Pennod 3 Garddio a Mwy

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-It's lovely to see tulips in bloom.

-We're advised to dig them up

-in winter...

-..so mice don't eat the bulbs.

-I never do.

-These are on their third year.

-The tulips

-aren't the only ones in bloom.

-The pear tree is lovely,

-the currant bushes are flowering...

-..and let's not forget the Muscari.

-The early flowering plants

-are vital for bees.

-They're coming out of hibernation.

-Later on, I'll introduce you

-to the bees I keep in the garden.

-Also this week...

-..Meinir goes in search

-of the dawn chorus...

-..and we meet an animal you wouldn't

-expect to see in rural Wales.

-This plant is Aconitum,

-or monkshood.

-It gets its name because

-the individual blue flowers...

-..resemble the cowls worn by monks.

-Every year, I regret

-not placing a frame around them.

-The tall flowers

-get caught in the wind.

-I'm determined to make a frame

-this year.

-I don't need to buy a frame

-in the garden centre.

-I'll use what I have in the garden

-to make one.

-This pear tree was already

-in the garden.

-We didn't want to get rid of it.

-We've used it to make a fence

-and a frame for sweet peas.

-These are year old twigs.

-It's enough for my needs.

-If you want a sturdier frame...

-..wait another year

-before cutting them.

-That's enough.

-You don't have to be a basket weaver

-to make one.

-I pull the willow through my hands

-and push it down slightly...

-..so it's more flexible.

-Bring it together.

-And then tie with string.

-Repeat the process

-to strengthen the circle.

-You can go in and out with this one.

-And one more.

-And that's it.

-These twigs will hold it up.

-One there.

-One this side.

-And one here.

-I'll tie the circle to the twigs.

-Like that.

-Gardening would be lonely without

-the accompaniment of birdsong.

-May is a great month to hear them.

-Daniel Jenkins-Jones from the RSPB

-Wales got up very early with Meinir.

-We've arrived before dawn...

-..to hear the birds wake up,

-one by one.

-We hope to hear

-a very special performance...

-..by the dawn chorus.

-It's more like a symphony.

-There are several movements

-to the dawn chorus.

-Some of the birds like a lie-in.

-Like me!

-The birds with the biggest eyes...

-..the blackbird or song thrush....

-..tend to get up first

-and start to sing.

-The smaller birds,

-with smaller eyes, see less light.

-They stay in bed longer.

-I think I heard a bird moving.

-I think I heard a bird moving.

-

-Over here, somewhere.

-Let's listen.

-BIRDSONG

-BIRDSONG

-

-That's it.

-I think it's a blackbird.

-I can hear a crow.

-The robin.

-They're answering each other.

-They're answering each other.

-

-Yes.

-It's a competition

-to find a partner.

-The tic-tic-tic sound is the robin.

-It's a race to find a partner.

-The battle starts

-at the crack of dawn.

-It's survival of the fittest.

-They use song to find

-the most attractive partner.

-There are several robins around.

-BIRDSONG

-That's the song thrush.

-It has large eyes

-and sees more light.

-The song thrush is in the distance.

-BIRDSONG

-A blackbird has started

-to sing on our right.

-The blackbird

-has a distinctive warble!

-That's it.

-BIRDSONG

-That's the wren.

-That's the wren.

-

-Nice song!

-It's really noisy.

-And the goldcrest.

-It has a thin voice.

-It's up here somewhere.

-BIRDSONG

-That's the wren.

-I can just about make out

-the goldcrest.

-The goldcrest and wren

-are the same size.

-They weigh the same

-as two five penny pieces.

-Put your hand in your pocket

-and take out two five penny pieces.

-That's how small they are.

-Wrens have a powerful voice.

-BIRDSONG

-It's been a privilege and thrill.

-Dawn has finally broken.

-Dawn has finally broken.

-

-At last.

-The world is still turning.

-The dawn chorus is one of

-the wonders of Wales's wildlife.

-Most of us don't hear it...

-..because we don't want

-to leave our cosy beds.

-My advice is

-to drag yourself out of bed...

-..for one morning a year,

-that's all.

-Wrap up in warm clothes.

-Check the weather forecast

-to make sure it's a nice day.

-Enjoy this wonder of wildlife...

-..the dawn chorus.

-BIRDSONG

-Whatever the size

-of your vegetable patch...

-..always plan beforehand...

