Congratulations to Manorbier and the people who planted the daffodils that are the first in Pembrokeshire. Blooming well done! Some daffodils are flowering in the village of Sardis, but were not in bloom until November 11. The autumn volunteers have been planting bulbs for a spring display of colour, and there are lots of daffodils already in the ground and some are showing the first leaves. As usual, extra daffodils have been planted in the wood and roadside verges and tulips in the floral boxes and outside the church. Some more unusual plants have also been planted to naturalise in areas where little grows. Anemones (windflowers), snakes head fritillaries, crocuses and a few corms of Gladiolus (gladiolus communis ssp byzantinus). This last plant is a European variety, which is found growing wild in some hedgerows in other parts of Pembrokeshire. More cyclamens have been planted and it is hoped that these will eventually become naturalised under the Saints Oaks. Environment Wales made an award to the village to buy these plants and towards general maintenance. The work, as usual, is done by the band of volunteers, and includes mowing the verges, keeping the woodland and banks clear of noxious weeds, painting the seats and watering and weeding the floral boxes. This year, the village has also had the support of the Countryside Council for Wales and PLANED and their Wildlife on Your Patch team, who identified about 200 different species of plants and 16 different fungi on one day in May, in and around the village. In the churchyard there were plants such as cowslips and early purple orchids in flower. There are copies of this report to be found in the reference sections of Tenby and Haverfordwest libraries. It will be of great interest in years to come to compare this with wildlife in the future as climate change occurs. There is a wonderful legacy of wildlife to be nurtured, especially in the small woodland and churchyard. Sardis is also proud to be the home of a very rare Wild Black Poplar tree. The ancient tree verifier, Mike Karpaty, for the Woodland Trust, identified this. It is on the web http://www.ancient-tree-hunt.org.uk">www.ancient-tree-hunt.org.uk - follow Discoveries and find it via the interactive map of Sardis (notable tree 3685). Better still go to Sardis and see the tree from the outside, in the car park alongside the church (it's the tree with the bat box), and at the same time enjoy the beauty of the tiny village.
