\n\tIt has been a pretty good year for Bluebells and we are well blessed in the parish for the number of woods that are carpeted with them. With over half of the world's population of Bluebells being in the UK it is vital that we look after them but they are under threat from a number of directions. In the past many woods were stripped of bluebells by people selling them on to gardeners although with the current legal penalties on uprooting the bulbs this may have diminished recently. Then there is development either by removing woodland or planting it with conifers as bluebells struggle under the permanent shade of evergreens. However, possibly the major threat is from the Spanish Bluebell which is very commonly planted in Wenvoe.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tThe two species, ours and the Spanish hybridise easily and the resulting plant is no longer our native bluebell. The two do not have to be growing close together – all it needs is a pollinating insect to fly from one to the other for hybridisation to occur. As we are surrounded by woods with bluebells all of these are at risk from the Iberian interlopers which are well within a short bee flight. So how do you tell them apart?\n<\/p>\n
\n\tThe native Bluebell is curved at the top and the flowers tend to grow on one side of the stem. The Spanish Bluebell is bigger and more vigorous (which is why gardeners like them) and the flowers grow on all sides of the upright stem. Our native species has a distinct, sweetish scent; the Spanish virtually no smell and the leaves are much broader. The native Bluebell tends to be a much deeper blue colour. Is it an issue?\n<\/p>\n
\n\tA survey by Plantlife found that one in six woods in Britain now contains hybrid plants. What can you do to help matters? If you have Spanish Bluebells the only thing you can do is to get rid of them and that does not mean driving out and throwing them out of the car window. That is precisely how so many clumps are appearing by the roadside. They can go out with the green waste collected by the Council as the heat in the composting process effectively kills the bulb and seed. And why not plant the native bluebell? They can be readily obtained online from reputable suppliers and can be bought as bulbs from Garden Centres.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tThe Wildlife Group has planted quite a few in the orchards that have been bought locally and experience has been that it is better to plant bulbs in late Summer and Autumn than potgrown plants in the Spring as the latter seem to be particularly favoured by small mammals who love to dig them up. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It has been a pretty good year for Bluebells and we are well blessed in the parish for the number of woods that are carpeted with them. With over half of the world's population of Bluebells being in the UK it is vital that we look after them but they are under threat from a number of directions. In the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":520,"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],"tags":[107,59],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/20160501_085859.jpg?fit=5312%2C2988","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-8n","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11888,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=11888","url_meta":{"origin":519,"position":0},"title":"Bluebells at Wentwood and Brecon Beacons","author":"Alan Williams","date":"8th July 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0Bluebells The appearance of the first spring flowers always has Wenvoe walkers thinking about the arrival of bluebells. Spring this year was cool and we enjoyed wood anemones, daffodils, primula etc. for longer than usual. Then the blue bells arrived. You can spot them in lots of places in Wenvoe\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Footsteps"","block_context":{"text":"Footsteps","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=38"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/bouquet.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/bouquet.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/bouquet.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14336,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=14336","url_meta":{"origin":519,"position":1},"title":"Grey Skies And Drizzle","author":"Alan Williams","date":"4th June 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"LIVING WITH CANCER STROLLERS Grey Skies And Drizzle \u00a0 \u00a0 Grey skies and drizzle did not dampen the spirits of the strollers at Cosmeston today....nature put on a show for us with baby moorhens, robins, cowslips, bluebells and ducks, the star attractions \u00a0","rel":"","context":"In "Living With Cancer Strollers"","block_context":{"text":"Living With Cancer Strollers","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=307"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Picture13.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3354,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=3354","url_meta":{"origin":519,"position":2},"title":"Wentwood Forest & Tretower","author":"Alan Williams","date":"27th May 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Parc Seymour and Wentwood Forest Today our walk took us from Parc Seymour to Wentwood northeast of Newport. There was a cold wind and it felt like winter again. But there\u2019s only one word to describe this walk \u2018Bluebells\u2018! We headed southeast and on the road passed a neat woodland,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Footsteps"","block_context":{"text":"Footsteps","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=38"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9726,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=9726","url_meta":{"origin":519,"position":3},"title":"Cosmeston At Its Best","author":"Alan Williams","date":"30th May 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"LIVING WITH CANCER STROLLERS Able to meet for the first time since December 2020, the Living with Cancer Strollers gathered at Cosmeston under a clear sky. Setting off around the country park, people chatted happily enjoying each other\u2019s company after a long break. Cosmeston was at its best: calm waters\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Living With Cancer Strollers"","block_context":{"text":"Living With Cancer Strollers","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=307"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Picture11-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7900,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=7900","url_meta":{"origin":519,"position":4},"title":"How Lucky We Are To Live In Wenvoe","author":"Alan Williams","date":"3rd July 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"How Lucky We Are To Live In Wenvoe Wenvoe Walkers have been unable to enjoy their usual walks in the countryside due to the restrictions in place but most of us have walked around the village and its environs. Initially I was walking alone and enjoying brief conversations with other\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Footsteps"","block_context":{"text":"Footsteps","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=38"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Picture3-1-300x205.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5827,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=5827","url_meta":{"origin":519,"position":5},"title":"Wildflower Beds and Orchard Maintenance","author":"Alan Williams","date":"6th May 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Year 1s from Gwenfo CW Primary School joined us to spread the wildflower seed on our bed in Grange Park. You can see their personalised labels in the ground on their chosen patches. 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