Habitat management Wednesday 17th January 2018

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We are so fortunate, along the Llanelli coast, to have so many great habitats to explore, and many of the best are protected one way or another, either through legislation and ownership or just the sheer logistics of getting to the site.

There are many plants which are generally scarce through the UK, and one with a tenuous grasp on Carmarthenshire is the Small Flowered Catchfly, Silene gallica, which occurs naturally in one location in the county and that is around the walls of Burry Port Harbour.
Follow the link for a more detailed appraisal of the plant

https://www.plantlife.org.uk/application/files/4114/7913/4089/Silene_gallica__dossier.pdf

Silene gallica, Small flowered Catchfly, look for the plant from May onwards

The habitat at Burry Port has not been as closely managed as it could have been, with invasion by Couch Grass, Gorse and Radish.
before, no substrate visible for any seed to set,

 Hopefully the small amount of work we have done today will go some way to maintaining, and improving the population of this plant 
after,

after, more substrate exposed
This afternoon was spent carrying out a Knotweed and Rhododendron survey at the Pwll Lagoon LNR, sadly we found far too much of both, however subject to funding being available it's the sort of job that contractors can safely tackle.

Pwll Lagoon doesn't have particularly easy access, which is a good thing!!, but if you visit the habitat is one of woodland carr with lots of Birch as well as a fen type habitat, more information via the link below.

http://www.carmarthenshire.gov.wales/home/residents/your-community/biodiversity/nature-reserves/

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