parish border. Gardens have revealed everything from the modest Vine Weevil (not great news for gardeners) and the Grey Squirrel, which can attract all sorts of reactions.

First imported from America between 1876 and 1929, they proved to be great colonisers and can be found all over Great Britain. Unfortunately the spread of the Grey coincided with the retreat of the Red Squirrel which, despite claims that they have been seen locally (probably Greys with a bit of russet colouring) cannot be found anywhere near here. The nearest Red Squirrel populations to Wenvoe are around Llyn Brianne reservoir in mid Wales with populations also established on Anglesey and elsewhere in North Wales. In the south of England they can be seen on Brownsea Island near Bournemouth. The Isle of Wight has also stayed Grey-free and Reds are surviving. Most people find the Red attractive and lovable but it is worth noting that the Squirrel Hunt (and this was before Greys ever set foot on the island) was part of the Boxing Day or St Stephens Day celebrations.

 

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Wild Life – Consider Making Them Welcome

In response to the Nature News piece in the April magazine, I recall that the only time I have seen a fox in the village was many years ago at night time, running down the road outside my house, no doubt hoping for some easy pickings from rubbish bags. Quite often there is evidence of nocturnal foraging with the contents of bags strewn across the road. So it’s a bit of a mess but foxes have to eat, don’t they?

Our village is home to all kinds of wild life, from a variety of birds – wood pigeons, doves, woodpeckers, pheasants and so many more, but sparrows and starlings are very rare these days. On the ground we have frogs and toads from garden ponds, squirrels, hedgehogs, rabbits, foxes, to name but a few. I have never seen a badger but I’ve heard they are round and about in the village.

Several years ago we were pleased to be able to hand feed a lame pheasant which turned up daily in our garden for several weeks. We looked forward to seeing it and we can’t know what happened to it but sadly, it probably fell prey to the gun or a predator.

Quite often our neighbour’s security light flicks on at night. No doubt an animal has triggered the beam when passing from garden to garden.

It’s likely that our gardens will be visited by wild creatures, living as we do in the countryside so consider making them welcome, even the much maligned fox!

 

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Stoats near Burdons Hill

Several people have spotted a pair of Stoats near Burdons Hill. Usually quite unobtrusive this pair were either amorous, antagonistic or play-fighting resulting in a fair bit of noise and rustling in the hedgerow. Stoats are bigger than Weasels, are chestnut brown above and white underneath with a clear demarcation line. If you manage to see their tails they have a black tip. In the colder parts of North Britain Stoats turn white in Winter where they are referred to as Ermine, possibly derived from Armenia from where their fur was once imported. You will have seen ermine, the fur, because on state occasions the lords wear robes edged with white ermine – look out for the black dots as well each of which represents the tail of an ermine. The number of bars of dots represents rank, a duke having four bars. New peers these days tend to use artificial fur but hereditary peers may re-use the family heirlooms. There is a famous portrait of Queen Elizabeth I by William Segar posing with an ermine on her left arm.

If you have children, say six or over, a story they might enjoy is Trouble in New York (The Travels of Ermine (Who is Very Determined)) by Jennifer Gray. Whilst the kids are unlikely to see an Ermine in Wenvoe (if they do see a cream-coloured animal it is probably a Ferret), they might just see a Stoat if they get out in the countryside on family walks and do not make too much noise!

 

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Have you seen a fox in the village recently? The photo shows one in a Wenvoe garden at midday during last August and sightings from other residents are not uncommon.

Whilst there is no clear demarcation between ‘rural’ and ‘urban’ foxes, ours are likely to be more of the countryside variety. However many urban areas of Britain have large populations of urban foxes and if you wander out from dusk onwards you might see several. And if you do not see any, you can read about them in the tabloids and how balanced is that reporting? One myth is that they are getting bigger and bolder. A 40 year study in Bristol found that urban foxes were no bigger than rural ones and had not increased in size over that period. In London it was found that some individual foxes were bolder than others but there was no evidence of any trend towards increased boldness. Ah yes, say the tabloids, but what about foxes attacking babies! Researchers suggest that there are no cases of ‘attacks’ although there are a few cases of babies being bitten, usually on the fingers, hands or lower feet. Unpleasant and distressing though this is the statistics suggest only 7 press reports of bites in the last 9 years. Over a similar period at least 21 people (adults and children) were killed by pet dogs.

The press will also regularly report foxes attacking pets. A fox can catch a wild rabbit but if it is a pet rabbit, it becomes an ‘attack’. Foxes attacking cats is another popular news item. Researchers however found that in a confrontation between cat and fox, it is the fox that is most likely to flee. Information on cats being taken to vets indicated that wounds on cats are 40 times more likely to have been caused by other cats than foxes. Cats are known to catch and kill young foxes so it is not surprising that there will be the occasional fight.

What do you think about foxes visiting your garden? A poll last year suggested that a third of those asked would not welcome them although a half did not want the neighbour’s cats in either. 14% of British adults actively encourage foxes to visit their gardens which the Daily Mail interpreted as ‘Cunning! How the fox has wheedled its way into the affections of 1 in 7 families’ Those devious, scheming creatures!

