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About the Area:
These raised beds were constructed in 2022 are filled to the brim with wildflowers - perfect for Mainbee. Raised beds are a really good use of the space in an urban environment. The grass around the beds is managed as meadow so is left to grow long and cut once or twice per year. This allows more insects to make habitats and nectar rich wild flowers to develop. You'll notice another beautiful mural by Andy O'Rourke disguising the transformer station. He did this in May 2023 based on designs by the pupils of Maindee primary to reflect the natural and built heritage of Maindee. He chose the welsh word Cynefin to place on the top. There is no direct translation into English but it means " a place where one feels they ought to live , that feels right and welcoming".
What you can spot here:
Verbascum
Verbascum or mullein has an impressive tower of lots of yellow flowerlets which attract hoverflies and bees who are attracted to its nectar. Its leaves are soft and furry to the touch and some bees like to use the fluff for their nests! Each plant can produce up to 240,000 seeds!
Old Mans Beard (Clematis Vitalba)
Old Mans beard / old womans hair / wild clematis grows in the hedgerows here draping over other plants to form a spectacular cluster of what look like little beards and Mainbee loves them as they are a source of nectar in winter.
Winter: Fruits
Summer: Flowers
Autumn: Fruits
Grass
Spiders
Spiders - there are over 47,000 species of these 8 legged creatures in the world. 670 different types in Britain. All of them can spin silk but only a few make webs to catch prey. The silk is used for all sorts of other things like wrapping up prey, making egg sacks and even carrying bubbles of air if they live underwater! Most have 8 eyes but some have six or fewer and their eyes are short sighted. Ideal for spotting prey! They are a really important part of the ecosystem here in our garden as they control small insects that eat the plants.
Blackbird
Blackbirds have the biggest eyes proportionally to their size of any garden birds. They are the last ones you will see in the evening and early in the morning because they can see the best.
Bluebells
Bluebells - these beautiful native bluebells are smaller than their spanish cousins which you may see elsewhere. Native bluebells are a protected species in the UK because their number s are declining.
Some fun activities to try:
See how many different flowers you can see. Different leaf shapes and colours.
Mainbee loves this area in the summer because there are so many different plants to choose from. He find his way to the nectar by using his special eyes that can see the amazing designs on the flower petals. (photo - how a bee sees a flower) They show him how to find the nectar and encourage him to pollinate the flower.
Mainbee's Activity Book
We've made an activity pack with Mazes and Colouring In, download it here.
Mainbee's Activity Book