The Powys Nature Partnership is collaborating on nature recovery in Powys.


1MetreMatters is a great initiative to support wildlife in a small area, which will increase biodiversity in our landscape. By taking part, you will be contributing to the delivery of the Powys Nature Recovery Action.

Edition 2 Spring 2024

An update from On The Verge Chair – Martin Draper.


Our mission is preserving and creating wildlife habitats through education and encouragement.  Just 1metre can provide essential habitat and improve the biodiversity in our green spaces. 


Our hope is that, as a result of taking part in this scheme, YOU will be responsible for the upturn in the insects lives and the proliferation of our natural world.


We will be with you every step of the way...

Why does your

one metre matter?


At On The Verge our major focus is to create wildlife habitats, in all sorts of places, specifically to increase the number and range of pollinators, of all shapes and sizes.


As Dave Goulding states, in his book, Silent Earth – Averting the insect apocalypse:


“If wildflowers decline further because of inadequate pollination, then this means even less food for the remaining pollinators. Some scientists have speculated that this could spark an ‘extinction vortex’ in which numbers of flowers and pollinators spiral down to mutual extinction”.


The whole subject matter of insects, pollination and the importance to human food stocks is, sometimes, just too much of a massive subject to comprehend, let alone being able, or motivated enough, to make a difference in our everyday lives.

 

This is why

On The Verge

have introduced 1MetreMatters


The overriding emphasis of 1MetreMatters is for people to not be overwhelmed by the whole environment issue and to concentrate their minds on choosing 1 metre of their space – indoor / patio / garden / nearby verges etc.


  • Every step will be guided by regular content on our website with a Q & A facility.
  • There will be an opportunity to submit pictures and interact with other online contributors with
    links available for useful suppliers/information/collaborations/book recommendation etc.
  • Regular articles from experts in their field will point us in the right direction – enabling everyone to feel that a small action is making a difference; helping to ensure a brighter future for our fellow humans and the flora and fauna of our planet.


Insects and their

useful roles for the Environment


Phil (The Bug Man) Ward

is a professional invertebrate ecologist, former invertebrate tutor with Aberystwyth University, the County Invertebrate Recorder for Radnorshire, and secretary of the Radnorshire Invertebrate Group.


Worldwide, 85% of all animals are arthropods (commonly called ‘bugs’), animals with several pairs of legs and segmented bodies. Over 80% of arthropods are Insects. In the UK we have 24,000 species of insect, of which 1500 species are recognised pollinators which include bees, wasps, hoverflies, butterflies, moths and some beetles and flies. A partnership exists between insects who need flowers for food, and flowers which need pollination.


Why are

pollinators important?


The value of pollinators to UK agricultural crops are worth £690 million a year.


In the UK, 97% of meadows present in the 1940’s have disappeared. Bees have declined more than any other group of wildlife, and of the 260 species of British bees, nearly half are rare or scarce. Recent European studies of insects have found serious declines. These declines have been well documented within the press and various journals.


Without their valuable involvement to the pollination process our choice of food would be severely limited; notwithstanding their impact on all living creatures.


In our 1MetreMatters initiative we will attempt to personalise insects in their own right – by showing them as individuals, each with their own personalities and peculiarities; just like human beings!


Our hope is that, as a result of taking part in this scheme, YOU will be responsible for the upturn in the insects lives and the proliferation of our natural world.


We will be with you every step of the way...

1 MetreMatters

Get to know

The Dandelion

The Lion... 


Dandelions, love them or hate them, spring is around the corner and these bright easily recognisable plants find themselves underfoot and perhaps a little misunderstood.


Asteraceae Taraxacum

The family and genus name for these blighters and blessings. For the children a wonderment in a bright yellow mane type flower and a globe shaped wind clock for those of us remembering days gone by.


Now as a gardener, horticulturist or farmer, agronomist or some combination of the above you may be wondering about why bother with this flower. Weeds, as they may be called are what some call indicator plants. To have dandelions is a good indicator of your overall soil health.


The dandelion will do the lion's share of the work for you. Its roots aerate compacted soils; it’s deep roots bring nitrogen and nutrients up from the deep soil and make it available at the surface. 


These early splashes of colour in the last days of winter and beginning of spring are a food source for a wide variety of invertebrates; helping to support the early migrating birds.


