Many thanks to Andrew for supplying details of this upcoming meeting which may be of interest to members…

WILDLIFE TRUST SOUTH & WEST WALES

YMDDIRIEDOLAETH NATUR DE A GORLLEWIN CYMRU 

East Carmarthenshire Group

 

ANNUAL PUBLIC LECTURE

 

“POISED ON THE BRINK”

Bringing Pine Martens back from the edge of extinction

 an update by Jenny McPherson, Pine Marten Project

 Manager, The Vincent Wildlife Trust

 

Monday 30^th October at 7.30pm

 

The Civic Hall, Crescent Road, Llandeilo

 

For further information contact:-

Valerie Arnall, Honorary Secretary – 01267 25345

Entry – £2  All Welcome Croeso i Pawb

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Thanks also to Isabel and Richard for supplying the link below which details appropriate management for anyone with marshy grassland areas which support Devilsbit Scabious plants … and possibly Marsh Fritillary butterflies (below). Click for this management PDF, produced by Butterfly Conservation…. Marsh Fritillary techpages_Bilingual

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I was very fortunate to be able to go, at short notice, to the launch in Monmouthshire of a new book which many meadow owners will find extremely useful. 

The Grassland Fungi Field Guide by Elsa Wood and Jon Dunkelman is the result of a collaborative project between the authors, Jon’s wife Marilyn who created the book’s formatting, 2 other photographers and other members of the Monmouthsire Meadows Group (MMG). MMG  have also produced the book, with financial help from a number of other local ecology based groups – a huge achievement.

The book launch took place last Sunday at the Pentwyn Farm Nature reserve, one of the sites managed by the Gwent Wildlife Trust, which is a restored cottage, dead man’s barn and 11 acres of traditional hay meadows which the trust has managed since 1991.

Well over 100 visitors were taken on guided tours of a few of the fields. In what has apparently been a poor year in Monmouthshire for grassland fungi (because of lack of autumn rain), the groups still managed to find a very colourful collection of fungi including many different Waxcaps.

We returned to the buildings where a finger buffet took place after the official book launch. Needless to say we bought a copy, and it is beautifully produced, and the best guide to grassland fungi that I’ve seen, since each species page features clear descriptive text, together with several high quality colour images, along with both common English and scientific names.

The book has been compiled over the last 4 years of studying and photographing fungi in the many small, traditional meadows in the locality. By focusing on just grassland fungi, it makes the sometimes tricky task of identifying one mushroom from another so much easier.So it’s highly recommended for anyone fascinated by these colourful late summer and autumnal “arrivals” in many of our meadows, which help to remind us all of the vital role that many of the hidden below the ground fungal networks have in maintaining a healthy meadow ecosystem.

More details on the book (RRP £19.99) and how to purchase it, can be found by clicking here, on the NHBS site.

It’s hoped that CMG may be able to organise a visit to the Pentwyn reserve sometime in the summer of 2018.

Julian Wormald

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Thanks for reading, and remember I’m always happy to receive any suitable articles or photos to include as blog posts. Please send them to me…

Julian Wormald… website@carmarthenshiremeadows.com