Whilst no-one could claim that foxes are vegan and altruistic animal saints, they are carnivores after all, maybe it is time for us to look at the evidence more objectively. For more on this theme, take a look at the article ‘Time to stop vilifying the urban Fox’ by Stephen Harris and, maybe, consider welcoming a fox into your garden.

 

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By the time you read this there should be a lot more blossom about. In mid February we can see the first white splashes in the hedgerows of Blackthorn, from which you get your sloes, and early flowering cherries are popular in gardens. At the entrance to Clos Llanfair is a quite uncommon Purple-leaved Plum or Black Cherry Plum, one of the Myrobalan or Cherry Plum family. This variety is named after Monsieur Pissard, the French Head Gardener to the Shah of Persia, who sent the first one back to France in 1880. This is already covered in blossom which in a good year is followed by plenty of fruit.

Wild Cherry Blossom

Whilst Blackthorn, sometimes called Quickthorn, is abundant in our hedgerows, there does not seem to have been much interest in planting other fruit trees in hedges and it will be some time before we see the next splashes of white; the Hawthorn, also called May blossom for the month in which it traditionally bloomed. One exception is Crab apple which does pop up all over the parish. It is not always easy to spot as it straggles up between the Hazel, Hawthorn and other taller trees but once the apples appear it is difficult to miss. However, in other parts of the country other fruiting trees have been planted which help the hedgerow to be more than just a stock-proofing fence. You have only to drive up to Herefordshire and towards Shropshire to see the masses of Cherry blossom by the side of the road. Faversham in Kent and Harrogate in Yorkshire also have spectacular displays. We have little growing wild in the parish although it has been planted in the Wild Orchard at St Lythans and the trees are already galloping skywards.

Most people around here will not have heard of Bullace but this wild plum, somewhere between a sloe and damson in size, is much more common in some parts of the country. The Wildlife Group have planted it in the Wild Orchard and in 2019 our jam and preserve expert, Daisy Graze, made Bullace jam which she considered one of the most flavoursome she had made. The real wild pear, Pyrus pyraster, is hardly recorded now in South Wales yet has been around since the Stone Age. You can find it planted on the edge of the Upper Orchid Field and, of course, the Wild Orchard. It can be very difficult to buy so it is hoped that cuttings can be taken and will lead to further plantings around the parish. The Wild Service Tree or Checker Tree is a rare native, samples of which can be seen growing above the cliffs of Jacksons Bay in Barry. The blossom is followed by a fruit like a small pear, often called Chequers and, as they were once used in the beer-brewing process, it is thought this led to many pubs being called Chequers. The tree is particularly good for a variety of wildlife. You can find them in the Wild Orchard but one also grows in the Community Orchard.

So, enjoy the blossom and the fruit that often follows. Find some space in your garden for these more unusual trees and encourage our Councils to include them in our park and roadside-planting schemes.

 

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Leeches Not Cute And Lovable

Leeches are abundant and all around us, yet few will notice them. They are not exactly cute and lovable – indeed they might generate a frisson of terror in some, particularly those who remember Humphrey Bogart being covered in them in ‘The African Queen’. Stories in the press such as the removal of a leech from the nose of a woman in Vietnam (yes, you can watch the procedure online if that takes your fancy!) just add to the anxiety they can generate.

However, unless you are setting off for foreign climes, rest assured that in the UK there is only one species of leech that is believed to suck your blood – more of that later. If you have a garden pond, and particularly if it contains fish, you are likely to have leeches in it, most fairly small. But the Horse Leech is quite common in and around Wenvoe and the photo shows one living in the stream that runs between Clos Llanfair and the new Grange development. Despite their name, they do not attack horses nor any mammals for that matter. They live on small larvae and snails, whilst occasionally moving onto land in search of earthworms. They can be up to 15 cms or 6 inches long, so are easy to spot.

The Medicinal Leech is the largest in Britain and has been used as a health cure for hundreds of years. It was thought they removed bad blood as they were placed on the body and drank their fill – ‘blood-letting’. References to the medicinal use of leeches go back to 200BC with the Greek physician Nicander. Ancient Sanskrit texts also refer to them. The use of leeches has seen something of a resurgence since the 1970s (see hirudotherapy) in association with a variety of treatments such as skin grafts and varicose veins. However the chances of you coming across medicinal leeches in our countryside are remote as they are now limited to possibly no more than 20 isolated sites in Britain and the species is so rare that it has European protected status. So if you are being treated with leeches they will have come from a leech farm, of which one of the main suppliers is Biopharm not that far away in Hendy.

 

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January is a time for New Year resolutions

so why not pledge to do some of the following.

 Put up bird boxes but site them away from where cats can get at them

 Attach a bell to your cat’s collar. This does reduce their success rate in killing small birds

 Put out bird-feeders, particularly for the winter months, restocking and cleaning them regularly

 Plant a tree or two. There are trees to suit every size of garden

 Sow wildflower seed in at least one patch

 Put up bug hotels, siting them in the sunniest spot you can find

 Install a pond in your garden – even a plastic bowl sunk in the ground will do some good

 Ensure that hedgehogs can get into and out of your garden

 Let a patch of grass grow uncut and see what unusual grasses and wildflowers pop up

 Just spend some time watching nature

 

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When did you last plant a tree? With November 30th being Tree Charter Day and the Woodland Trust planning to plant 35,000 trees on that day alone, here is a chance for you to consider what you can do to help.

