Cors Caron

The weather here in Wales has been hot and sunny for 2 days now!Summers here and work is so busy too,but managed to walk round Cors Caron-Tregaron bog (cors is bog in welsh). This is a large raised peat bog which lies close to the river Teifi.It is composed of very slowly decaying Sphagnum mosses and other plants that form peat. The conditions are obviously waterlogged and acidic on the bog so not species rich,however at the edges of the bog (the lagg) species are far greater in number. There are many dragon flies and damselflies whizzing around the pools edges. Lizards and snakes can be found basking in the sun on the wooden boardwalk that crosses the bog in a circular path , but I didn't see any of those yesterday.

This is the sculpted entrance to the boardwalk.

Here is a view over some of the pools with a few whisps of cotton grass in the foreground.

Cotton grass clumps wave in the breeze.

 I saw lots of heath spotted orchids (Dactylorhiza maculata), at the edge of the bog ,with their very pale and lightly patterned flowers.

There were also large clumps of yellow flag iris and foxgloves.

 I have done some quick sketches with coloured pencils today but the cotton grass sketches are from 2006.

Cotton grass sketches



Horsetail,damselfly and mosses

This completed painting from a few years ago (2006) is assignment 11 from the SBA diploma course, working in the field. It shows various plants studied from the bog including bog bean (Menyanthes trifoliata), bog rosemary(Andromeda polifolia) with a dissected flower and insect eating sundews (Drosera rotundifolia) depicted with various mosses. I got a very good mark for this, not surprising as this was my favourite assignment on the whole course and reflected my love of wild plants, field work and conservation of these habitats.