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The hedgerows and verges are buzzing with life. Birds are busy making their nests among a prickly tangle of hawthorn, beech and bramble, a dense thicket of shrubs and tree species. Carpets of wildflowers adorn the verges and Spring is now in full song. I find that I am noticing the wildflowers far more at the moment, with more time to stop and explore, excited by new discoveries and reacquainting myself with those I've met before, like seeing old friends return again. Due to the loss of many ancient woodlands, hedgerows are a vital source of food and shelter for many species. Some hedgerows may be lines of former ancient woodland, providing corridors between more fragmented areas of woodland habitat and creating a safe passage along which wildlife can travel. Now that May is almost here, the verges and roadsides are full of colour and fragrance. Have you noticed any of the verges around your area being left to go a little more wild during the lockdown?. The Dandelions are certainly having their day around Hay & Brecon, which is great to see, and even better for local wildlife. I have been spotting others too and Ceri Hayes kindly offered to translate into Welsh some of the more common wildflowers and plants that we might all be able to spot along the hedgerows and verges at the moment. Ceri is setting up a new project called ‘Ceffyl’ (the Welsh word for horse). You can find out more about Ceri's work with Brecon & District Mind below. But for now please enjoy these gorgeous words & wildflowers.....Over to you Ceri!.... Wildflower names yn Gymraeg/in Welsh There are wonderful, varied and interesting Welsh names for wildflowers as well, but they are disappearing rapidly as we lose the older generation of Welsh speakers for whom they are a familiar part of everyday life. While it is common for garden flowers to be given names borrowed in some way from English, for example ‘lafant’ (pronounced lavant) is the Welsh word for lavender, wildflower names are more obviously Welsh and some have very different meanings to the English names. Why not try learning a few? Here are the Welsh translations of nine wildflowers to look out for in April and May. To help we have included the pronunciation below each word and also the literal translation of the words into English so you can compare the two meanings. Have fun! (for a closer view please click on the images) If you’d like to learn more, the National Botanic Garden of Wales has produced a short guide to wildflowers you can find in hedgerows at this time of year in both English and Welsh, with some helpful colour pictures: botanicgarden.wales/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/April-Wildflower-Guide.pdf For those who are really keen, they also have a very comprehensive list of all wildflowers in English, Welsh and Latin (but no pictures): botanicgarden.wales/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/List-of-plant-names-for-website.pdf More about Ceri Hayes & her work with some our members at Brecon & District Mind.  Ponies for People Just as spending time in nature can help our physical and mental well-being, so too can spending time with animals. Whether it’s being with a pet cat or dog at home, or even just sitting in the park or garden watching the birds, time spent in the company of animals can be a very good way of releasing stress, helping us feel calm and relaxed and, if we’re feeling lonely, making us feel less isolated.
During a period of chronic illness, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to spend time recuperating on a friend’s farm alongside a herd of beautiful Welsh mountain ponies. The experience was incredibly healing and made me realise the power of animals to bring comfort and joy, and to teach us how to be more mindful in our own lives. I am setting up a new project called ‘Ceffyl’ (the Welsh word for horse) to provide opportunities for others to spend time with these amazing animals, engage in hands-on activities such as tacking up, feeding and leading ponies and learn more about what they can teach us about living ‘in the moment.’ Some Mind members have already benefitted from spending time with the ponies and we hope to expand the project to enable other Mind members to spend time with the ponies. to have this experience later in the year. If you’d like to find out more, then do get in touch via the website.
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