So, if your relationship with this plant is a strained one, I would recommend sitting and watching them, dance to and fro in the breeze as their visitors buzz in and out, perhaps even drinking a dandelion tea, or, an old favourite, a glass of dandelion and burdock, on one of these brighter days... if not I’d suggest waiting until later March to tackle them with a teaspoon spot treatment of distilled white vinegar. Leave a few days and gently tug it free of the ground.




Ben Delaney

1 MetreMatters

Practical advice and examples of how to utilise your 1 Metre outdoor spaces

EXAMPLES OF HABITATS WITH NATURE IN MIND...


Karl Wills lives in Bannau Brycheiniog, has a garden that produces virtually all of the vegetables for the year (including preserving), plus providing lots of biodiversity areas, and a trustee of Black Mountains College.


If you don’t know what to plant or aren’t sure what to do then just leave a small space – maybe in the corner of the garden or around the edges... and wait to see what emerges.

Or try planting some herbs.

Growing herbs is a great way to help pollinators and provide you with your own fresh, cheap herbs for cooking and, if you want for medicinal purposes.  The great thing is that herbs don’t have to be grown in a bed, they can be grown in pots, troughs, hanging baskets and anything that can hold a plant and drain freely.  In fact, planting in some sort of container is a really good idea for some herbs as they can be very prolific and take over the whole area, a good (or should that be bad) example is mint (of all types).  Herb growth can be controlled by burying a barrier, we use old slates (placed vertically) and that contains most of them.  We have also buried old containers (with drainage holes) as a way of containing the plant’s spread.


Many herbs are perennial, like rosemary, thyme, chives, mint, sage, oregano and lavender, which means that once planted they will grow year on year. 

Most of these herbs can be grown from cuttings.  Just take a small cutting from a healthy plant at the end of the summer, put into a pot of earth and compost, to give it an easy start (no competition from other plants) and then plant out in the spring.


Many herbs are easily grown from seed, which is a cheap and easy way to start. A good thing to do is for a few people to each buy a packet of herbs of different varieties and swap the seeds, as you don’t need many seeds to get productive plants.

 The annual herbs need to be grown from seed. After the first year you can collect you own seeds and then use them for the following year. Growing from your own seed actually makes stronger, healthier plants as they adapt to your environment.

(We will look to do a simple seed saving write-up in later 1MM editions).

The annual herbs include basil, borage, chervil, camomile, coriander, dill, fennel (seed, not the bulbs), marjoram and lemon balm.


One thing about all herbs is that they like the sun, preferably 6-8 hours a day (yes, this does happen in Wales) and free draining soil. Herbs can be started off in a greenhouse or on a windowsill and the heat and light will aid germination. 

So why plant herbs? 

Herbs produce flowers which provide the pollen for the pollinating insects; some insects also use herb plants for their offspring and, finally, herbs can attract predators that will then see off pests on other plants. 


Go to herbs for an easy 1MetreMatters space, which not only helps the pollinators, but also helps you create fresher, tastier meals. 


Only one cooking tip - many herbs are excellent when added raw to a mixed salad.


Also, herbs can be dried; put them in a pillow case or muslin cloth and hang in an airing cupboard or a use a dehumidifier. Use dried lavender and rosemary in small bags to keep clothes drawers smelling fresher or put some in a bowl and use in the toilet and bathroom for a naturally fresh smelling room.

THE DIVERSITY AND ABUNDANCE OF INSECTS AND PLANTS ARE BOTH UNDER THREAT


Robert Loveridge – Researcher in Hydroponics. Involved in overseas aid for waste water projects, Egypt. Master of Philosophy


Global warming is also a concern. Wildflower meadows have declined by 97% since the 1930s and flying insects by 60% in the last 20 years. Insects and plants rely on each other for their existence.

They both rapidly diversified when flowering plants were evolving over 100 million years ago in the Cretaceous Period. 

Many plants evolved ways to encourage insects to pollinate them, often with the promise of a high energy sugar solution, nectar. 


Insects evolved ways to reach the nectar in flowers. Examples are many and varied; some with long tongues can reach flowers with long tubes; others, with open flowers like dandelions, attract a wide range of insects; and some need specialists - sweet pea flowers need a heavy insect like Bumblebees to open the flowers to access the nectar.

