Nature With Nev

A visit to Three Pools, Friday 2nd August 2024.

As a regular visitor to The Three Pools in Llanvetherine, I always feel a sense of wellbeing and tranquillity amongst these beautiful surroundings. And I also love the fact that everything here is done with the environment and nature in mind. It is a pleasure to visit somewhere and not have to listen to a mower or strimmer, and

not see signs of spraying and nothing tidied up as is seen in so many other places. Weeds are left alone, nettle beds flourish, hedges are laden with insect- rich plants and food for birds and wildlife, and the whole area has a feeling of an age long gone where things were left as they should be. I started this particular visit in the apple orchard, where the trees are laden with fruits. The branches hang down with the sheer weight of bumper harvests, with the ground below covered with grasses and weeds which bring in the pollinators. The

olive-green apples grew alongside a ruby-red variety, and that naughty streak we all had as children came out, and I just had to pick one, just the one, honest. It tasted as gorgeous as it looked and kept me content as I made my way towards the copse and bee hives.

Evidence has shown that a few varieties of apple grew wild in Britain during the Neolithic Era (which began about 12,000 years ago), but it wasn’t until the arrival of the Romans that domestic fruits with sweeter and greater tastes that we now know and love came about. A legionary passing by today would be in awe of these fine specimens and like me, I’m sure would have pinched one. A few House Martins were flying above the orchard and a noisy Magpie passed by. A male Bullfinch called softly from somewhere deep within the foliage – his breast colours mimicking the red apples. The nearby copse has some impressive Oaks, with a good understorey of Hazel, Cherry, Hawthorn, Rowan and Ash. A Woodpigeon ‘cooed’ away from high in the canopy and a Chaffinch was singing lower down. A tiny Wren (our second smallest resident bird) weighing less than a bag of crisps, gave its familiar and loud little call. Ground Ivy carpeted the floor and any fallen limbs are left in-situ to rot down and become micro-habitats for fungi and insects, just as it should be. The bee hives here are well spaced apart, and at first I could not see or hear any signs of activity, but once I approached the entrance it was - pardon the pun, a hive of activity. Bees were coming and going literally in droves, so I backed away, content there are indeed some Bees around this here.

As I continued my walk, the familiar ‘mewing’ call of a Buzzard echoed through the copse, and a shadow above me signalled his passing by. With evidence of Rabbit burrows and droppings here and there, it was no surprise that a Buzzard is present in the area as this is one of its prey items. His presence certainly stopped the Woodpigeon from singing. A lone Robin started to sign and the contact call of a Chiffchaff could be heard. This ‘leaf warbler’ arrives here in April from Africa, where it breeds before returning around September. What staggers me is that several months ago it would be sharing the landscape with Zebra and other game,

now it is sharing it with the Belted Galloways. Pockets of Nettle, Dock and Dog’s Mercury provided feeding places for insects, again such a great sight to see. Exiting the copse I headed through a wooden gate into an open field, stopping to admire several Gatekeeper butterflies along the way, and having a chat with a very pleasant lady passing by that lives in one of the yurts. I could tell from her expression and what she was saying that she is incredibly content with life here. This field was adjourned with masses of Creeping Thistle, a valuable food source for insects and a food source in the autumn where the seeds will keep a charm of Goldfinches happy and well fed. An owl box on the side of an outbuilding looked in good condition and well used. The first of several circling Red Kites made an appearance, circling on broad, long wings, and using the characteristic forked tail as a rudder to allow it to change direction without having to use its wings thus saving valuable energy – nature is very clever.

A pair of Bullfinches were moving through one of the thick hedges around this field, and a beautiful male Redstart flitted trough the foliage, its bright red tail flickering as it went by – in fact the very name ‘start’ refers to this action. A Dunnock (also known as a Hedge Sparrow and an accentor not a sparrow) made a brief appearance. A distant Green Woodpecker was giving off its call known as ‘yafling’. Folklore says that this call signifies approaching rain, but today the sceptics were wrong. As elsewhere here, the hedges are thick and consisting of Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Holly and Hazel, interspersed with Honeysuckle and at the base, Bramble and Nettles.

