Issue 12 December 2009 MONMOUTHSHIRE MEADOWS GROUP Aim - To conserve and enhance the landscape by enabling members to maintain, manage and restore their semi-natural grasslands and associated features. Contents visitor numbers rather low. Despite sell the hay bales but most fields this the event was much enjoyed weren‟t cut until the end of August 1. From the Chair. by those who did brave the or into September. Some of your elements. grazing pastures benefitted from 2. Poisonous Plants and Ron Shear‟s sheep or our own two Two popular sites – the orchard Grazing Animals Exmoor Ponies. Other activities by and meadow at Ty Mawr convent 3. Haymaking 2009 members of the committee and Ida Dunn‟s flower-rich fields at 4. Peter Chard. Memories of a included facilitating Bracken Maryland were open to the public friend. spraying at two sites on Lydart and again but we also had three „new‟ 5. Umbellifers in moving 90 bales of hay at Ty Mawr sites on show. One of these was a under cover. Monmouthshire series of small fields and adjacent 6. Our Carbon footprint woodland owned by Walter Keeler Surveys of new members’ fields 7. Tribute to Catherine at Penallt where a fine show of and provision of advice take up Sainsbury spotted orchids including hybrid time too. We have surveyed 8. Work Tasks Common Spotted x Heath Spotted grasslands in the Whitebrook 9. Dates for your diary were in evidence as well as Valley, at Far Hill, Cwmcarvan, at 10. Welcome to new members. Southern Marsh Orchid. Our Mitchel Troy common where a 11. Calling all members President Trevor Evans was on member had a lovely flower-rich hand much of the day to explain bank in her garden, at Rockfield, at how to differentiate these tricky White Castle and at Llancloudy orchids. A lucky few visitors also across the border into had a tour of Walter‟s pottery Herefordshire. Membership workshop and saw some of his fine To join contact Maggie on work. The other two sites were 01989 750740 Barbara Newby‟s triangle of or e-mail Maggie at grassland on Lydart Hill; although [email protected] quite small it is very rich in flowers or Bill at with abundant Meadow Saffrons [email protected] and Barbara had a display at the or Steph Tyler at entrance of the field of plants [email protected] growing in the field. Opposite this site was a very different damp pasture at Yew Tree, Lydart owned by Lynne Harper. Here visitors From the Chair. could admire the abundant By Stephanie Tyler Ragged Robin, Meadowsweet and other species. It seems no time at all since I Our sincere thanks go to the wrote a piece for the spring Keelers, Newbys, Lynne Harper, newsletter. Where did the spring Stephanie Tyler surveying in Llanishen Sister Gillian and Ida Dunn for and summer go? allowing visitor access to their We also visited Cwmbran At the time of writing, your lovely fields and inevitable Community farm where they are committee is busy organising the trampling of precious plants and developing a meadow. A possible open day for 2010 and applying for also for being on hand to talk site was selected on an earlier visit grants for grassland management! about their meadows and and then livestock were removed pastures. by the end of March and the grass The Open Day in 2009 despite and flowers then allowed to grow The awful July weather made hay- appalling weather before and after from late March to June so that we cutting difficult yet again. A lucky it did keep fine but the weather could assess what was there forecast, dark clouds and rumbles few had their hay fields cut in late already. The field turned out to be of thunder unfortunately kept June or early July and managed to www.monmouthshiregreenweb.co.uk/monmouthshiremeadows Page 1 of 6 Issue 12 December 2009 already very species-rich so no to buy and manage some Poisonous Plants and further intervention was necessary interesting fields for their Grazing Animals other than promoting an annual biodiversity and for the enjoyment By Stephanie Poulter hay crop in mid July with some of the residents of Shirenewton grazing in the autumn or very early and Mynydd Bach. He compared spring. and contrasted the work of the Although there are many plants MMG with that of the group that are potentially toxic to grazing We gave advice to staff and pupils running the community project at animals, many do not cause much at Trellech School on the Shirenewton. trouble, either because creatures management of a small hay avoid eating them due to an meadow that has been developed Then followed a beautifully unpleasant off-putting smell or a with our help within the school illustrated presentation by Lyn bitter taste or because, once they grounds. One afternoon Bill Jones, with help from her husband, are dead and