Roath conservatory: Back to the garden

Set innocuously enough in the heart of Roath Park in Cardiff,  the botanical garden there looks unspectacular if of moderate interest. Step inside though and you would be surprised to find a stunningly lovely tropical garden, filled to the brim with exotic plants, flowers and fruit.

Water vapour hangs heavy in the air, causing the palm leaves to drip water into pools of water filled with carp, terrapins and birds (which you can feed using seeds brought at the front desk). The garden itself is surprisingly spacious, stretching further back then you would expect and hiding orchids, coconuts and other far flung plants.

The warm glow from light hitting the glass and tropical temperatures make it an ideal location to chase away the winter blues. And the veritable feast of animals and plants make it an exciting location for the kids to explore. Make sure to check the opening times before coming to avoid disappointment.

In short if you come to Cardiff, make sure to visit the garden and enjoy one of Roath Park's best kept secrets.

Where are all the wild things?

I have a question for everyone in the UK, when was the last time you saw a hedgehog? Or a Slow worm? How about wasps this summer? Or bees even?

Those were the questions at the heart of this year's governmental report on the state of nature. The report's findings were rather worrying: Out of 3,148 species that the report monitored, 60% were found to have been in decline in the last 50 years and 31% were shown to have declined strongly.

This has been linked to factors such as the destruction and degradation of Britain's natural habitats and global warming. With an emphasis on the decline of species with specific habitat requirements. The fact is the world of nature is changing fast and not for the better.

When I was a child I grew up in the town of Monmouth, I'm not going to pretend it was an idyllic childhood, but the lasting impression I have was one of being surrounded by the beauty and wonder of the natural world. There were multicoloured butterflies, bees nests to be avoided, slow worms to be gawped at and swallows that nested in the eves of our houses on late summer days.

But the question is how much of this wonder will our children have left by the time they have grown? Will they have insects to pollinate their crops? Will they be able to tickle trouts under rocks? Will they still see heron's fishing on the river? Or will they turn round to their parents and ask the question where are all the wild things? Where did they go?




You can find the report for yourself in the link below.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/stateofnature_tcm9-345839.pdf