Monmouthshire Meadows Issue 27 Registered Charity No
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Monmouthshire Meadows Issue 27 Registered Charity No. 1111345 Autumn 2017 Our aims are to conserve and enhance the landscape by enabling members to maintain, manage and restore their semi-natural grasslands and associated features In This Issue From the Chair From the Chair .......................... 1 Stephanie Tyler School visit to Wet Meadow .... 2 Another spring and summer of surveys and giving advice; Sheelagh Contacting MMG ....................... 2 Kerry, Elsa Wood and I visited 18 new members and supporters and we made Autumn Social .......................... 3 revisits to three other members. Some of the fields we surveyed turned out Meadows Open Days 2017 ....... 3 to be excellent sites with many interesting plants and will qualify as Local Members’ Meadows ................ 4 Wildlife Sites. Grassland Fungi: A Field Guide . 4 At the invitation of Vivien Mitchell from Transition Monmouth I looked with her at some grassland by Lancaster Way at Osbaston where it was Wild Bees in the Meadows ....... 5 hoped to create a meadow. This site has in the past been mown 10 or 12 Wake-up Call ............................. 7 times a year but this year it was allowed to grow into late June with no cuts. MMG’s Summer Diary ............... 9 There was no need to create a meadow – one was already there with many Long Forest Project Update ... 10 of the indicator plants one would wish for and a bonus was two flower spikes of Pyramidal Orchid. Unfortunately there was a hiccup with the County New Members ........................ 11 Council mowing the best area too soon and leaving uncut the coarser area Obituaries ............................... 11 where we had recommended earlier cutting! Next year fingers crossed the Dates for your Diary ............... 12 management will be right. An officer from Natural Resources Wales invited me to look at a woodland planting scheme near Devauden. This is a Carbon offset project owned by Thorlux where native broad-leaves have been planted on grassland. Unfortunately much of the grassland was species-rich with marshy hollows so should never have been planted in the first case. However, open areas and broad rides are still present and these not only are rich in plants but amazingly rich in butterflies. We noted clouds of Marbled Whites, Meadow Browns and Ringlets at every footstep. Without management these areas will become dominated by coarse grasses. We contacted Devauden & Itton Community Council as members had concerns about the planting scheme and the Council and the Meadows Group wrote to Thorlux about the management and had encouraging responses. continued/- Grassland Fungi: A Field Guide Published by Monmouthshire Meadows Group Now available – full details on page 4 inside www.monmouthshiremeadows.org.uk Page 1 A talk to Caldicot U3A in the spring about the work Trellech School Visit to our of MMG resulted in a visit to Kingcoed Meadows in early July by an appreciative Science Group from the U3A and Wet Meadow Reserve one person was so impressed with the flowers in the On July 18th two education officers from Gwent meadow that she asked us if she could site two bee hives Wildlife Trust spent the day at Trellech Wet Meadow at the edge of one of the fields. This was agreed and the working with staff and children (94 in total) from Trellech hives are in place. Roger Ruston, a Monmouth solitary school. The aim of the day was to familiarize participants bee expert has been busy during the summer looking for with flora, fauna and invertebrates that can be found bees at Kingcoed and at Wet Meadow near Trellech. there. It was also to demonstrate to staff the kinds of (There is an article by Roger further on in this newsletter.) activities they could run with their classes using a Two work tasks were held at our field at Four Acres valuable local resource such as the meadow. Maryland to control the Japanese Knotweed and also to All the Key Stage 2 children took part. Each class pull up invading Bracken and another work task took had an hour's slot for three different activities. These place at a member’s field at Llanvair Kilgeddin to pull up included a flower running id game, a pollination game, a vast quantities of Himalayan Balsam. We also mowed pollination survey, an invertebrate hunt and a 'flag a several garden meadows and a meadow strip at the flower' activity. GWT staff were really impressed with Bridges Centre. the enthusiasm and level of engagement of all the Our Open Day was held at three sites on a very hot children, even though they were only days away from June day and we were present at Usk Civic Society’s breaking up for