{"id":17027,"date":"2026-05-31T23:25:51","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T22:25:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=17027"},"modified":"2026-05-31T23:25:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T22:25:51","slug":"the-spiked-star-of-bethlehem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=17027","title":{"rendered":"The Spiked Star of Bethlehem"},"content":{"rendered":"
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THE SPIKED STAR OF BETHLEHEM<\/span><\/p>\n

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Not many may recognise the plant in the photo which is popping up around the Upper Orchid Field. On the logo of the Wildlife Group in a design by Heather Pollington, it is Spiked Star of Bethlehem which was first recorded growing along Caerau Lane in the 1980s. This is possibly the only site in Wales where it is established in the wild. It grows through the hedgerow, but it is a mystery how it got there, one possibility being that it was grown along the edge of the adjacent field and seeded itself into the hedgerow. Also known as Bath Asparagus, it grew around the city and was sold in local markets\u00a0as a substitute for Asparagus. The Wildlife Group have attempted to plant it in new sites around Wenvoe, so it becomes even more widely established but the bulbs cost \u00a35 each so it is not cheap. However, if you see a plant in seed why not try growing some and plant it either in your garden or semi-shaded locations in woodland<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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THE SPIKED STAR OF BETHLEHEM Not many may recognise the plant in the photo which is popping up around the Upper Orchid Field. On the logo of the Wildlife Group in a design by Heather Pollington, it is Spiked Star of Bethlehem which was first recorded growing along Caerau Lane in the 1980s. This is possibly the only site in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[49,435],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-4qD","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4771,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=4771","url_meta":{"origin":17027,"position":0},"title":"Star of Bethlehem","author":"Alan Williams","date":"27th June 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 You will see the logo of the Wildlife Group on noticeboards, leaflets, posters and social media. But what does it represent and why? The 6-petalled flower is Spiked Star of Bethlehem, also known as Bath Asparagus. It is related to garden asparagus and used to be eaten. More common\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=49"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3774,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=3774","url_meta":{"origin":17027,"position":1},"title":"A New Arbour","author":"Alan Williams","date":"27th September 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"We have erected an arbour in the Elizabethan Orchard - see photo - and will be planting Honeysuckle to grow up the sides. Shakespeare often refers to Woodbine which some believe is Honeysuckle but he also refers to Woodbine entwined with Honeysuckle which suggests it may be something else. It\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Wenvoe Wildlife Group"","block_context":{"text":"Wenvoe Wildlife Group","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=48"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15882,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=15882","url_meta":{"origin":17027,"position":2},"title":"Wenvoe Community Orchid Field","author":"Alan Williams","date":"24th August 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Wenvoe Wildlife Group Wenvoe Community Orchid Field Once known as the Sledging Field, this meadow is now a Community Nature reserve with over 300 species of flowers, grasses, insects and birds. It is managed as a traditional meadow with an annual mowing to encourage the sort of wildflowers that are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New Items for August 2025"","block_context":{"text":"New Items for August 2025","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=424"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":17072,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=17072","url_meta":{"origin":17027,"position":3},"title":"Valeways Walks June 2026","author":"Alan Williams","date":"1st June 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Valeways Walks June 2026 \u00a0","rel":"","context":"In "New Items for June 2026"","block_context":{"text":"New Items for June 2026","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=435"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Valeways-June26.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Valeways-June26.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Valeways-June26.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Valeways-June26.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Valeways-June26.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Valeways-June26.jpg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16987,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=16987","url_meta":{"origin":17027,"position":4},"title":"June 2026 Diary of Events","author":"Alan Williams","date":"29th May 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0","rel":"","context":"In "Diary of Events"","block_context":{"text":"Diary of Events","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=126"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Events-June-26.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Events-June-26.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Events-June-26.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Events-June-26.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Events-June-26.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17001,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=17001","url_meta":{"origin":17027,"position":5},"title":"April 2026 200 Club Winners","author":"Alan Williams","date":"29th May 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"April 2026 200 Club Winners \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0","rel":"","context":"In "200 Club"","block_context":{"text":"200 Club","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=16"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/200-club-Apr-26.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/200-club-Apr-26.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/200-club-Apr-26.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/200-club-Apr-26.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17027"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17027"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17027\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17028,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17027\/revisions\/17028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}