-..not only what to plant,

-but where to plant them.

-I'm fortunate to have a big patch.

-Even if you have a small patch...

-..always rotate crops.

-In the first group,

-we have potatoes.

-We'll call them Group A.

-Group B will be the beans and peas.

-Then the brassicas...

-..cabbage and kale,

-that sort of thing.

-Group C is everything else.

-Lettuce, radish or spinach.

-Group D will be the root vegetables.

-Carrots and parsnips.

-Divide your plot into four.

-Plot A, B, C and D.

-This year,

-I'll plant potatoes in this bed.

-Beans and peas in this bed.

-I'll plant everything

-else in Plot C...

-..and in D, the roots.

-Next year...

-..I'll move A to B...

-..B to C...

-..and so on.

-As you see, I'm rotating the crops.

-The main reason for doing this

-is to avoid disease in your soil.

-Potatoes are prone to flatworm.

-If you grow brassicas

-in the same soil, year after year...

-..club root could develop.

-That's bad news.

-Regardless of the size

-of your plot...

-..never plant the same thing

-in the same place, year after year.

-My potatoes are in Plot A.

-The early potatoes are in.

-The soil is well fertilized.

-There's fresh lime in Plot B...

-..for beans and the brassicas.

-The third plot,

-for everything else...

-..has nice, light soil.

-In the final plot,

-the root vegetables.

-The onions are starting to appear.

-I'll plant beetroot, parsnips,

-and today, carrots.

-That's it.

-Carrots go straight in the soil,

-not the greenhouse first.

-Parsnips, carrots

-and root vegetables...

-..aren't fond of being transplanted,

-because the roots grow first.

-This is a pack from last year.

-They were quite successful,

-so I'll try them again.

-I've made a small trench

-a centimetre and a half deep.

-Put some seeds in your hand.

-Sow them thinly...

-..along the trench.

-Cover them with a very

-small amount of soil.

-Don't worry about pebbles.

-They're great to help

-the soil warm up in spring.

-One line is finished.

-But I have a few more lines

-of carrots and parsnips to plant.

-There's plenty to do.

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-I'm a flower arranger

-in my day-to-day work.

-Having a corner to grow flowers

-is very important to me.

-You can plant flowers for cutting

-in your garden's borders.

-But I prefer to have

-a special area for them.

-I chose this area...

-..because it gets the sun all day

-and is very sheltered.

-Even in a small patch like this...

-..I can have flowers for

-at least three months of the year.

-I'm going to plant some seeds.

-I have cosmos, cornflower,

-Linaria, larkspur...

-..and a favourite, the blue Nigella.

-I'll plant them

-in narrow lines here.

-I've put a path on both sides,

-to make weeding easier.

-I can pick flowers

-without standing on the soil.

-By midsummer, this area

-will be a sea of colour.

-Now, let's join Meinir,

-near Cilgerran in Pembrokeshire.

-This is the Teifi Marshes

-Wildlife Centre, near Cilgerran...

-..where nature thrives.

-I'm going to learn about the area...

-..and some of the creatures

-living near the River Teifi.

-Showing me round this marvellous

-place is Nia Stephens...

-..the reserve warden.

-What a beautiful day!

-Isn't it nice?

-What is this?!

-LAUGHTER

-A massive badger!

-It's just something nice

-to attract people here.

-You can see it from Cardigan!

-It's great.

-The reserve is

-over 200 acres in size.

-Yes.

-What kinds of habitats do you have?

-What kinds of habitats do you have?

-

-All kinds.

-That's what makes

-the place so special.

-It goes as far

-as the bridge in Cardigan.

-It includes all that reed bed.

-We have wetland fields.

-Behind us,

-all this area is woodland.

-It extends up the River Teifi.

-What is your job?

-Firstly, looking after the reserve.

-I have a team of volunteers.

-We go out to do

-whatever needs doing.

-We look after plants.

-We make sure the right animals

-graze in the right places.

-If something is broken, we fix it.

-Another part of my work is trying to

-attract people here to enjoy nature.

-I have a children's wildlife club.

-I arrange walks for adults.

-I try to get people to come here.

-One of the reserve's most exciting

-features is the water buffalo.

-I can see them relaxing over there!

-I can see them relaxing over there!

-

-They're chilling.

-Water buffalo aren't a native

-species. Why are they here?

-They're great to graze the reserve.

-They like wet places.

