The Elizabeth and Rowe Harding Nature Reserve, Ilston, Gower, Swansea
Carboniferous limestone quarry, plantation, scrub, and surrounding woodland. Geological SSSI (quarry face only).
Search
Chwilio
Glorious grasslands
A summer meadow is a beautiful sight, but there’s so much more to it than gently waving grass heads and fabulous flowers.
Solar powered sea slug
This remarkable creature shows nature’s fantastic complexity!
Buff-tailed bumblebee
Spot these giants of the bumblebee world during springtime. They can be seen buzzing from flower to flower getting their pollen fix.
Living Lawns
The Wildlife Trusts and Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) are calling on gardeners to reimagine their lawns this summer as they launch their ‘Bring your lawn to life’ initiative on Wednesday 22nd…
Cwm Ivy Woods and Betty Church Reserve, Cwm Ivy, Gower, Swansea
Ancient broadleaved woodland, plantation, calcareous pasture and quarry. A small part of the leasehold land is notified SSSI, being part of the Cwm Ivy Marsh, Dunes, and Tor SSSI.
Lowland meadow and pasture
Generally found as part of lowland farms or nature reserves, these small, flower-rich fields are at their best in midsummer when the plethora of flowers and insects is a delight. Tiny reminders of…
Meadowsweet
As its name suggests, Meadowsweet is a sweet-smelling flower of damp meadows, ditches and riverbanks. Look for frothy clusters of cream flowers on tall stems.
Ringlet
The ringlet gets its name from the small rings on the undersides of its wings. These rings show variation in the different forms of this species, even elongating into a teardrop shape.
Bee orchid
The bee orchid is a sneaky mimic - the flower’s velvety lip looks like a female bee. Males fly in to try to mate with it and end up pollinating the flower. Sadly, the right bee species doesn’t…
Wood forget-me-not
Look for the pretty, azure-blue flowers of Wood forget-me-not along woodland rides and hedgerows, and in ancient and wet woodlands. Varieties of this flower for the garden are very popular.
Melancholy thistle
As its name suggests, the Melancholy thistle was once used to treat 'melancholia' (depression). Today, it can be found in upland hay meadows showing off its single, purple, thistle-like…