A new ‘Wildflower Volunteer Group’ is working to enhance newly created meadows at Llyn Llech Owain Country Park in Gorslas.

Butterfly Conservation Wales and the Rangers team at Llyn Llech Owain have been working together to improve the country park and surrounding area for wildlife, particularly the rare and declining Marsh Fritillary butterfly. We are lucky to have one of the strongest Welsh Marsh Fritillary populations in the Cross Hands area, although it is under enormous threat from development and inappropriate management. The butterfly needs light grazing by cattle or ponies in grasslands with Devil’s-bit Scabious, which is the caterpillar’s food plant.

Llyn Llech Owain, Butterfly Conservation’s Mynydd Mawr Project and Coed Cymru developed a plan to remove a 1.5-ha block of conifers along the southern edge of the park, to allow movement of Marsh Fritillary butterflies between suitable areas of habitat either side of the park, and create a flowery nectar-rich feeding area.

Wildflowers such as Ragged Robin and Foxglove have already appeared, but we decided to grow some Devil’s-bit Scabious as well, to enhance the meadows for the Marsh Fritillary. Thus the Wildflower Volunteer Group was born. The group collected Scabious seeds in autumn 2009 from the adjacent Site of Special Scientific Interest at Rhyd-y-Gwiail. It is important to use locally grown seeds which are adapted to local conditions. The volunteers have been growing seedlings over the spring and summer, and will plant them out in the new meadow this autumn. Everyone enjoyed growing the seeds so much that we are going to collect, grow and plant out other local wildflowers as well, such as the characteristic Whorled Caraway.

We were greatly encouraged in our work by the surprise appearance of a very large colony of Marsh Fritillaries at the southeast corner of Llyn Llech Owain this spring – more than a hundred were seen on one visit.

If you would like to join the Wildflower Group or would like more information, please contact the Rangers at Llyn Llech Owain Country Park on 01269 832229.