Diary - 2019

May : Plant Survey

Pat, Frances and Kip met on the Varteg hillside for a day to survey the vegetation and how it has changed.

Quadrats in two of the plots (Cariad 2003 and Sheila 1997), together with the control area on the common just outside the fenced area, were sampled.

Results were compared with previous vegetation surveys in 1998 and 2012. More surveying will be required before any firm conclusions are reached but within Cariad the grass component, particularly finer grasses is reduced, as are the sedges whilst the amount of heath rush has increased. The increase in ling and bilberry is most obvious. In Sheila where the trees have formed a closed canopy there is a reduction in just about everything that demands open space and a loss of plant diversity. The ground is dominated by Brambles and a few ferns.