Llanelli Naturalists Newsletter - February 1999 - No 4
Ian Morgan
In Carmarthenshire. as on much of the coalfield and in most of southwest Wales pastoral fanning dominates the agricultural landscape There are. of course, exceptions such as the early potato farms of Pembrokeshire and Gower. in the 1930's same 5-10% of land in Carmarthenshire was used for growing spring cereals. roots or other fodder crops. nowadays fields under grain or vegetables are very hard to find - mostly scattered along the coastal bell. the Tywi Valley or a (file market gardening around Llanelli, Carmarthen or in the Amman Valley where the urban population provides a market for such products Pried to the 1930's, when each district was substantially self-sufficient before the advent of agricultural specialization. the amount of vegetables cultivated or cereals (wheat, oats and barley) grown must have been significant The repercussions of this change from a mixed farming economy to an emphasis on pastoralism, simultaneous with other intensifications such as drainage and the use of agri-chemicals, has been cataclysmic. Lovegrove et al (1995) have summarized this Impact on farmland buds, with major changes - for example - in the status of grey partridge (now extinct in Carms ), yellowhammer tree sparrow and stock dove Other seed-eaters such as corn and cirl buntings have long gone both would have doubtless occurred on the Carmarthenshire coast and probably the Tywi Valley
Perhaps less appreciated has been the disappearance of the arable weed flora To realize ties one has only to read Arthur Chater's detailed account of the weed rich fields at Tygwyn farm, Mwnt in Ceredigion (Chater. 1994) Here, plants recorded include no less than 7 taxa of furmtory Fumana spp., weasel-snout or lesser snapdragon Misopates orontium, tiered deadnettle / amium amplexicaule. sharp-leaved fluellen Kickxia elatine and field woundwort Stachys arvensis. Because of this huge decline the Countryside Council for Wales' (CCW's) Countryside Stewardship scheme Tir Cymen (soon to be Ty Gofal) specifically targeted an arable ((plan for grant aid Subsequent monitoring in Carmarthenshire (three farms in the mid-Tywi Valley (SN52)) by Quentin Kay showed sharp-leaved Suellen field pansy Vora arvensis. wild pansy V. tricolor, field woundwort, sun spurge Euphoria helioscopa common ramping-fumitory Fumana muralis, tall ramping-fumitory F bastard,, cut-leaved deadnettle Lamium hybridum and scented mayweed Maticaria recutita to be species of interest on these fields.
In the Autumn 1996 Issue of the Llanelli Naturalists Newsletter (61 5). I described the weed flora on a swede field at Cencoed-uchaf, (SN 478029) near Cwmbach, Llanelli Here. the species included abundant sharp-leaved fluellen. some 50 plants of weasel-snout, corn spurrey Spergulana arvensis, redshank Polygonum persicaria. fat hen Chenopodium album, scarlet pimpernel Anagallis arvonsis and sun spurge in recent years, weasel-snout has been more usually associated with herbicide drenched chapel graveyards (Morgan 1995) A comprehensive account of the flora of some of Carmarthenshire's burial grounds Is given by Pell (1985 8 1986). the 1986 issue of the BSBi Welsh Bulletin incidentally, also holding a short but interesting discussion or agricultural weeds by Ray Woods In the earlier paper Mrs Pell lists the weed component (10 species) at Capel Hendre Dwarf spurge Euphorbia exigua was perhaps her most notable find in graveyards around Ammanford - in 1984 Mrs Pell estimated over 700 plants of this annual spurge in Christian Temples new graveyard.
In 1991 and more recently On 1997-8), IKM has visited the lour remaining allotments in Llanelli -Bigyn Hill, Coronation Road. Llanerch and Penallt. the weed floras are listed below.
Blom Hill 21150999Q 031.19911 Misopates cranium. StachyS arvensis, Solanum nigram, Anagallis arvensis, Fallopia convolvulus. Gnaphalium urginosum, Euphorbia peplis. Veronica arvensis. Erysimum cheiranthoides. Lamium hybridum (A clump of danewort Sambucus ebelus grows outside this allotment)
Penallt 2 k1?Qp4 t11 a 1997) Stachys arvensis, Chenopodium album, Fallopia convolvulus. Viola arvensis, Gnaphalium uliginosum, Papaya, dubium, Fumaria muralis subsp border
Coronation Road 21/513997 (6 9.1997) Stachys arvensis, Chenopodium album, Fallopia con vohv!us, Viola arvensis, Gnaphalium uliyamsum, Papaver dubium
Llanerch (PrVPttbnl 221513006 (30.7,19@Q) Stachys arvensis. Euplxvble helosaopa, Polyponian ewulare, Coronopus didymus, Falky&1 convolvulus. Unite liens, Chenopodium bows-lienricus. Papaver rhoeas, Atnplex patula, Solanum maim), Fumana muralis subsp antler, Months arvensis, Capsella bursa-perenrirs.
Examination of 1946 RAF aerial photographs show that the Llanerch allotments were substantially more extensive, stretching over all the flat land on either side of the Afon Lhedl Likewise, the Coronation Road allotments extended southwards over the hill at BigyrvPenyfan
The only other notes I have to hand on the flora of Carmarthenshne allotments is the short list by George I iutchinson (reported in Pryce 1991):
Five Fields Allotments, Carmarthen 22(403197 Chenopodium borrus-benricus Mercurial's annua, Lamium album
References
Chafer A 0 (1994) Mwnt . Cardiganshire (vc46) 14 August (in Reports of Field Meetings). 858! News 65 65-86
Lovegrove, R Shrubb M. & Williams I (1995) Silent Fields, Gwiad Taws!- ire Current Status of Farmland Birds in Wales RSPB
Morgan. I K (1995) Notes on the recent occurrence of weasel-snout Mrsopates omorttioni in Carmarthenshire. Llanelli Nats. Newsl 58. 3
Morgan. I K (1996) An interesting arable weed flora [arid notes on the wild service tree) at Cencoed-uchaf farm, Llanelli Veneta Nats. News! 61: $
Pell, A M. (1985) A Survey of some of the Carmarthenshire Burial Grounds Part 1 Capel
Hendre Graveyard BSBi Welsh Bulletin 43 (Sprig 1986). 31.35
Pell_ A PA (1986) - A Survey of some of the Carmarthenshire Bunal Grounds BSBI Welsh Bulletin 44 (Winter 1986) 11-14
Pryce R D (1991) Camtarthensbire Flora Project - Annual Report .uncubl
Woods R G (1986) Whither Weeds BSBI Welst Bulletin 44 (Winter 1986• 14-15
