Llanelli Naturalists Newsletter - November 2000 - No 66
Ian Morgan with additions by Richard Pryce
Rubbish tips often provide rich picking grounds for the botanist, holding a dynamic mixture of native plants, alien weeds and garden throw-outs. The old (unofficial) tipping area at Machynys for example, yielded many plants of interest in the early-mid 1980's (see BSBI News 46: 39-40 (September 1987)), but this area is in the process of being landscaped for a golf course. Similarly, small pockets of urban wasteground have been grassed-over or built upon and urban back-lanes are seemingly subject to a more regular regime of herbicide use, thus preventing the establishment of garden escapes. On several occasions, I had made a mental note to visit the Trostre Rubbish Tip between the Trostre tinplate works and the 'Tesco Roundabout' so, on 24 April 2000, I paid a visit - the site was dormant, with no recent dumping or other human activity.
It was lucky that I visited the site on that date, as a fortnight later, JCBs were there, sifting and regrading the area. I was also able to do a quick evening visit (which added some species) but obviously we have lost the chance to see the late summer plant assemblage. Trostre Rubbish Tip, SN527997 - Escapes etc (83 species noted, in total) Caper spurge Euphorbia lathyris - 6 plants Love-in-a-mist Nigella damascenia hybrid Bluebell Hyacinthoides x variabilis - much commoner than the next species around Llanelli
- Spanish Bluebell H. hispanica - 1 clump only
- Yellow Corydalis Corydalis lutea
- Russian Comfrey Symphytum x uplandicum
- Primrose Primula vulgaris - several clumps
- Cowslip P. veris - 1 plant only
- Fennel Foeniculum vulgare var. purpureum - the form with purplish mahogany foliage
- Pot Marigold Calendula officinalis
- Opium Poppy Papaver somniferum - frequent
- Rose Campion Lychnis coronaria - several
- Chives Allium schoenoprasum - single clump
Given the transient status of the above tip, as well as the rapid process of successional change, the advice is to botanise your local tips while you can! So, with the above bad experience in mind, I visited the informal tip (perhaps better described as 'rough ground') which lies south west of the Tesco Roundabout and Ty'r Nant council offices, SS523995. The old tipping area around the adjacent Municipal Rubbish Dump has recently been bulldozed - rubbish is now taken in skips to the Nant-y-Caws Tip near Carmarthen (which, unsurveyed by botanists, might be worth a visit?)
At the Ty'r Nant Site 87 species were recorded, the plants of interest included: Californian Poppy Eschscholzia californica, together with much Long-headed Poppy Papaver dubium and plenty of Opium Poppies. Hoary Mustard Hirschfeldia incana was abundant, with some plants of the more refined Perennial Wall-rocket Diplotaxis tenuifolia. Amongst the smaller plants, Field Woundwort Stachys arvensis, Field Pansy Viola arvensis and - particularly - Henbit Deadnettle Lamium amplexicaule were notable. A clump of the showy Japanese Rose Rosa rugosa was noted and the Least Duckweed Lemna minuta covered a nearby ditch; both these latter species are increasingly encountered. A pleasant short walk, incidentally, is along the access footpath to Trostre Works, alongside the Afon Dafen from the small bridge at c.SS524994 to c.SS527996, passing through a remnant of the old 'Llanelli Levels' landscape with Crack Willows Salix fragilis and small reedbeds and herbaceous fen holding characteristic species such as Sedge Warblers and Scarlet Tiger moths Callimorpha dominula.
Continuing southwards on the B4304 (the main 'coast road'), Morfa Roundabout SS517987 is soon reached. Here Bladder Campion Silene vulgaris and more bronzy Fennel grows on rough ground, with Brackish Water-crowfoot Ranunculus baudotii covering shallow pools on pastureland. At Seaside (eg opposite the old Zammit's Works SS503993), Black Horehound Ballota nigra flowers on the roadside; the roadside; in my experience this is very much a typical (if scarce) urban species in the Seaside and New Dock areas of Llanelli. It is also long-established at Kidwelly Quay. Another Llanelli urban site that has recently occupied Carmarthenshire botanists is Penyfan Quarry SS516994 (Richard Pryce (RDP), George Hutchinson (GH) and Jim Davies have also visited). This area has been recently scarified and planted with young trees in order to improve the visual blandness of this locality. Apparently - it seems - some sort of 'wild flower mix' has been put down which has produced about thirty blue-flowered plants of a species which is puzzling local botanists (material has been sent off to Kew for determination). RDP & GH have tentatively determined it as Scabiosa atropurpurea. Two plants of another species completely defy identification for the moment! Corn Marigold Chrysanthemum segetum, Borage Borago officinalis, Love-in-a-mist Nigella damascenia and other species probably originate from this seed mix but there are also several garden 'throw-outs' which have become established such as Marjoram Origanum vulgare and Garden Candytuft Iberis umbellata. Quite a rich mix of typical Llanelli weeds including Fool's Parsley Aethusa cynapium, Hare's foot Clover Trifolium arvense and Horseradish Armoracia rusticana were also noted.
At Penybanc near Tycroes SN615114 etc, not a rubbish tip - but an old coal spoil tip, the main interest was provided by much Grass Vetchling Lathyrus nissolia, the alien, Eastern European upright form of Bird's-foot-trefoil Lotus corniculatus var. sativus and at least 12 other species of legume. Also, some seemingly native stands of Lesser Bulrush Typha angustifolia on a flushed, concreted track and on seepages on the hillside itself. Grass Vetchling was also recorded by RDP at the WDA development site at Pensarn (SN413188), apparently self-seeding from some robust, presumably sown, stands. RDP also noted stands of Lotus corniculatus var. sativus at the WDA’s development site at Capel Hendre (SN597109). A dump of rubble on a similar site at Dafen (SN534019) had a number of unusual casuals including single plants of Large Quaking-grass Briza maxima, Purple Toadflax Linaria purpurea, Long-headed Poppy Papaver dubium, Eastern Rocket Sisymbrium orientale (also recorded in abundance by RDP at a demolition site in Station Road, Llanelli) and several plants of Keel-fruited Cornsalad Valerianella carinata. This latter species seems to have become more common in the last couple of years with records from a roadside at Trimsaran Rd, Furnace, Aberglasney Gardens and near Cynwyl-Elfed.
In conclusion, another site of interest was discovered in December 1999 by Tony and Viv Lewis who provided an impressive list of casuals from a newly constructed embankment (for the cycleway) at Morfa Bacas (SS547983) which included Canary Grass Phalaris canariensis, Millet Panicum miliaceum, Milk Thistle Silybum marianum, Corn Marigold Chrysanthemum segetum, Garden Alyssum Lobularia maritima, Love-lies-bleeding Amaranthus retroflexus and Field Pennycress Thlaspi arvense.
