Pollinator planting - what can be achieved

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Bit proud of my effort over the last few years to (against serious opposition) get a pollinator scheme going in the valley, went for a short stroll today (too bleedin' hot for much else) along our riverside walk which from a small piece of land donated by my fishing club has now grown to a cross county cycle route from Llanelli, ll the way past my house and over the hills to the Neath valley and back to Swansea.
The first concession I won was a three fot wide strip in a large triangular piece of land not far from Brynmair between the road and the river, it only goes for a few hundred yards The whole area has now been put to self seeding pollinator plants abound with oxeye daisies, plantains etc, and gets better as the season goes on there are also plenty of willows there, and mature Buddleija. the scheme now also encompases other parts of the path as well as a ten acre plus piece of parkland now being turned over to wildflower meadow with ample brambles and fruit trees which path users will be encouraged to enjoy.
The first area was alive with bees of all kinds today and butterflies, and hearing the kids playing in the 'Hospital pool' the other side of the willow trees brough back fond memories, it is outside our cottage hospital by the way opened as a community run hospital in 1936 and where the first NHS baby, Aneira Thomas (who I have the honour to know) was born.


One of the council member was adamant (for some daft reason) that we shouldn't have Borage in the mix but obviously some scallywag has been doing a bit of guerilla seed scattering by the waves of blue in one corner



One of our more nationalistic councillors was adamant (for some strange reason) that we shouldn't have Borage in the mix so how there happened to be blue star flower popping up all over the place I have no idea

 

[happyculteur]

That is fantastic. Encouraging this sort of scheme is very important. And a hell of a headache to put in place. Well done. (Doesn't borage have seed pods that stick in dogs coats?)

 

[Beekeeper Brownie]

Great effort! The saying 'From small seeds grow mighty trees' spring to mind here.

I'm not aware of Borage seed having hooks on it like cleavers or burdock which definitely do stick.

 

[DaveG23]

Good work. That's great to see.

What's the story with the borage and the councillor?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

What's the story with the borage and the councillor?

The usual five second google expert. Unfortunately he schmoozes over to the clerk's office (opposite his house) every five minutes and being county councillor as well as town councillor well.................................

 

[DaveG23]

The usual five second google expert. Unfortunately he schmoozes over to the clerk's office (opposite his house) every five minutes and being county councillor as well as town councillor well.................................

The officious control type, what would local politics do with out them?

 

[bigadg]

My farmer has planted 25 acres of herbal leys, bees are all over it

 

[Pembroke]

Looking good. If you need any help or advice (assuming you don't know of them already?) this group may be useful Carmarthenshire Meadows Group - Grŵp Dolydd Sir Gaerfyrddin

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Looking good. If you need any help or advice (assuming you don't know of them already?) this group may be useful Carmarthenshire Meadows Group - Grŵp Dolydd Sir Gaerfyrddin

Thanks, yes, in a round about way we are in touch - like most community councils (well, the ones that bother doing anything about anything) we rope in any organisation or scheme that may help us at little cost. I actually attended a seminar at Middleton hall last year with regards meadow reclamation and good use of public spaces, we have quite a few other projects and schemes running and we host an environmental project which, together with grassland etc is looking at wild birds, otters and goodness knows what else. We supply the workshops and materials for things like bird and bat boxes and the person who runs that (not employed by us, but by the county) then designs environmental proposals for things like sympathetic maintenance of roadside verges etc and advises on reeseeding and meadow maintenance.
The only sad thing is, that when Welsh Government launched their pollinator initiative at the Royal Welsh show way back in 2013 (I was there, representing the WBKA and was interviewed for BBC Radio Cymru) I already had a plan in place for our valley and if it wasn't for disinterest, if not downright opposition from other councillors, coupled with the fact I was out in Africa for three months the following spring it would have built by now and we could rightly claim to be the first community in Wales to have a pollinator initiative in place.