Natur Cymru

Issue 16

Read inside...

A peek at the leek

What does the choice of the leek as national symbol reveal about the Welsh nation? The modest graphic attributes of this useful vegetable mean that it has lost headway to the daffodil in recent years, but it still has compelling symbolic virtues. Peter Marren considers the cawl of botany, history, myth and legend, and why the leek can still stir national feelings.

Summary

Natur Cymru

Hen harriers – a passion for boda tinwyn

Brought to the verge of extinction by gamekeepers and the loss of moorland habitat, the hen harrier is fighting back in the uplands of Wales. PATRICK LINDLEY describes this graceful and patient hunter of the moors, and his own passion for a bird which itself requires great patience to track down and observe.

Rhydymwyn Valley

The location of a secret research facility, one small wooded valley, beneath which are miles of underground passages, could easily have been obliterated. Instead, it has been preserved for the benefit of the wildlife and people of the area. DAVID GROOM provides the details.

A bird in hand

Although it is a familiar bird and a favourite with many of us, the lapwing has had a hard time of it over the last century and a half. Efforts are afoot to try to stem the decline of the bird in Wales. Here ELINOR GWYNN describes as an example, the recent work on the Dyfi estuary which has succeeded in creating a habitat that attracts nesting lapwings. But we mustn’t fool ourselves – the situation of the lapwing in Wales is still vulnerable.

This article is written in Welsh. A translation is available on request.

Grasshoppers, crickets and their kin – an Orthopteran Odyssey

Would you like to get to grips with grasshoppers, crickets and other members of the small but fascinating insect group Orthoptera? You probably will when you have read STEVE WILLIAMS account of recording in Monmouthshire; these appealing hoppers and chirrupers offer the thrill of the chase, an orchestra of different songs and the prospect of lots of new site and even County records.

Seeking six scarce moths

We can all help record butterflies, but even common moths are too difficult for the non-specialist, you might think. But a project to find out more about six of Wales’ rarest moths is proving that volunteers can help with even the most challenging searches, as KELLY THOMAS reports.

Biodiversity in trust

With 225 kilometres of coastline, three quarters of the endangered remnant of montane heath, and nearly 50,000 hectares of Welsh countryside in its ownership, no organisation is better placed to do more for the natural environment than the National Trust. In the past, its nature conservation performance has been patchy at best. Now the National Trust in Wales has set out its commitment to nature in the form of a Biodiversity Strategy. HELEN BUCKINGHAM describes the National Trust’s vision for nature in Wales.

Between Rhaeadr Fawr and Dalar Hir: a flavour of the Abergwyngregyn area through its place-names

Place-names can tell us a great deal about the human and ecological history of an area. DUNCAN BROWN shows what we can learn from the place-names of the Abergwyngregyn valley in north Wales.

This article is written in Welsh. A translation is available on request.