Not all insects are pollinators, but they are just as important, and providing wildflower areas helps all.


Common wasps, for example, have many roles including pollination, but they also feed plant pests to their young. Other wasps parasitise plant pests, such as caterpillars and aphids, and form galls on Oak trees which have been used in the tanning industry and for ink.

Plants to attract parasitic wasps are: yarrow, dill, mallow, cosmos, lobelia, alyssum, cinquefoil and marigold

There are many other non-pollinating insects which can benefit from the help and protection that wildflower areas provide.


1MetreMatters

Get to know The Dandelion

The Lion... 

Dandelions, love them or hate them, spring is around the corner and these bright easily recognisable plants find themselves underfoot and perhaps a little misunderstood.

Asteraceae Taraxacum

The family and genus name for these blighters and blessings. For the children a wonderment in a bright yellow mane type flower and a globe shaped wind clock for those of us remembering days gone by.

Now as a gardener, horticulturist or farmer, agronomist or some combination of the above you may be wondering about why bother with this flower.


Weeds, as they may be called are what some call indicator plants.



To have dandelions is a good indicator of your overall soil health.


The dandelion will do the lion's share of the work for you. Its roots aerate compacted soils; it’s deep roots bring nitrogen and nutrients up from the deep soil and make it available at the surface. 


These early splashes of colour in the last days of winter and beginning of spring are a food source for a wide variety of invertebrates; helping to support the early migrating birds.


So, if your relationship with this plant is a strained one, I would recommend sitting and watching them, dance to and fro in the breeze as their visitors buzz in and out, perhaps even drinking a dandelion tea, or, an old favourite, a glass of dandelion and burdock, on one of these brighter days...


If not I’d suggest waiting until later March to tackle them with a teaspoon spot treatment of distilled white vinegar. Leave a few days and gently tug it free of the ground.


Ben Delaney

Dandelion 1MetreMatters

1MetreMatters

Practical advice and examples of how to utilise your 1 Metre outdoor spaces

EXAMPLES OF HABITATS WITH NATURE IN MIND...

Karl Wills lives in Bannau Brycheiniog, has a garden that produces virtually all of the vegetables for the year (including preserving), plus providing lots of biodiversity areas, and is a trustee of Black Mountains College.

If you don’t know what to plant or aren’t sure what to do then just leave a small space – maybe in the corner of the garden or around the edges... and wait to see what emerges.

Or try planting some herbs.

Grow Some Herbs


Growing herbs is a great way to help pollinators and provide you with your own fresh, cheap herbs for cooking and, if you want for medicinal purposes. 

The great thing is that herbs don’t have to be grown in a bed, they can be grown in pots, troughs, hanging baskets and anything that can hold a plant and drain freely. 

 

In fact, planting in some sort of container is a really good idea for some herbs as they can be very prolific and take over the whole area, a good (or should that be bad) example is mint (of all types). 

Herb growth can be controlled by burying a barrier, we use old slates (placed vertically) and that contains most of them.  We have also buried old containers (with drainage holes) as a way of containing the plant’s spread.

Many herbs are perennial, like rosemary, thyme, chives, mint, sage, oregano and lavender, which means that once planted they will grow year on year. 


Take Cuttings

Most of these herbs can be grown from cuttings.  Just take a small cutting from a healthy plant at the end of the summer, put into a pot of earth and compost, to give it an easy start (no competition from other plants) and then plant out in the spring.


Many herbs are easily grown from seed, which is a cheap and easy way to start. A good thing to do is for a few people to each buy a packet of herbs of different varieties and swap the seeds, as you don’t need many seeds to get productive plants. 
The annual herbs need to be grown from seed. After the first year you can collect you own seeds and then use them for the following year.

Growing from your own seed actually makes stronger, healthier plants as they adapt to your environment. The annual herbs include basil, borage, chervil, camomile, coriander, dill, fennel (seed, not the bulbs), marjoram and lemon balm.

One thing about all herbs is that they like the sun, preferably 6-8 hours a day (yes, this does happen in Wales) and free draining soil. Herbs can be started off in a greenhouse or on a windowsill and the heat and light will aid germination. 

