Bumblebee Surveys In Carmarthenshire; Spawning in Local Ponds

Thanks to Isabel for forwarding on information about these 2 surveys which will probably interest a lot of our members and readers:

Bee Wild West Wales Bumblebee Survey 2018

Here at Bumblebee Conservation Trust Wales we are looking forward to a busy season delivering the next phase of our Bee Wild West Wales project. Part of this will involve bumblebee surveys on new sites in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire. We will be identifying sites of potential value for bumblebees, followed by site visits to survey for common species such as the Buff tailed bumble bee (Bombus terrestris) and rarer species such as the Moss carder bee (Bombus muscorum) and the Brown banded carder bee (Bombus humilis). 

If you have a flower rich meadow or similar habitat which you feel may be of value to bumblebees and would like it to be considered for survey please do get in touch. We can’t promise to visit every site but we will do our best to cover as many as possible.

You can contact us at buzzingwales@bumblebeeconservation.org. Many thanks.

______________________________________

Secondly a chance to contribute to surveys of frog and toad spawning. I guess many members with ponds will always look forward to the first sightings of spawning frogs and toads. Last year our frogs were off the mark really early, in the first week of February, but our toad numbers, which always spawn later, seemed very low indeed. How will things be in 2018?

PondNet Spawn Survey Wales 1st Feb – 31st May

Freshwater habitats Trust would like your help in reporting frog and toad spawn in your local or garden pond. You can do your bit by taking part in the PondNet Survey Wales. (https://freshwaterhabitats.org.uk/projects/pondnet/spawnsurvey2018/)

The results will help map out the distribution of frogs and toads in Wales. The survey runs form 1st Feb to 31st May.

 

___________________________________

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

 

 

This entry was posted in Meadow Flowers, Wildflower Meadows and tagged , , by thegardenimpressionists - Julian and Fiona Wormald. Bookmark the permalink.
Unknown's avatar

About thegardenimpressionists - Julian and Fiona Wormald

Julian and Fiona Wormald met and married while still at university - quite unconventional, even back then. Shortly after qualifying we established our own veterinary practice in Bristol, soon opening a second. We also set up a high-end prepared chilled meal service from our home for a few years, complete with off-licence wine options. (We hate being idle, and have lots of ideas, some of which don't work so well!) We ran the original practice for over 20 years although after 11 years had bought a derelict property in West Wales for a new challenge. 12 years after this purchase, we decided to 'jump off the wheel' and sell our practice, relocating to West Wales having gradually restored our longhouse home and begun making a garden and wildflower meadows surrounding it. And after realising that there was more to life than chasing income. We began opening the garden for charity, for the National Garden Scheme in 2010. About 14 years ago we started "The Garden Impressionists" and soon set up our website and blog to record and discuss our current ideas. Our principal gardening influences over the years have included the gardens and writings of William Robinson, Claude Monet, Beth Chatto, Christopher Lloyd, Fergus Garrett, and Noel Kingsbury. Incorporating some of their thoughts and philosophy into our own garden, alongside our own ideas of what is important for this location and climate, has kept us physically and mentally challenged as the garden has developed - and as time has passed, age increasingly influences decision-making.

Leave a comment