Conserving and enhancing opportunities for native flora and fauna to flourish is at the heart of everything we do at Bishop’s Park. Both our buildings and parkland are home to many different species – and through our work we are monitoring what we have and how they make the site their home, noting any changes over the seasons, and maximising opportunities for them to flourish.
From otters to bats, slowworms to eels, swans and kingfishers – it’s fascinating to find out who lives in the Park!
Bats in the Bishop’s Pantry
We’re thrilled that a number of bats call the Bishop’s outbuildings their home – while the breeding colony of natterer’s bats and minor roosts of brown long-eared bat, common and soprano pipistrelles are common and widespread species, we also have a roost of up to seven rare greater horseshoe bats on the site which we have protected throughout the construction work through specially constructed roof openings to ensure they remain undisturbed. Read more about our bats.
In the Park
In the main Parkland survive many mature trees, and alongside the native trees including yew, wild cherry, and oak. With a new wildlife-friendly mowing regime, we have improved opportunities for wildflowers to flourish and were thrilled at the diversity of what came up under this new mowing regime in 2021 – including primroses, celandine, bluebells, yellow rattle, eyebright, speedwell, hedge woundwort and a number of ferns including Dryopteris felix-mas and hart’s tongue fern as well as the characteristic lords and ladies. Read more about the Park.
Woodland wildlife
The woodland at Bishop’s Park contains a range of large mature trees of various native and non-native tree species and has a near complete canopy cover – perfect for relaxing in dappled shade, and for wildlife spotting. In 20212 we installed many new bird and bat boxes here – and we’ll be monitoring who uses them throughout the year.
At the heart of our newly designed Woodland Garden is a giant beech tree, felled as it had become unstable due to fungus some years back. It is now home to some interesting fungi which we’d love to know more about.
Sadly, heavily impacted by ash-dieback all of the ash trees across the Bishop’s Park have had to be felled, and native species now include beech, pedunculate oak, alder, holly and non-natives include holm oak, horse chestnut and some conifers such as Japanese larch. We’ve also removed some of the non-native invasive species of rhododendron and Portuguese and cherry laurel from the understorey, so we can appreciate a much denser ground flora throughout the year along with ivy, mosses and ferns, including hart’s tongue and hard shield fern. Read more about the Woodland.
The Great Meadow
When we took over the site the Great Meadow (Waun Fawr) had not been farmed for conservation and as a result had a ‘species poor sward’ (not many wildflowers or many different kinds of native grasses). We are now changing the way the meadow is managed to ensure wildlife can flourish here, and very excitingly in 2021 we took a donation of green hay from the meadows at the National Botanic Garden of WalesNNR Waun Las. This hay contained seeds of a variety of native wildflower species that should take well in our floodplain meadow. Fingers crossed for an abundance of flora on Waun Fawr in 2022! Read more about Waun Fawr.
Thanks for Jack from Ysgol Abergwili School for this lovely pollinator image
GREAT MEADOW TREES
There are three large old standard trees within the meadow: a small-leaved lime near the western corner; an ancient pedunculate oak near the centre and a horse chestnut further north-east of this. The latter has a large trunk cavity that could feasibly be used by tawny owl and the latter two, with a large amount of deadwood, are likely to support a range of invertebrates and fungi.
There are also trees along all boundaries, which lack hedges but have become tree lines with willow, sycamore, ash and wych elm.
Wildlife in the Ha-ha
Before the Trust took over the site the ha-ha was heavily shaded by overhanging tree canopies, and occasional trees also growing within the meadow. The edge of the canopy line was dominated by common nettle and Himalayan balsam, and the majority of the ditch itself was bare ground. Read more about how we are conserving wildlife in the ha-ha.
Eel in the meadow
At the eastern corner of the great meadow, a large culvert leads beneath the adjacent agricultural track which runs from there along the southern site boundary. A European eel was spotted here during our Ecological survey in June 2019.
Bishop’s Pond
Considered to be the best example of an ox-bow lake in west Wales, Bishops Pond is a 5.5 hectare ox-bow lake designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and is host to a variety of marginal and aquatic plants, and water fowl, with grass snakes, and otters (present along the Tywi and its tributaries). A holt has been previously recorded on the Bishop’s Pond island but we haven’t spotted then recently – have you? Let us know!
Left to nature for many years before the Trust’s intervention, we are doing all we can to ensure wildlife flourishes here. With its ancient stone walls, paving and brick/stone structures including an old dipping pond (for dipping watering cans into to water the veg), this area of the park may well support some aquatic invertebrates and amphibians.
Common frog and common toad and slow worms have been recorded twice here, along with several large nests of yellow meadow ants.
We are not sure yet if the derelict cellar, formerly housing the boiler for the greenhouse heating system, is being used by bats!
Ecological Management Plan
As part of the restoration of the Park we made an assessment of the existing wildlife – and identified opportunities to enhance the site for biodiversity. These findings were brought together in our Ecology Management Plan 2019 (download pdf), prepared by Laurence Brooks and Rebecca Bohane of Ecology Planning. It sets out detailed management prescriptions for existing habitats and proposed habitat creation/modification within the Park, meadow and Walled Garden.
Get involved!
We’re holding monthly wildlife walks to monitor changes in the Park – recording what birds we see, changes on the trees, on the ground and all flora and fauna observed – from first bud break to who’s swimming on the pond. We’d love some more volunteers to help on this – do get in touch if you’d like to get involved!
