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3 days ago by pontcymru #GrazeroftheWeek this Friday follows on from our Habitat in Focus and ties in with #WoolWeek2019 . Ellie Wellie the Balwen Welsh Mountain Sheep, a breed local to the Tywi Valley, is a conservation grazer on Cae Waxcap at @walesbotanic #nationalbotanicgardensofwales . Grass length needs to be kept low for the waxcap fruiting season in September-November so the sheep have been in the field since early July. Grassland fungi cannot tolerate artificial fertiliser – it can take them decades to recover from just one application which is why grassland fungi have disappeared from large stretches of Welsh pasture over the past 70-80 years.
4 days ago by pontcymru This week is #WorldCommonsWeek2019 and we are celebrating our wonderful commons, which cover 8.4% of Wales. Commons are important for nature and often large swaths of our most beautiful landscapes. The original meaning of the term ‘commons’ comes from the way communities managed land that was held ‘in common’ in medieval Europe. Across Wales, they include important habitats such as Fridd, rhos pasture, woodland, heathland (wet, dry, dune), bog and limestone cliff. They support rare species such as marsh fritillary, golden plover, curlew, Southern damselfly, powdercap strangler and fen orchid. We have farmers and their grazing animals to thank for
5 days ago by pontcymru Habitat in Focus; Waxcap Grasslands Take a walk across unimproved upland sheep pasture at this time of year and your eye may be caught by a splash of bright colour in the sward. Autumn is the time when the fruiting bodies of waxcap fungi (Hygrocybe) emerge and they are truly extraordinary. In a variety of colours, including white, yellow, red, pink and bright green, these fungi are still a mystery to mycologists. Waxcaps only appear on short swards and they are intolerant to ploughing, seeding and fertiliser. Recent surveys have shown that waxcap grasslands are more extensive in the UK
1 week ago by pontcymru Today marks the start of Wool Week 2019. PONT Cymru director and @fuw_uac Vice President Ian Rickman highlights the importance of the use of wool as a sustainable, plastic-free product. “Every year our sheep will produce a new fleece and they will do so as long as there is grass for them to graze on, making wool an excellent renewable fibre source. That is especially true if compared to synthetic fibres, which require oil and refineries and are a non-renewable resource for man-made fibre production.” Wool Week aims to highlight wool’s natural performance qualities and ecological benefits. Full story here:
2 weeks ago by pontcymru Formally feral pony, White Walker recently made the move from the Gower Hills to the edge of the Black Mountains. So named for her eerie blue eye! With her sister Baby Dice, she is grazing a wet meadow with dominant molinia grass, to help maintain the habitat for marsh fritillary butterflies. Thanks to @gowerponies and @redwingsuk for their hard work with these ponies who are now expert conservation grazers! Read more at our website (link in bio under Grazers of the Week) #GrazingisAmazing #PoriynRhagori #GrazeroftheWeek #PONTCymru #Conservationgrazing #marshfritillary #grasslandmanagement #pony #poniesofinstagram #ponygrazing #habitatmanagement #sustainablehabitatmanagement #horsesofinstagram #whitewalker
2 weeks ago by pontcymru A nice upcoming event for those who'd like to learn more about pony grazing. A day spent watching feral ponies in their natural habitat with host and facilitator Jenni Nellist - Horses Translated. You'll spend the day walking over Cefn Bryn common in the heart of Gower, visiting the different pony family groups and observing how they interact with each other and with their environment. @gowerponies http://ow.ly/PdiY50wit69 (linkinbio) #wildponies #ponies #conservationgrazing #grazingisamazing #poriynrhagori #gowerponies #poniesofinstagram #commons #gowercommons #animalbehaviour #grazing #horsebehaviour #herd #herdmentality #horses #gower #welshconservation