the summer holidays. Biodiversity Day, Monmouth Bee Festival, Clytha House The activities were limited to a small area of the Open Day (in the rain) and at Chepstow Show – more on meadow in order to minimize the trampling but the these events further on in this newsletter but a warm children could see that, even after one activity, there was thanks to all Committee members and others who already significant trampling. This became a very useful helped out. learning opportunity as the children realized how quickly Management continued at Kingcoed Meadows an area could be damaged and why it is so important that and at Wet Meadow fields at Trellech where two Gwent visitors to the meadow stick to the paths. Wildlife Trust (GWT) field teachers spent a day with GWT staff really enjoyed their day with the pupils from Trellech School. A new drinking pond was children who left buzzing about their new experiences installed and the new hedge we planted in March was and the new things that they had learned. This may be weeded by local member Dick Coates who also wardens one of those days that they remember forever! the fields each day. GWT volunteers also had a day clearing more rubbish and improving the fence on the Petra Mitchard, Gwent Wildlife Trust west side. Trellech Wet Meadow is our new reserve, which we are Steph Tyler managing in partnership with Gwent Wildlife Trust Contact MMG If you are not a member and would like to join contact our membership secretary Cecilia Davies on 01281 681222 or [email protected] or use our online membership form For general information please contact Sheelagh Kerry on 01873 890598 or [email protected] Contributions to the newsletter or items for the web site can be sent to the editor, Marilyn Dunkelman [email protected] Contact details for our Committee, as well as news and events, are on our web site www.monmouthshiremeadows.org.uk Follow us on Twitter @MonMeadows www.monmouthshiremeadows.org.uk Page 2 Coming Soon – Our Autumn Social Thursday 31st October at the Centenary Hall, Usk This year’s Autumn get-together will be at the There’s a charge to cover the cost of the buffet Centenary Hall in Usk on Tuesday 31st October, starting (which includes a glass of wine) but if you are a member at 7pm. and just want to come to the talk it’s free (with a small The evening will feature a talk from Dr Rupert charge to non-members): Perkins of Cardiff University on meadow butterflies, • Members: £14.00 each followed by a buffet supper. • Non-members: £17.00 each • Meeting only: £2.00 non-members (members free) Dr Perkins is a Senior Lecturer at Cardiff University’s School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, and Please book in advance as we need to know how many outside work he has a passion for butterflies and moths people to cater for. You can book online on our web site and is an excellent photographer. His talk will feature a or contact Marilyn Dunkelman: telephone 01600 860031, comparison of meadow butterflies in the UK and Spain. or email [email protected] There will be an update on our activities and plenty Send payment by cheque, made payable to of time to chat with fellow meadow enthusiasts during Monmouthshire Meadows Group, to Marilyn at The the buffet supper, served Beeches, The Narth, Common Blue (Jon Dunkelman) after the speakers. Monmouth NP25 4QL. If you prefer to pay using Internet Centenary Hall (also banking we’ll send account known as the Scout Hut) is in details when we receive the far corner of the your booking. Maryport Street South Car Park, Maryport Street, NP15 If you would like us to 1AD (opposite the prison) arrange a lift for you, let us where there is ample free know. parking. There is a link to a location map on our web site. Looking Back - Open Meadows Day 2017 This year we teamed up with Gwent Wildlife Trust to offer guided walks around five beautiful Monmouthshire meadows on a glorious sunny day, Sunday 18th June. Llanllowell House, home of Hamish Sandison, featured two lovely hay meadows, an orchard and woodland alongside a stream. A short walk away is the GWT reserve at Springdale Farm, acquired by the Trust for its hay meadows, but also incorporating woodland and spectacular views of the Usk Valley, Brecon Beacons and Wentwood Forest. (It’s worth a visit at any time.) Our flagship reserve, Kingcoed Meadows, was open, and the tour ended in Trellech to give everyone a chance to explore our new reserve, Wet Meadow, as well as GWT’s stunning New Grove Meadows. As always we’re grateful to our hosts, and to the caterers who provided much appreciated refreshments at Llanllowell House and Wet Meadow. It was particularly pleasing to see so many locals at Trellech as well as the usual meadow enthusiasts.