Wildlife
Conserving and enhancing opportunities for native flora and fauna to flourish is at the heart of everything we do at Bishop’s Park. Both our buildings and parkland are home to many different species – and through our work we are monitoring what we have and how they make the site their home, noting any changes over the seasons, and maximising opportunities for them to flourish.
Bats in the Bishop’s Pantry
We’re thrilled that a number of bats call the Bishop’s outbuildings their home – while the breeding colony of natterer’s bats and minor roosts of brown long-eared bat, common and soprano pipistrelles are common and widespread species, we also have a roost of up to seven rare greater horseshoe bats on the site which we have protected throughout the construction work through specially constructed roof openings to ensure they remain undisturbed. Read more about our bats.
In the Park
In the main Parkland survive many mature trees, and alongside the native trees including yew, wild cherry, and oak. With a new wildlife-friendly mowing regime, we have improved opportunities for wildflowers to flourish and were thrilled at the diversity of what came up under this new mowing regime in 2021 – including primroses, celandine, bluebells, yellow rattle, eyebright, speedwell, hedge woundwort and a number of ferns including Dryopteris felix-mas and hart’s tongue fern as well as the characteristic lords and ladies. Read more about the Park.
Woodland wildlife
The woodland at Bishop’s Park contains a range of large mature trees of various native and non-native tree species and has a near complete canopy cover – perfect for relaxing in dappled shade, and for wildlife spotting. In 20212 we installed many new bird and bat boxes here – and we’ll be monitoring who uses them throughout the year.
At the heart of our newly designed Woodland Garden is a giant beech tree, felled as it had become unstable due to fungus some years back. It is now home to some interesting fungi which we’d love to know more about.
Sadly, heavily impacted by ash-dieback all of the ash trees across the Bishop’s Park have had to be felled, and native species now include beech, pedunculate oak, alder, holly and non-natives include holm oak, horse chestnut and some conifers such as Japanese larch. We’ve also removed some of the non-native invasive species of rhododendron and Portuguese and cherry laurel from the understorey, so we can appreciate a much denser ground flora throughout the year along with ivy, mosses and ferns, including hart’s tongue and hard shield fern. Read more about the Woodland.
The Great Meadow
When we took over the site the Great Meadow (Waun Fawr) had not been farmed for conservation and as a result had a ‘species poor sward’ (not many wildflowers or many different kinds of native grasses). We are now changing the way the meadow is managed to ensure wildlife can flourish here, and very excitingly in 2021 we took a donation of green hay from the meadows at the National Botanic Garden of Wales NNR Waun Las. This hay contained seeds of a variety of native wildflower species that should take well in our floodplain meadow. Fingers crossed for an abundance of flora on Waun Fawr in 2022! Read more about Waun Fawr.
GREAT MEADOW TREES
There are three large old standard trees within the meadow: a small-leaved lime near the western corner; an ancient pedunculate oak near the centre and a horse chestnut further north-east of this. The latter has a large trunk cavity that could feasibly be used by tawny owl and the latter two, with a large amount of deadwood, are likely to support a range of invertebrates and fungi.
There are also trees along all boundaries, which lack hedges but have become tree lines with willow, sycamore, ash and wych elm.
Wildlife in the Ha-ha
Before the Trust took over the site the ha-ha was heavily shaded by overhanging tree canopies, and occasional trees also growing within the meadow. The edge of the canopy line was dominated by common nettle and Himalayan balsam, and the majority of the ditch itself was bare ground. Read more about how we are conserving wildlife in the ha-ha.
Eel in the meadow
At the eastern corner of the great meadow, a large culvert leads beneath the adjacent agricultural track which runs from there along the southern site boundary. A European eel was spotted here during our Ecological survey in June 2019.
Bishop’s Pond
Considered to be the best example of an ox-bow lake in west Wales, Bishops Pond is a 5.5 hectare ox-bow lake designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and is host to a variety of marginal and aquatic plants, and water fowl, with grass snakes, and otters (present along the Tywi and its tributaries). A holt has been previously recorded on the Bishop’s Pond island but we haven’t spotted then recently – have you? Let us know!
Read more about the wildlife on Bishop’s Pond.
Walled garden
Left to nature for many years before the Trust’s intervention, we are doing all we can to ensure wildlife flourishes here. With its ancient stone walls, paving and brick/stone structures including an old dipping pond (for dipping watering cans into to water the veg), this area of the park may well support some aquatic invertebrates and amphibians.
Common frog and common toad and slow worms have been recorded twice here, along with several large nests of yellow meadow ants.
We are not sure yet if the derelict cellar, formerly housing the boiler for the greenhouse heating system, is being used by bats!
Ecological Management Plan
As part of the restoration of the Park we made an assessment of the existing wildlife – and identified opportunities to enhance the site for biodiversity. These findings were brought together in our Ecology Management Plan 2019 (download pdf), prepared by Laurence Brooks and Rebecca Bohane of Ecology Planning. It sets out detailed management prescriptions for existing habitats and proposed habitat creation/modification within the Park, meadow and Walled Garden.
Get involved!
We’re holding monthly wildlife walks to monitor changes in the Park – recording what birds we see, changes on the trees, on the ground and all flora and fauna observed – from first bud break to who’s swimming on the pond. We’d love some more volunteers to help on this – do get in touch if you’d like to get involved!