Category: 2025

The summer was hot and dry. The usual species of birds and butterflies were seen in reasonable numbers. It was good to see the gatekeeper a few times – not seen often here and the painted lady. The apples were abundant and have been providing food for many species. since September.  A wasp nest appeared on the ground on the path behind the shed but sadly this was dug out a few weeks after being spotted. A dead mole appeared on the meadow grass in September. There was no evidence of any marks on it. The mole is one of Britain’s most elusive mammals and is rarely seen as they spend most of their life deep underground tunnels. They are territorial and solitary, except during the mating season in spring when the males search for females. They used to be killed for their fur and are, sadly, still considered a pest by some. However, their digging helps aerate the soil thereby helping keep it fertile. They also prey on species considered to be pests in agriculture so can contribute to pesticide-free farming.  We were pleased to have hundreds of molehills here last year. The soil, being crumbly and dry, is useful for throwing in the graves for those who want to scatter earth at the funeral.

We had some interesting details of a woodcock encounter from one of our regular walkers here. It was in the top woodland and as her and her dog walked past, the bird was flushed from its camouflage amongst the leaves.  She saw it the morning after the full moon on the 5th.  She was thrilled to discover that this is known as a ‘ Woodcock Moon ‘ as migrating woodcocks arrive this time of year. She also tells us that in America these stunning birds are known as ‘ Timberdoodles ‘.

In October the rains came with Autumn storms and flooding. While the woodlands soaked up most of the groundwater there was some standing water on the paths. The wet weather brought with it an outpouring of fungal fruiting bodies, popping up not just in amongst the trees but also in the wildflower meadows. We found Pestle puffballs had migrated from their fruiting spot in the top woodland down to the bottom edge of the wildflower meadow and what we believe to be Violet Webcaps interspersed in amongst the silver birch trees.

On a hot, sunny day in late April, an interesting discovery was over 100 of the tiny micro moths, Pachyrhabda steropodes, flying around its food plant (the Soft Shield fern – Polystichum setiferum) in the pond field. We understand this was probably the first record for the general Teifi valley area. It is an Australian species that was first discovered in 2010.

 

The most common butterfly here during the spring is the speckled wood. They like to fly and bask in sun dappled woodland and will often be seen defending their patches against others of the same species. They were soon joined by our most common butterflies – the meadow brown and ringlet.  We also saw skippers, the usual whites, peacock and red admiral. Other insect species of interest included the banded demoiselle and a variety of moths including the dot moth, marbled white spot, grass rivulet, straw dot, yellow shell, silver-ground carpet, grass-veneers, silver y, five-spot burnet, barred straw and the beautiful green silver-lines. We also saw the lava of a yellow shell moth on a dock as well as the beautiful green dock beetle (Gastrophysa viridula).

 

We often see the intriguing swollen-thighed beetle, also known as the thick-legged flower beetle or false oil beetle (Oedemera nobilis). The names come from the males’ green bulges on the femora of their hind legs. It is a pollinator of many open-structured flowers including cow parsley, ox-eye daisy and ­bramble – all common here. These beetles are most frequently spotted in bright sunlight on flower heads on warm to hot days.

 

The butterfly orchid came up again in the pond field – two flower spikes this year. We have only found one southern marsh orchid here in the largest of the four areas of the reserve, but this did not return this year. However, last year six were planted around a grave. These came up again this year. We are delighted to have these plants as this species has disappeared from 20% of its historical range. The reduction is almost certainly due to changing agricultural practices and the draining of damp pastures. They do well in wildflower meadows.

 

 

It has been a mild winter but following the very strong winds in autumn we have had to clear a lot of fallen branches and make safe some trees, particularly ash, if they are suffering from Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. We have ‘re-planted’ some of the stems into the ground to form some natural sculptures which should rot down and provide shelter for insects. We have also created many habitat piles which should make valuable habitat for several species. A huge beech in the wild field across from the pond, blew over and took with it a large section of the bank. This has created a long cave-like structure which may well provide homes and shelters for larger animal species. As the beech is not unsafe and may continue to grow, we have left it.

We saw the usual bird species for this time of year, including snipe and woodcock. The starlings were here in their hundreds and huge murmurations were seen at roosting times when they pass over to their roosting site. By early March they had gone, leaving just a few of the indigenous population, which often breed locally using old woodpecker holes in electricity poles for nesting sites. Over the last few months, on a Wednesday and Friday, a neighbour has been feeding the birds of prey with meat scraps from the local butcher, so we have been seeing lots more kites, buzzards and ravens. On one day there were 33 kites flying overhead. During the funeral held on the 14^th January, two swans flew overhead.

We continue to plant daffodils, bluebells, snowdrops and primroses on the graves. The daffodils have flowered well this year. The very pretty and delicate scarlet elf caps are abundant on the many fallen twigs and branches throughout the site.

The old nest we found in the dogwood is probably that of a chaffinch. The dogwood is dense and when in leaf provides a safe place for nesting birds.

We have cleared the area around the large, old, circular water trough. It is deep and full of water although it is silted up to about a foot from the surface. We have planted some flag iris and bogbean and hope to add other native water species such as marsh marigold, spearwort and water cress.

On the 24^th February the frogspawn started to be laid in the pond and by the beginning of March there were over 30 clumps of spawn.

Spring is a very active time for moles as they search for food, mates and make new tunnels. We have a lot of mole hills. Moles spend most of their lives in tunnels that they dig themselves at depths varying from immediately below the surface to 70cm or more. Loose soil is pushed up a shaft to the surface, forming the molehills. The exposed soil is rich and crumbly, making it ideal to use when planting.