County’s buzzing with bee and wasp orchids

BOTANICAL wonders are providing breathtaking displays on roadside verges and roundabouts in Carmarthenshire.

Following the powder blue brush strokes of Bluebells on county roads through April and may now rare orchids have been springing up in profusion bringing grass cutters to a halt.

Unless there are visibility issues the Streetscene arm of Carmarthenshire Council has to tiptoe round the botanical wonders to prevent carnage of the rare plants.

The Common spotted southern March Orchid, Pyramid Orchid, Bee Orchid and the rare Wasp Orchid are shaking their colourful heads at motorists from Loughor to St Clears.

Carmarthenshire executive board member for leisure services Meryl Gravell said: “This magnifiocent biodisverity in our hedgerows and verges just underlines why our county is heralded as the garden of Wales.”

Orchids grow on the verges and roundabouts because of the

Limestone chippings used in roadside drainage, many orchids like lime rich soil.

They prefer untreated, unimproved land with no fertilisers or weed control.

Orchid seeds can blow to these areas but it is likely that they are bought in to the areas already in the soil used.

The other headache for the council and biodiversity team is that

orchids are unusual as one year they can be prolific, while other years they will not grow at all.

County executive board member for Techincal Services Cllr Colin Evans said: “We often get complaints verges are not cut and people often misunderstand the reasons. Our operators are careful not to cut a swathe though these botanical wonders ensuring their survival for the future.”

Some species require mucilage fungus to be present in the soil before they grow.

All UK orchids are terrestrial, they grow in the soil (other orchids from other countries can grow in trees or on rocks)

Around 50 species and hybrids of orchids grow in the UK and most of them are found in Carmarthenshire.

Top Carmarthenshire orchid hot spots are:

• Sand Dunes near Llanelli, Burry Port Woodlands, Pembrey Link or Drewberry Dunes and the dune dslack of Pembrey Country Park.
• Llanelli’s Millennium Coastal Park between Loughor and Pembrey
• Llyn Llech Owain Country Park
• Gwenffrwd Dinas Nature Reserve near Rhandirmwyn
• Allt Nant Y Ci in Ammanford
• National Botanic Gardens of Wales at the Waun Las Local Nature Reserve for British Orchids, and in the tropical house for exotic (non -British orchids)
• Aberglasney Gardens have orchids, both local species and more exotic hardy species in the garden, but with more exotic types in the Ninafarium.
• Carmarthenshire verges and roundabouts, central reservation M4 and A40 and most A roads through county.