Plant Herbs and Help Insects

Herbs produce flowers which provide the pollen for the pollinating insects; some insects also use herb plants for their offspring and, finally, herbs can attract predators that will then see off pests on other plants.


Grow herbs for an easy 1MetreMatters space, which not only helps the pollinators, but also helps you create fresher, tastier meals. 

Only one cooking tip - many herbs are excellent when added raw to a mixed salad.


Also, herbs can be dried; put them in a pillow case or muslin cloth and hang in an airing cupboard or a use a dehumidifier.  Use dried lavender and rosemary in small bags to keep clothes drawers smelling fresher or put some in a bowl and use in the toilet and bathroom for a naturally fresh smelling room.

1MetreMatters

SOWING WILDFLOWER SEEDS

ANNUALS - PERENNIALS - A MIXTURE OF BOTH


You may have been given wildflower seeds from On The Verge or any one of our supporter groups, or bought them from a reputable, local supplier.
For the best chance of success there are a few things to note, prior to sowing.
Courtesy of EMORSGATE SEEDS – Wild Flower Seeds and Seed Mixtures - Emorsgate Seeds (wildseed.co.uk) - one of our trusted seed suppliers – you will find, below, detailed instructions on how to sow wildflower mixes.


ANNUAL FLOWER MIX

EC1 Standard Cornfield Mixture - Emorsgate Seeds (wildseed.co.uk)


PERENNIAL FLOWER MEADOW MIX

EM2 Standard General Purpose Meadow Mixture - Emorsgate Seeds (wildseed.co.uk)


On The Verge have extensive and wide-ranging experience of creating all kinds of wildflower areas – if in doubt please fill out our contact form. We’ll do our best to help.


Starting your own wildflower project may seem a little daunting, but will be so rewarding and, remember, you’ll be contributing to the general increase in well-being, not only of our flora and fauna, but also of humankind.


One last tip: DO NOT COVER YOUR SEEDS WITH SOIL.
It’s tempting to sow wildflower seeds as you would with, for example, carrot seeds. Creating a small line in the earth, thinly sowing, covering over and watering. Then thinning the small seedlings and letting the carrots grow on, prior to harvesting.
Wildflower seeds, along with all of their specific needs, require firm contact with the soil. When you’ve finished sowing walk on the seeds, in several directions, giving them the chance to firmly contact with the soil.


Oh, and one last, last tip: Stick to the suppliers recommended sowing rates.


GOOD LUCK.

We look forward to receiving your pictures.


 1MetreMatters Wild Flowers from Seed

1MetreMatters

One woman and her garden journey...


Listen to Rebecca and her journey to a more sustainable garden


Rebecca Rea is an animal communicator, therapist for people and animals, teaches meditation and is a nature artist. Over the coming year she will be sharing some top tips from her experience of wilding through short video clips on this page.


You can contact Rebecca at www.theanimalhealer.life

1MetreMatters

Supporting nocturnal wildlife with just one metre

Article supplied by Just Mammals Limited

Gardening isn’t just about creating an outdoor space for ourselves, it’s also about protecting the environment around us.


This is especially important in Wales, as it is the home of a variety of wildlife including both lesser and greater horseshoe bats, whose populations are currently extremely restricted across the UK. There are several steps you can take to enhance your garden using only one square metre, with nocturnal wildlife in mind.


For nocturnal wildlife to use a space, it must be dark. Artificial lighting at night disrupts circadian rhythms of nocturnal animals, affecting their navigation, breeding, and general health. To combat this, lights should be:

• A warmer tone;

• Positioned as low as possible;

• Covered by a hood that directs light downwards;

• Turned off when not in use, on a timer or motion activated.



Consider incorporating features that provide nocturnal creatures with opportunities for shelter. Building a hedgehog hideaway and leaving gaps under garden fences will encourage hedgehogs into your garden and will allow them to travel further distances – hedgehogs can move upwards of one mile per night! Adding bat boxes to an outdoor space that does not naturally have many roost features encourages bats into areas that they could not previously inhabit, with different types of bat boxes encouraging different species and roost types.