shrivelled, the Howard, Amanda Copp and Steph Robert. They showed us some of poisonous constituents of some Tyler led a „bug‟ hunt in this patch the plants and animals – large and plants disappear, making them of grassland helping the children small – that live in their small safe to eat. This is the case with find beetles, spiders and all sorts pasture at five lanes near members of the buttercup family. Caerwent and that give them so We also organised and manned a Horses and cattle normally avoid much pleasure. Amanda Copp stand at Monmouth show. We eating them in pasture in the showed us photos of her patch – had lots of interest from potential summer months and there is no 80 acres of grassland and members at the latter, and our need to worry if buttercups are woodland at Far Hill, Llanishen – stand looked attractive with the present in your hay crop as the and described some of her array of photos on the display poison protoanemonin is unstable management headaches and boards, our MMG banner, plots and rendered harmless by drying. successes. By reducing grazing from grasslands of varying types pressure and managing some In sharp contrast, all varieties of and a range of meadow flowers to fields for hay many plants and ragwort, whose clusters of daisy- identify. We also had yellow/hay butterflies have appeared. She like yellow flowers on tall stems rattle seed and mixed wildflower envied though Lyn Jones‟ small have become a too familiar sight in seed for sale, thanks to the work of and manageable area of grassland fields, on roadside verges and Tim Green collecting seed from because she and her husband alongside forest tracks, remain just Pentwyn meadows with our jointly Peter have to spent many hours as toxic when dried and owned Gwent Wildlife Trust/MMG every week working in their unrecognisable in your bale of hay. seed harvester. woodland or elsewhere on the If an animal is fed hay containing The autumn meeting and supper property! ragwort the cumulative alkaloids on November 4th at Devauden present gradually destroy the liver, Snippet Village Hall was a great success. causing a lingering death. Ragwort If you need scrub or brambles As usual, the cooking team led by is officially classified as an cleared this winter please contact Caroline Howard and Maggie Biss Injurious Weed (The Weeds Act Steph Tyler. We may be able to provided some gourmet food and 1959) meaning it is against the law obtain funding to cover contractor’s wine at a very reasonable price. Jill to allow it to spread, but costs so please try to obtain an Featherstone, Elsa Wood and unfortunately no-one ever seems estimate for the work. Lindsay Tyler all made much to be prosecuted for allowing it to appreciated contributions. There flourish. RECENT NEWS ON FUNDING was of course an array of good Certain plants are more dangerous speakers to entertain and inform We heard in late November that to livestock at particular times of you. the Countryside Council for Wales the year. In the winter months had accepted our application for Trevor Evans gave us an poisonous evergreen trees and funding. Bill Howard applied for impromptu botanical talk on shrubs adjoining pastures can be funding to repair the tractor that we umbellifers, members of the carrot tempting when fields are bare of acquired from the Parish family (see below) that have small grass. Yew leaves have no off- Grasslands Project, for repairs to a white or yellow flowers in flat putting scent or taste and even a trailer at the Gwent Wildlife Trust umbels, such as the familiar Cow small amount of foliage can cause reserve at Pentwyn Farm (where Parsley or Queen Anne‟s lace sudden death from heart failure. we will keep our tractor) and Anthriscus sylvestris along our Poisoning has also occurred after importantly, for a new mower for lanes and roadsides in the spring. heavy snowfall when yew the tractor. Our grateful thanks go branches weighed down by snow Mike Sayce then talked about the to CCW for this money. efforts of Shirenewton community www.monmouthshiregreenweb.co.uk/monmouthshiremeadows Page 2 of 6 Issue 12 December 2009 come within reach of hungry poisonous plants that were ignored well as £845 from the PGP‟s livestock. by previous inhabitants familiar machinery fund. with their surroundings. Rhododendron and laurel leaves GWT to house the equipment at are also more readily taken during Overgrazing and poor pasture Pentwyn Barn and for Tim Green, the winter and cases of poisoning management may lead to the the GWT farm manager, to operate have occurred when people invasion of poisonous plants such the tractor to cut our member‟s hay mistakenly give animals hedge as buttercups, Ragwort and in exchange for GWT using the trimmings.