-They keep a lot of plants down

-and areas of water open.

-That's great for insects

-such as dragonflies...

-..and all kinds of creatures,

-like frogs and newts.

-So the buffaloes help

-the marshy areas.

-Are the reeds behind us

-very important for the reserve?

-Yes. We have a large reed area.

-There aren't many left in Wales.

-Why?

-Long ago, people used reeds

-to make thatched roofs.

-Because that work stopped,

-the reed areas started to disappear.

-Woods take over

-and they become wet scrub.

-Why is it important?

-It's important as a habitat...

-..for many birds,

-animals and plants.

-Birds clearly love this place.

-All kinds of species thrive here.

-They hope to attract

-ospreys here in the future.

-They already fly near the reserve...

-..on their way

-to Cors Dyfi and the Glaslyn Valley.

-Keeping track

-of all the birds is hard work.

-Luckily, volunteers lend a hand.

-What is going on?

-What is going on?

-

-We have a bird ringing group.

-They catch birds and ring them.

-A wren!

-It has a ring...

-..so it has been caught before,

-either here or somewhere else.

-They can check that.

-There is a database, so they can

-see when and where it was ringed.

-Isn't it pretty?

-The way it's weighed is interesting.

-Yes. They use an old film pot.

-They put the bird in and weigh it.

-What information do they get?

-It's very important work.

-That's how we find out stuff

-like how long the birds live...

-..and where they winter.

-We discovered that birds

-like the chiffchaff go to Africa...

-..because it was ringed

-in Wales and found in Africa.

-We also find out things like where

-young birds go when they grow...

-..if they stay in this reserve,

-or go to another.

-It must help you as a reserve

-to know which birds you have here.

-Yes, it's a great help.

-This group gives us all the data.

-It helps us plan

-what kind of conservation to do...

-..and how we should work

-with plants and habitats...

-..to help the birds.

-I saw many wrens,

-tits and chaffinches.

-I had hoped to see a kingfisher.

-But I didn't see

-its flash of azure today.

-So I'll have to return,

-which is fine by me.

-Here in Pont y Twr's orchard...

-..we have apple trees,

-cherry trees, plums, bullaces...

-..and of course, this pear tree

-which is starting to blossom.

-But I won't have any fruit in

-the orchard without help from bees.

-I don't mean wasps or honey bees...

-..but solitary bees.

-They're the most efficient and

-busiest pollinators in the garden.

-They're so efficient...

-..I decided to buy

-a special box for solitary bees.

-This box can home about 100

-different types of solitary bees.

-There are 250 species...

-..some the size

-of a grain of rice...

-..others very similar to wasps.

-I'll take one chamber out...

-..so you can see

-these bees' lifecycle.

-There is a row of cocoons.

-The walls are made of mud.

-Some solitary bees

-use mud to make a nest.

-Others use leaves.

-The bees have been in the cocoons

-since about this time last year.

-They have survived winter.

-In the next week or two,

-as the weather gets warmer...

-..the cocoons will open

-and the new adult bees will fly out.

-The first thing they do

-is look for a nest.

-I'll show you the next one.

-As you see, this chamber is empty.

-This is what they'll use as a nest.

-Of course, in nature...

-..they use old plants,

-or any nook or cranny they can find.

-But because they're so important, I

-try to attract them to the orchard.

-To help them, I collect

-the cocoons in the autumn...

-..clean and store them

-for the winter.

-Then in spring, this time of year...

-..I put the cocoons

-in the bottom of the box.

-Here are the cocoons.

-I'll show you one.

-Here's a female cocoon,

-which is larger...

-..and the smaller male cocoon.

-They'll all go in the box.

-In the next few weeks,

-as the weather gets warmer...

-..they'll begin to hatch.

-I'll put them here.

-I'll replace the door.

-The males will be out first.

-They'll fly around, waiting

-for the females to emerge.

-They reproduce and start

-the whole process again.

-When they wake up in spring...

-..the first thing they need

-is a bit of pollen.

-So remember how important

-the early blooming plants are.

-Leave the dandelions

-until the bees have had their fill.

-I'm checking you haven't weeded

-the dandelions on the path!

-No!

-But I have been cutting

-dead pansies in the garden pots.

-It's a good week to do that.

-It prolongs the flowering season.

-So from a garden full

-of pansies and dandelions, goodbye.

-Enjoy the gardening.

-S4C Subtitles by Gwead

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