As I walked through another gate I entered the vineyard, stopping first of all to takes things ‘sloe’ and admire the deep cobalt blues of the developing Blackthorns. Sloe gin is something I haven’t tried yet, so maybe this year, who knows. The top section of the vineyard had another thick hedge with Bracken at the base, and good numbers of Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown butterflies were flitting about all the way along. A Chiffchaff quickly scurried into the thick hedge, not be seen again.

The vineyard is something else and it felt like I was transported to the heart of France or Sardinia. Impressive wooden stakes hold the strong wire in place to which the vines will use for support. From what I can gather, Pinot Noir is growing in the top section, with Seyval Blanc and Ortega Blanc making up the remaining varieties. With this slope being south facing, the grapes here will have an excellent chance of producing bumper crops. I look forward to tasting the first wines from here.

Again there is more Roman influence involved with grapes, where they were first introduced and cultivated here around 2,000 years ago. Albeit most of the wine they consumed was imported from other Roman provinces, some vineyards existed in private villas and farms.

After a very pleasant walk around the perimeter of the vineyard, watching more Red Kites overhead, and a flock of Jackdaws passing overhead and calling noisily, I stopped to remove some Common Cleavers that had entwined itself around my boots, with the tiny round green seeds sticking to my trousers. What a great way

to disperse their seeds, and cattle and rabbits will help to perform the same action on their behalf too. A Collard Dove flew low and purposefully just above the vines, disappearing over the hedge into the next field. A Green-veined White butterfly made an appearance landing in the grasses amongst the vines, and the Green Woodpecker call was interrupted by the mewing of another Buzzard. The rich variety of plants and weeds ensures a good variety of insect prey, so no surprise that a flock of Swallows appeared, aerial feeding for insects above the vineyard, again making this feel more like a Mediterranean scene. I could literally have been

anywhere.

Before breaking off to head down to one of the (three) pools, I just had to stop to admire what for me has to be the largest and most majestic Lime tree I have ever seen. This beauty stands proud on the landscape and has kept watch over many hundreds of years of weather, people coming and going and historic events.

After a quick scan of the pool I entered a second copse, again with some impressive old Oaks and mature Ash, and the floor carpeted with a mix of Nettle, Dock, Herb Robert, Red Campion and Dog’s Mercury. There was some evidence of small pockets of Bluebells that had already seeded, and a Nuthatch was pecking away at what I suspect was a hazelnut which it has wedged in a gap in the tree bark. As is typical of this species, it feeds almost upside down, its orange belly equally as colourful as its blue back. A Great Spotted Woodpecker gave its familiar contact ‘tick’ call from nearby, and a flash of black and white gave away its presence as it flew out of the copse, with its undulating flight action.

Leaving the cool shade of the copse I returned into the open just above the pool, where again a mass of vegetation ensured there was plenty of insect activity. A pair of Large White butterflies danced above the Knapweed, and Yarrow was flowering in both white and red forms. Dock, Ox-eye Daisy, Scentless Mayweed,

Along the way I stopped to admire a weed that can prove a nuisance for the gardener and allotment holder alike but is a valuable food source for insects. It is the tall and imposing Rosebay Willowherb – aka ‘fireweed’, as this was one of the first plants to appear during the blitz. The seeds can lay dormant for many hundreds of years, and the action of fires and disturbance to the ground allows it to grow and flower.

The barn close by here is an impressive structure, with walls many feet think and two huge imposing wooden doors looking more like they should be at the entrance of a medieval castle.

The adventure continued.Content with what I had seen so far, the morning was still young, and so I pressed on, this time following the hedge line up towards another wooded area. The walk up along another impressive hedge gave me an abundance of butterflies. Most numerous were the Gatekeepers (Hedge Browns) and Meadow Browns, with a supporting cast of Large Skipper, Common Blue, Red Admiral and Speckled Woods.

