In partnership with the Countryside Council for Wales and the Biodiversity Partnership, PLANED organised a very well attended Wildlife on Your Patch survey in Freshwater East last Thursday, Over 25 people turned out to enjoy their local wildlife patch. Sid Howells, CCW's expert geologist and Freshwater East local, explained how the Freshwater East bay was formed many thousands of years ago and had everyone hunting for pebbles in order to rebuild the image of what rocks come from what part of the country. He also explained the importance of the Specific Site of Scientific Interest on the southern side of the beach. Pembrokeshire Coast National Park senior ranger, Libby Taylor went on to explain how the dunes were formed and the management strategy the National Park has chosen to aid this. During an exploration of the dunes, all attendees were asked to write down the plants and insects they spotted to put in the report, which led to great discussions on what plant was what, aided by the specialist knowledge of the county recorders there. Ron Elliott, county recorder for moths and butterflies, and Bethan Cox, biodiversity officer, set up several brightly lit moth traps and explained to the keen participants what species were caught on the night. County recorder for mammals, amphibians and reptiles, Annie Haycock went on to explain about the bats living in the sand dunes and demonstrated the use of bat detectors loaned to all participants. With the long nights in June, the workshop went on until midnight, which for Ron and Annie is quite common due to the nocturnal creatures they study! After the workshop, on their walk home several Freshwater East locals spotted the unmistakable fluorescent green bars of a glow-worm in the grassy bank at the side of the pavement going up Trewent Hill. As Vicky described after: "We only saw the one, but that was a treat" - a lot can be learned when getting out and about in your local environment! If you wish to participate in the Wildlife on your Patch surveys planned for the rest of the year, please contact Jetske Germing at PLANED on 01834 862101. All workshops are free of charge and you get to learn more about using survey equipment, identification and recording what you find.