Conservation of the land is at the heart of everything we do
Nature Conservation
For over 25 years Llwynbwch has been managed for wildflowers and wildlife using traditional methods such as conservation grazing, scything, and hedgelaying.
The fields here are bordered by dense, species-rich native hedgerows and mature trees. We have laid hedges as traditional, wildlife friendly stock proofing - and reopened old coppiced areas of wood, ensuring that all the native species that should thrive here have a chance to recover.
Llwynbwch is a great place to learn about rare and protected species, such as Marsh Fritillary and Brown Hairstreak butterflies or native orchids which now grow in abundance. In early spring the woodlands are carpeted in wood anemones which make way for a dense cover of bluebells.
Birds and Mammals
Spend some time in the land around Llwynbwch and you’ll also see evidence of roe deer, badgers, small mammals and occasionally otters.
Many kinds of wild birds are often seen and heard, including cuckoos, songthrush, nuthatches, gold crest, dippers, grasshopper warbler, garden warbler, willow warbler, bullfinch, goldfinch, chiffchaff, woodpeckers, pied wagtails, swallows and a kingfisher we’ve spotted a few times down by the Abermarlais river.
We’ve seen sparrowhawks and buzzards and red kites are overhead frequently and we’ve even found a young goshawk in the fields.
Llwynbwch’s diverse mix of species-rich habitat is monitored through periodical land, bird and bat surveys carried out by local conservation organisations.
Areas of damp neutral grassland have been recorded as sustaining typical grasses such as Yorkshire fog, sweet vernal grass, timothy, crested dog’s-tail and bent grasses. There are large patches of nectar and pollen-rich flowers like yellow rattle, greater bird’s-foot trefoil, red clover and common knapweed. The wettest areas feature abundant hemlock water-dropwort, meadowsweet, yellow flag and rush.
Devil’s-bit scabious is common in several of the fields – where this occurs in tussocky purple moorgrass there is ideal, lightly grazed habitat for the marsh fritillary.
Whorled caraway, Carmarthenshire’s county plant, is also frequent here. Common spotted orchids grow in abundance and in the past few years we have found an increasing area of greater butterfly orchids.
Butterflies and Bees
For many years we have been working with Butterfly Conservation to monitor and record Marsh Fritillary butterfly numbers and we have seasonal visits from local ecologists Conservation & Trees for land management. Bat surveys by the Carmarthenshire Bat Project have revealed a diverse range of species.
In 2020, Butterfly Conservation recorded Marsh Fritillary larvae webs and Brown Hairstreak butterfly eggs at Llwynbwch - and both species continue to thrive here. These butterflies are in decline nationally due to habitat loss, making their presence even more significant. The summer months also bring a variety of day-flying moths and other butterflies.
Since 2017, several beehives have been placed on the land, cared for by local beekeeper Bydafau, with the honey available in their Teeny Tiny honesty shop.
“The perfect spot on the edge of the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park to get back to nature, and the things that matter”
Our Exmoor Ponies
The meadows at Llwynbwch are grazed with very low stocking density - which means we use the minimum number of animals to manage the land sensitively, to benefit wildlife and biodiversity. Originally when we moved here we continued the ongoing grazing with a mixture of Welsh cobs and cattle, all of whom belonged to local farms. In the autumn of 2020 we were approached by a friend in the village who is extremely knowledgeable about Exmoor ponies. She suggested we use Exmoors for conservation grazing and soon after, five beautiful ponies joined us on loan from local breeders in nearby Brecon. Read more about this in the South Wales Guardian.
Why Exmoor Ponies?
Exmoor ponies are particularly special because they are a recognised and rare native breed. They are long lived, and are great for conservation grazing as they have a very efficient bite - due to their incisor teeth meeting like a pair of pliers! They eat a varied and seasonal diet, which puts less pressure on the land and with sufficient natural habitat they don’t need winter feeding or shelter as they are very hardy with a double-layered rain proof winter coat! Exmoor ponies have been used for meadow grazing for millennia as they are “tougher, wilder and more in tune ecologically with their environment.” (Exmoor Pony Society).
Rosemarie, Jasper, Nora & Bear
We were thrilled with the balance the ponies - and we now own four beautiful Exmoors of our own. Rosemarie, Jasper, Nora and Bear live here full time, helping with our land management. Nora joined us at the beginning of this year (to balance out the herd, poor Rosemarie was getting picked on by the two boys!). Nora and Bear are half siblings, both bred by our friend Sue who lives in Llansadwrn & has helped us in looking after the ponies.
Here they are enjoying Llwynbwch life in the hazy sunshine.
Can we stroke or feed them?
By nature the behaviour of Exmoor ponies is aimed at avoiding close contact with people - they are native, and wilder than many ponies you will encounter. Please don’t feed them, respect their space and being sure to close all gates on the land. As semi-wild conservation grazers they prefer their own company and will probably wander off if you approach too closely! But we hope you’ll agree… just observing them in their native habitat, doing their job, managing the land sustainably, as they have been doing for over a million years, is quite something.
Under Starry Skies