The number of butterflies was very impressive, and again this is testament to no spraying and wild, rough areas left alone, proving that when we don’t interfere, nature will do her part and reward life with contented and flourishing wildlife. After a bit of an uphill walk in increasing heat I arrived at a large, wooded area, and once inside the cool air and shade made for some well-earned respite. Again Oaks were the dominant trees, large and stately looking, but equally as impressive were some large Beech trees as well. It was evident that the pigs had been through here at some point, as the floor showed signs of ‘grubbing’ and being fertilised. It was wonderful to think that this ancient tradition was thriving today. A fallen Birch had Turkey Tail fungus growing along its fallen bough, so called as this bracket fungi resembles the shape of a turkey’s tail. Also present (as is nearly always the case with Birch trees) was the Birch Polypore. Also known as ‘razor strop fungus, this was once used to sharpen the razors used by cut-throat barbers, and the skin of this fungi can also be placed on a cut to coagulate the blood – whether this was something found out years later or a coincidental fact founded by the barbers I’m not sure. I hope it was a later discovery.

What was an unexpected find close by on a fallen Oak branch, was the aptly named Yellow Brain Fungus. It has a variety of names including golden jelly, yellow trembler and witches’ butter. The gelatinous, orange-yellow fruit body can grow to 3 inches in diameter and has a convoluted or lobed surface which is greasy or slimy to the touch when damp.

Finally, I made my way out of the woods and back into the warm air, so hat back on, and taking another opportunity to marvel at the butterflies along the hedge row as I made my way back down. Near to the house I stopped at another pool, which did look inviting but I resisted a dip, instead I took in the shades and colours of the nearby shrubs reflecting on the surface, and the stillness of the water, with just a trickle passing me by as it filtered out into a little stream. The sound of running water even low in volume is nonetheless very relaxing.

My walk was closing to an end, but not before a Pear tree absolutely laden with fruits caught my eye near the kitchen garden. Like the apples I had seen at the start of my walk, these branches were drooping with the weight of an abundance of fruit. The true native wild pear known as Pyrus pyraster is one of the rarest trees in our hedgerows and woodlands, thriving in good light and deep soils within a mild climate. They were widely cultivated in Britain due to their ease of being established and low-maintenance. Introduced from Italy, they gradually spread across the cooler zones of Belgium and France, eventually reaching our shores in the 11 th century. As usual, the Romans had an interest in such rich pickings and they significantly influenced pear tree cultivation here. But it wasn’t until the 17 th century that pear breeding became popular here. The Three Pools not only has an impressive Pear tree it also has one of the oldest. On this particular tree, the fruits had not developed enough to eating stage, so there was not sneakily picking one to hide in my pocket for later. It certainly looks to be a good year however as there was literally thousands all bunched together waiting for their moment. I know for a fact that at Three Pools, Perry (or pear cider) – an alcoholic beverage will be made again from the fermented pears, and I must try some this year.

I ended my visit with a look around the kitchen garden, stopping to watch three Buzzards circling overhead, joined by a majestic Red Kite who’s wings are longer than the Buzzard, a good identification feature even from a distance.

The kitchen garden was as impressive as everything else I had seen today in respect of being natural and free from pesticides and interference. Scented flowers grow amongst the vegetables not just feeding the local bees and insects but attracting them in which will help with pollination. Healthy looking courgettes were thriving along with lettuce and other veg, and crimson-red Sunflowers added a splash of colour amongst the green foliage. Nearby, the seed head of an Asparagus stood proud of the weeds below.

The adjacent polytunnel was thriving with several varieties of tomatoes, and the distinctive smell of garlic hanging to dry filled the air inside. My next stop, the large picnic bench in the courtyard, where a well-earned drink allowed me to sit down and catch up with a few of the residents and staff members – all of whom were incredibly happy looking and contented. I can see why, who wouldn’t want to live and work in such a beautiful and nature driven environment.

Article written by Neville Davies. All pictures © Neville. Feel free to get in touch via wildmajorca@gmail.com or visit @ecology_cymru

Neville Davies is a wildlife expert, guided walks leader, guest speaker and author of five books on Ornithology, and has been studying nature since a young child. He can be reached via wildmajorca@gmail.com or via @ecology_cymru