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If you are
planning a cottage holiday in Wales for the month of May, why
not try and spot the following:
Top Row - From Left to Right
1. Swallow Hirundo rustica
Swallows are the very epitome of summer in Wales. The most celebrated
of all out summer migrants, the swallow is a truly remarkable
creature. Look out for them catching flies above the fields and
in the farmyard. The swallow in this picture spent the winter
in South Africa. He then flew over 6,000 miles to build a nest
in the cowshed at Plas Farm. He managed to cross the Sahara within
three days, avoid dehydration and pass the Mediterranean and North
African high nets of the humans who eat them as delicacies. All
he has to do now is finish building the nest and wait for his
wife to arrive in a fortnight. She will inspect the nest and add
the finishing touches (internal decor). In 2003, we became part
of a swallow monitoring program that resulted in 4 chicks born
in the old dairy being ringed prior to their maiden voyage to
southern Africa with the intention of tracking their progress.
At the time of writing, no Plas Farm swallows have been recaptured.
2. Beef Cattle at Plas Farm
Plas Farm is a working sheep and beef farm. If
you want to see lots of cute claves, then May is a good month.
A beef cow is dry all winter, calves in the spring and rears its
offspring over the summer months.
3. Rhododendron Rhododendton ponticum
Rhododendron ponticum is an evergreen shrub native
to northern Turkey, but also occurs in parts of Spain, Portugal
and Bulgaria. It was introduced to Britain in about 1763, probably
from Mediterranean regions as an ornamental shrub and was planted
extensively by the Victorians in the gardens of many large houses
where it grew very successfully. The Plas Cilybebyll estate was
no exception. Rhododendrons were used to beautify the grounds
of the estate and were planted along footpaths through the woods
and along the old entrance driveway to the main house. They thrived
in the mild conditions of high rainfall and humidity, together
with acidic soil. Indeed, when they got planted in the Swansea
Valley they probably thought that they’d been planted in
heaven. A wide range of rare and exotic varieties were planted
as an expression of wealth, social prominence and extravagant
lifestyle. The deep shades of red, varying hues of mauve, pink
and white are a sight to behold in the summer and it is said that
cuttings were taken from the Plas Cilybebyll estate to stock Clyne
Gardens, Swansea which now boasts an internationally recognised
collection of Rhododendrons.
Middle
Row - From Left to Right
4. Sheep Grazed Woodland
This picture was taken on The Plas Farm Trail. You can
spot the waymarker on the fence post and a stile between the trees
in the distance. It is a magical part of the trail and a lovely
place to stop for a picnic. The trees are mainly silver birch and
willow. Carpets of unusual mosses join the trees and small native
bluebells sprout through the green grazed grass.
5. Hawthorn Crataegus mongyna
The name 'Hawthorn' comes from the Anglo-Saksen 'Hagathorn'.
Haga means hedge. The scientific name 'Crataegus' comes from the
Greek 'kratos' meaning 'strong', which refers to the hardness of
the wood. Monogyna means 'one-pistil! Some of its many common names
are: Bread and Cheese Tree, Hagthorn, Haw, May, Mayblossom, Mayflower,
Maythorn, Maybush, Whitethorn, Quickset and Quickthorn. Some even
call it the Faerie Tree as it is one of our most wild, enchanted
and sacred native trees. This picture was taken in the fields on
the mountain slopes behind the holiday cottages. It shows three
hawthorn trees alongside a silver birch. Hawthorn is very valuable
to local wildlife. It supports over 200 insect species alone, not
to mention providing berries for birds later in the season.
6. Bumble Bee Bombus
lucorum
Britain has 18 species of bumble-bee. Bumble bees have
much thicker, hairier bodies than honey-bees, usually about the
same length. They forage for food, pollinate flowers and sting predators
just like honey bees. They also have three castes - workers, drones
and a queen which live in a social group. However, their colonies
are much smaller than the complex colonies of honey-bees - up to
150 bumble-bees compared to 50,000 honey bees. Bumbles do not make
enough honey for their colonies to survive the winter. In autumn,
the workers, the drones and the old queen all die as the cold weather
arrives. Fertilized young queens fly off and hibernate until the
spring sun wakens them to found new colonies. The species in the
picture has two yellow bands across its body and a distinctive white
tail. It is busy collecting pollen from a Rhododendron ponticum
bush and storing it in baskets on its legs.
Bottom
Row - From Left to Right
7. The Welsh Poppy Meconopsis cambrica
The Welsh Poppy is north-west Europe's only native species
of poppy. It grows in abundance around the holiday cottages where
it contrasts beautifully with the blue grey sandstone from which
the cottages are built. The flower has recently been adopted as
the logo of Plaid Cymru, the Welsh National Party.
8. May Landscape
This picture was taken on the slopes of Mynydd Marchywel Mountain,
a ten minute walk from the holiday cottages. It shows the upper
Swansea Valley. The barren rocky mountain is Allt-y-grug, which
translates as The Hillside of Heather.
9. Red Kite
Red Kites are thought by many to be the UK's most beautiful
bird of prey. Red Kites are distinctive because of their forked
tail and striking colour - predominantly chestnut red with white
patches under the wings and a pale grey head. Every now and then,
one is seen flying acrobatically above the farm. Persecution meant
that the bird was exterminated in England, Scotland and most of
Wales by the end of the last century. Only in rural Mid Wales did
Red Kites hang on, their numbers down to just a few pairs. Scientific
research at Nottingham University claims that the entire population
of kites in 1977 emanated from just one female bird. Thanks to the
work of conservationists, Wales now has around 600 breeding pairs,
(data courtesy of The Welsh Kite Trust) and they are being reintroduced
to other parts of Britain. Red Kites are neither particularly strong
nor aggressive despite being large birds. Primarily a scavenger
and an opportunist; it profits from sheep carrion but is not capable
of opening up sheep or lamb carcasses by itself and has to wait
until more powerful birds such as ravens or buzzards have made the
first inroads before it will attempt to feed. Red Kites are however
predators and take a wide variety of live prey, ranging from earthworms
to small mammals, amphibians and birds. If you not lucky enough
to spot one at the farm, our holiday cottages are in a convenient
location for a day trip to the Red Kite Feeding Station in the Brecon
Beacons National Park.
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