Why bother? As the Woodland Trust says ‘as well as absorbing carbon, trees help to deal with the effects of climate change, stemming flooding, reducing pollution, sheltering livestock and nurturing wildlife’. So whether you are a farmer, councillor, run a business or have a large or small garden, this is for you to think about. And whilst big trees are great, even the smallest garden can accommodate an Amelanchier, Clerodendron or Acer. Alternatively you can sponsor the planting of a tree via the Woodland Trust. Jody Scheckter, ex Formula 1 racing champion who now lives in the UK says ‘A house without a tree is just a building site’. To back up his words he has planted 130,000 trees and 8 miles of hedgerow.

On the positive side some Wenvoe residents have applied for and should shortly be receiving packs of trees from the Woodland Trust. The Government has pledged to reach ‘carbon net zero’ by 2050 which could mean planting 30 million trees a year. Cornwall Council has pledged to plant 80 square kilometres of saplings with £1.7 million committed for the first phase. South Gloucestershire Council will be planting up 1,400 parks, verges and other green spaces with 14,000 broad-leaved trees. 2 million saplings will be planted in the Northern Forest north of Leeds thanks to a collaboration between Leeds City Council and the Environment Agency. It would be good to read in What’s On what the Vale of Glamorgan Council are planning on doing.

You will be hearing more in the coming months about the Environment Wales Act which is increasing pressure on government bodies, including Community Councils, to take account of biodiversity. But we have seen (and reported in What’s On) that there can be a huge difference between the pledges and commitments and actual delivery. England and Wales are woefully behind their own existing tree-planting targets and whilst we have praised Scotland for planting more than all the other UK countries combined we have now realised that these are mainly conifers and their own planting of broad-leaved trees is minimal.

This is a major issue for the decades to come and it is worth noting the words of Greta Thunberg who has considerable support from the youth of today:

‘You are failing us. But the young people are starting to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all future generations are upon you’.

So gardeners, teachers, publicans, quarry operators, farmers – here is an opportunity to make a difference. Plant a tree and (as the Welsh Government advises) if you cut one down, replace it with 2 or 3 new ones.

 

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A Good Year For Apples

Generally it has been a good year for our apples and many of the trees in our orchards have been heavily laden with fruit. Also doing well are the insects, particularly wasps and butterflies, that appreciate apples that have started to over-ripen. Our camera traps are also showing foxes and badgers taking advantage of the windfalls and with the first frosts blackbirds and thrushes will be tucking in. One revelation this year has been the size of some of our traditional apples, the photo showing different varieties but with a conventional apple in the middle. These are dual purpose apples, good for both eating and cooking and those in the photo all weighing in at around three-quarters of a pound (0.34 kilograms) each.

 

Also doing well are crab-apples which often turn up in our hedgerows and are covering a pavement near one of the village road exits. This is our traditional apple and was once a very common tree in our hedgerows but the apple that we eat originates in the Tien Shan mountains in Asia and eventually worked its way down the silk roads to reach Britain, no-one is too sure when but was well-established in the mediaeval monasteries. The heritage varieties we have planted often date back several hundreds of years so the apple you could be sampling might also have been tasted by Shakespeare although he made few references to them other than examples like ‘There is small choice in rotten apples

 

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Wenvoe’s Rarer Trees

Summer is often the best time to appreciate some of Wenvoe’s rarer trees. Just opposite the park is a stunning Eucryphia nymanensis which was covered in flowers this year and as it is popular with the bees, needless to say it was covered in them as well. This hybrid of two Chilean Eucryphias is called after Nymans Garden in Sussex which many readers will have visited. After seeing how good it is for insects we intend to plant one in the Bee Loud Glade which is dedicated to pollinators.

Close to the library is the unusual Loquat with leathery leaves and this year it is bearing fruit which it does irregularly. It originates in China and you will not see many of these in South Wales although Bute Park has a finespecimen. A little bit of the exotic to be treasured in the heart of Wenvoe. Nearby is a Clerodendron with amazing metallic blue berries and more used to tropical and warm temperate parts of the world than here. Not far from the Eucryphia is a variegated Sycamore which is the exact shape of a thatched sunshade you would expect to see on a Mediterranean beach. You will be able to follow the updated Wenvoe Tree Trail when it is reissued in the Autumn.

Although the intention was to extend the trail, another reason for having to amend it has been the loss of a number of Wenvoe’s specimen trees including a Walnut, a Tulip tree and a Weeping Silver Lime. How many of these have been or will be replaced? So while we still have them take time out to enjoy our trees and look out for some others in the meantime such as The Wedding Cake Tree, the Contorted Hazel (Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick) and Parrottia persica or Persian Ironwood.

 

 

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