Recorders Newsletter 34 (Summer 2015) Pollinator action to help pollinating insects is grassland, these can be distinguished by all the rage at the moment. The Welsh their characteristic floras (as well as the Government has produced a pollinator action degree to which your socks get wet). plan which promotes the virtues of wildflowers as insect food. It is great that In Rhondda Cynon Taf much of our dry attention is being given to the importance of species rich neutral grasslands belong to the wildflower rich habitats and the insects they National Vegetation Classification MG5 support. It is even more exciting in RCT, Cynosurus cristatus-Centaurea nigra neutral because wildflower rich grasslands are one grassland, with U4 Festuca ovina-Agrostis of the things we are good at. We have a capillaris-Galium saxatile acid grassland on wealth of such habitats, which is not the case the thinner acidic soils. The NVC categories in most parts of Britain. Wildflower rich hay involve the tinniest bit of Latin, but don’t be meadows and grazing pastures are amongst put off, in essence MG5 is the classic flower our finest botanical riches. These are home rich meadow of children’s books and plate to a multitude of grasses and herbs, and an mats. Instead of just rye grass, it is home to accompanying fauna of bees, and hoverflies, lots of different grass species, such as red grasshoppers, butterflies and moths. fescue, meadow fescue, sweet vernal Species-rich grasslands are still part of our grass, crested dog’s-tail, yellow-oat biodiversity fabric, and something deserving grass, and common bent-grass. You may of our highest attention. They occur in old not know the names, but go in high summer fields, low-lying marshes, grass verges, and look at the flower heads of the grasses, if parks, cemeteries, on colliery spoil heaps you can spot six or seven different flowering and random brownfield ‘bits and pieces’, and grasses you might be in species-rich these wildflower rich communities have all grassland. Of course, the easier clues are come from the local natural seedbank: none the herbs, or forbs, or flowers (depending on of it is sown or planted. So, if you are what you want to call the things that aren’t interested in pollinator action in RCT, a good grasses or sedges), which give flower rich starting point is to get interested in our meadows their characteristic ‘flowery’ species rich grassland: the two go ‘hand in appearance. So buy yourself a British flower glove’. guide (or borrow one from your local library) and using whatever method suits best (which The main clue to finding important is usually pictures first, reading descriptions grasslands is to do a bit of botanising next, and only in the most extreme (which is much easier than it sounds). In circumstances resorting to the keys) look for broad terms our important grasslands can be bird’s-foot trefoil and common knapweed. split into two main types: dry and wet These are the two most characteristic flowers of unimproved neutral grasslands, if you’ve Vegetation Classification M24) where got the low growing, yellow and red peas amongst the species described above there flowers of the trefoil, and the cornflower blue are often stands of the beautiful meadow of knapweed then it’s time to get excited. thistle, marsh valerian, and sedge-rich With a bit more effort you may find red vegetation. Rush dominated grasslands are clover, rough and autumn hawkbit, self- also an important feature of the rhos pasture heal, ox-eye daisy, meadow vetchling, hay landscape. The typical soft/sharp-flowered rattle and common spotted orchid. On rush-marsh bedstraw rush-pasture (National limestone sites (with more alkalinity) species Vegetation Classification M23) is extremely characteristic of more calcareous conditions, variable in composition and species-richness. such as quaking grass, cowslip, bee There is an obvious requirement for rushes orchid, fairy flax, field scabious and (and often purple moor-grass and Yorkshire greater knapweed are mixed in, and on the fog) and marsh bedstraw and greater more acidic valley sides the U4 grasslands bird’s-foot trefoil are the typical indicator have swards of sheep’s fescue, wavy hair ‘flowers’. There also is often a very good grass, heath grass, tormentil, heath diversity of species, which may include wild bedstraw, sheep’s sorrel, heath milkwort angelica, meadowsweet, ragged robin, and heath spotted orchid. cuckoo-flower, skullcap, lesser spearwort, southern marsh-orchids, marsh marigold, Wet, and marshy grassland are one of our and marsh-thistle. most characteristic and important habitats. As the name suggests these grasslands The key to having species rich grassland is occur on wet soils, but these can occupy a to have a nutrient poor soil, a local seedbank variety of locations, including low-lying and appropriate management. The latter is floodplains, ‘perched’ upland wetlands, or dependent either on conservation grazing