The Strandline Beetle - conservation action Natur-am-Byth

 Hi all,

Usually the blog is a look back, but this edition is a look forward to some challenging work planned for tomorrow, Monday 7th April.

Working alongside the Natur-am-Byth project Natural Resources Wales / Natur am byth! Saving Wales’ threatened species  we will be installing a few different types of refugia along a quiet part of Cefn Sidan which was a regular haunt of this near extinct beetle.

Installation instructions

Using a mix of timber (old pallets), logs, roofing tiles, and maybe the odd car tyre f refugia sites will be located along 500m of beach. These refugia will be made as secure as is possible with signage asking visitors to leave them alone .

The volunteer conservation rangers will then monitor the refugia and gather what evidence they find, positive or negative.

Small flowered Catchfly

Another project now well underway (and attracting the attention of the BBC) is the Carbon Capture/pollinator/rare plant repository project now at Festival Fields in the Millennium Coast Park, (yes its expanded its purpose a bit) .

Initial preparation work is finished and the first delivery of 200t "boss-slag" from the Port Talbot Steel works arrives on Thursday. Once the deliveries are finished 5900 plug plants and several kilos of mixed native coastal plant seed will be planted, typically its too dry at the moment.

We are grateful to Katie Sutton, formerly of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust for providing the funds for the plants and seed, and for Sandra and Barry Stewart of Celtic Wildflowers for masterminding the plan.... Celtic Wildflowers, Garden Nursery Near Me, Order Wildflowers Online 

I'll keep you informed you never know we may need volunteers to plant those 5900 plugs!