By making these adjustments, you will not only be creating a more welcoming and usable environment for nocturnal wildlife, but also contributing to the preservation of Welsh biodiversity.

https://www.justmammals.co.uk/


Check out the Dark Skies and light pollution in Wales dashboard  https://luc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/1cd6ba8a1d7d4a62aff635cfcbaf4aec


1MetreMatters

Nature Recovery in Powys

In 2022 Powys County Council declared a Nature Emergency and the recent State of Nature Report shows that 1 in 6 species in Wales is at risk of extinction.


Powys Nature Partnership

To help coordinate nature recovery actions the Powys Nature Partnership (PNP) was formed.

 A partnership of people and organisations with environmental knowledge and a passion for increasing biodiversity in Powys.


New members to the partnership are always welcome – if you or the organisation you represent are willing to work collaboratively or have the skills, time or expertise to further the aims of the Partnership to contribute to nature recovery in Powys please let us know.

The Powys Nature Partnership will be coordinating nature recovery actions across Powys in the coming years. However, there is much to do as the recent State of Nature Wales in Wales Report highlights, with continuing declines in nature.


Helping Nature Recover in Powys

You can help nature recover by making gardens and green spaces more wildlife friendly, recording wildlife and choosing what you buy.

Contact the Biodiversity Team at biodiversity@powys.gov.uk for more information, to join the Powys Nature News mailing list or visit https://en.powys.gov.uk/biodiversity for more information.


1MetreMatters

Words to help you understand, start or sustain your environmentally focused journey...


ENVIRONMENTAL DECLINE and FALL

In case anyone thinks the decline in British wildlife is a new phenomenon, Brian Vesey-Fitzgerald, author and editor of The Field magazine from 1938–1946, was bemoaning the destruction of English countryside as far back as 1969 in his book 'The Vanishing Wild Life of Britain'.  Vesey-Fitzgerald, B.S, (1969) MacGibbon & Kee Ltd, London.
Fifty years on from the publication things have only got worse, and here is where human nature plays its part.


Recently, Peter Kahn and Theo Weiss formulated the concept of environmental generational amnesia. “The Importance of children interacting with Big Nature". Children, Youth and Environments 27, no. 2: 7-24. Kahn, P.H., Jr., and T. Weiss (2017)
It is a phrase that describes how each generation views the world into which it was born, no matter how degraded, as normal and its environmental baseline.

Within a generation, children’s lives have largely moved indoors, with the loss of free-ranging exploration of the nearby natural world, even as research indicates that direct experiences of nature in childhood contribute to care for nature across the life span.

1MetreMatters

UNDERSTANDING ENVIRONMENTAL WORDS


Remember, understanding these terms empowers us to make informed choices and contribute to a more sustainable world!

Biodegradable

Materials that naturally break down over time and return to the Earth without any processing

Compostable

Items that can be composted, contributing to nutrient-rich soil when properly disposed of.

Recyclable

Products or materials that can be recycled and used to create new items.

Carbon Footprint

Measurement of carbon emissions produced by an activity, individual, or product.

Sustainable

Practices that meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Organic

Refers to products grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.

Eco-friendly

Broadly used to label items as not harmful to the environment.

Climate Change

Refers to global shifts in climate patterns due to human activities.


1MetreMatters

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS


What I Stand for Is What I Stand On

Wendell Berry  - Penguin Classics
“Incredibly insightful essays on our disconnect from nature and how our current economy is unsustainable”.


A Field Guide to Roadside Wildflowers At Full Speed is a freely downloadable ebook in PDF format by Chris Helzer, The Prairie Ecologist.

https://prairieecologist.com/2020/01/13/finally-a-practical-guide-for-roadside-wildflower-viewing/

Although the book is intended comedic entertainment, it’s also entirely factual, interesting and it contains real photographs and information about the flowers in question. 


The Life of the Robin – David Lack.

First published in 1943 – you’ll never see the Robin in the same way again.


A Field Guide in Colour to Wild Flowers by Dietmar Aichele. Illustrated by Marianne Golte- Bechtle. Published by Octopus

“Exceptionally good book, really well laid out and written. This will never be out of date - I’ve been using this since 1978”. MD


What can I put in my 1 Metre?

1MetreMatters has been working with Keep Wales Tidy on a joint schools project and we are providing children with ideas of what to put in their 1Metre to help the environment and increase insect numbers. 

Learn more
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