or flushed hillside mires. All of our marshy taking hay cuts. With ‘conservation hay cuts’, grasslands are based on vegetation with a the wildflower and grass are left to flower and high proportion of either purple moor-grass seed before being cut in late summer/autumn and/or rush. These are commonly known with the hay being removed. Removing the locally as ‘rhos pastures’. A welsh name cut grass is essential. given to a habitat which is restricted to the Atlantic seaboard of Europe (somewhere I Much of the attention afforded to the Welsh have a report called the Rhos Pastures of Government Pollinator Plan is based on Gallicia (Spain) – where unfortunately there sowing nursery produced wildflower seed. isn’t much left). This is not a model which suits the particular circumstances in RCT. For a series of Purple moor grass (National Vegetation fortuitous reason RCT has a rich network of Classification M25) dominated marshy wildflower rich habitat. For us the key is grasslands are perhaps the classic South realising the natural potential of sites Walian rhos pasture. They occur on moist, through appropriate management. All the sometimes peaty soils and are dominated by grassland types described above depend purple moor-grass and rushes, but species- upon the natural seedbank, and it’s that rich examples also include forbs such as same seedbank which allows our fantastic tormentil, devil’s-bit scabious, saw-wort, brownfield grasslands to spring up when old lousewort, cross-leaved heath, heath industrial sites are abandoned. spotted-orchid, bog asphodel, petty whin, marsh thistle and meadowsweet. A feature So to realise positive pollinator action in of the purple moor-grass sites in RCT is the RCT we can avoid the expense, carbon-foot presence of localised base-rich springs and print and ecological problems of sowing flushes which injects characteristic floristic nursery produced wildflower seeds. From a diversity. These are purple moor-grass- biodiversity perspective our pollinator action meadow thistle fen-meadows (National will be much better served if we can focus on grassland management and identifying both of them well below the average for that areas where relaxed management can allow month, which is 102.73mm’. existing wildflowers to flower, and seed and to provide pollen and nectar sources for Mark Evans also sent through a fascinating insects: in essence where can we change account of the 2014 weather records. The management to allow grass areas to bald figures of 2258.65 mm of measurable become conservation hay meadows and not precipitation made it the second wettest lawns? So if you are keen on pollinators, my winter in 20 years in Cwmbach (only 2000 advice is to do a bit of botanising. If you was wetter). Compare and contrast with have a lawn, or you are responsible for a bit Marcus’s 3806.5 mm for Treherbert (which of grassland or amenity space have a look again shows the significant west-east rainfall and see what you have, and how changed differences in the County Borough). A few management might realise a wildflower rich comments in Mark’s weather record showed display. If we trust in our fantastic natural the trend for 2014, on the 9/2/14 ‘note this is seedbanks and put our efforts into now the wettest winter in 20 year (Mark management then we might realise some recorded 1300 mm of precipitation over the real biodiversity action which can benefit not winter of 2013/14) and 16/2/14 ‘after 66 only pollinators but much more besides. days of measureable precipitation this was the first dry day in 2014’. For 2014 Mark Weather recorded that he had 252 days with some Marcus Middlehurst sent through his measureable precipitation and 232 days excellent Treherbert precipitation totals. with 0.2 mm or more: it shows just what a These beautifully pick up the theme of a wet moist climate we have. Mark also had the mid winter grading into the long and dry late average max temperatures of 14.57 degrees winter and spring. C and average mean minimum of 6.25 degrees C: characteristics of a mild oceanic Dec 2014, Total precipitation 459mm, max climate. 85 on 18th and a grand precipitation total for 2014 of 3806.5mm with no measurable Spring snow during calendar year. Margaret Harding enjoyed the cool, but Jan 2015, Total 551mm, highest 78mm on generally sunny spring: ‘well spring is 1st with only 5 rain free days in the month definitely on its way the daffodils, celandines Feb 2015 Total 234mm, highest 50mm on and primroses are everywhere. Even the the 22nd and no rain for 10 days (2nd to butterflies are out in force there is a field 11th). next to the fire station in Talbot Green where March 2015 Total 133.5mm, highest on I saw 2 male brimstone it was the middle of 30th at 33mm and average 4.31mm the day and they would not settle so no April 2015 Total 39mm, highest on 28th photos but there were peacocks and a much at14mm, next highest on 2nd at 13mm, slower comma which I managed to capture.