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
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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? 
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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)

I don't think I have ever sown as many seeds as I have over the last month or so. Since we all listened to the government explain the new restrictions surrounding our freedom of movement, what we all have to do as a community and country as a whole to protect ourselves and each other, we all find ourselves adapting and responding in our own ways to the current situation. It's been a scary, worrying and uncertain time for us all and in many different ways. 

During our last few Green Minds Ecotherapy sessions our group started to sow many different seeds, we discovered how differently each seed looked and felt, some tiny, barely there at all nestled between the lines in our palms. Some were big and prickly and didn't need to be buried beneath the soil that deeply at all. So many seeds great and small, as diverse as we humans are, all responding differently to the conditions that we find ourselves in. 

I watch each day as the seedlings begin to sprout and slowly unfurl themselves, some with more ease than others, reaching higher towards the sky. I am in awe of each one as it changes structure and shape, develops another leaf, becomes a plant. Inside each seed there is life complete, everything it needs to germinate and flower and fruit encoded within....Somehow the seed knows exactly what it needs to do. As a gardener I am learning to develop deeper levels of patience, and I have so much enjoyed the conversations with our group members earlier on the year, whilst our hands were in the soil, questioning how things grow and what it means to nurture something.

My personal response to the Covid-19 outbreak is to keep on sowing seeds, for me that's where I find a sense of hope and where I can imagine a future beyond. Spring is an incredible time of renewal. I hope we can all take comfort in what is happening around us in the natural world here and now, even within such difficult and challenging times.

Perhaps when you are next outside, in the garden, in the park or in a woodland take a closer look around you.....What lies beneath Winter's old decaying leaves?. What new life is germinating and beginning to grow around you?...Are there any new colours beginning to appear on the verges and at the edges of the pathways near you?...In noticing what new life begins to emerge around us we realise that we are part of a much greater web, one that doesn't recognise boundaries and walls. Here we can be reminded that things are always changing, and this time we are in too shall pass. We are always somehow connected to one another, even from afar, all part of the same web.......

What seeds of hope are you sowing?

How does nature inspire you in times of uncertainty?

We'd love to hear your stories too and please feel free to share any comments you may have below.


Best wishes, 
Jess