Semi-improved Mesotropic Grassland, Roadside Verges and Roundabouts

   These are grasslands that we often identify as meadows and sometimes refered to as neutral grasslands to differentiate them from acid grasslands and calcareous grasslands. The National Vegetation Classification (NVC) scheme recognises several categories of mesotrophic grassland in Britain, which are given specific NVC alphanumeric codes, e.g. MG1, MG2, MG4 etc and a name which includes their most important, defining species. The most important categories in West Glamorgan are hay meadows (MG5), roadside verges (MG1) and alluvial floodplain meadows (e.g. MG4). The absence of agricultural improvement methods such as ploughing, fertilisation and other chemical treatments from their management (at least in recent history) is an important feature that they all share and is the reason why they are described as semi-improved grasslands. They all require management (e.g. cutting, grazing), they are of enormous importance for wildlife such as pollinators and other inverebrates and they sometimes support diverse and colourful floras. However, they have suffered great losses in modern times as a result of agricultural improvements or lack of proper management, development and land use changes.

It is difficult to assess just how important traditional hay meadows were in the historic landscape of West Glamorgan, but it is clear that much has been lost and they are now a very rare feature of the county. One of the best remaining examples are the Coronation Meadows that occur on Hafod Wennol Farm on the northern boundary of Neath Port Talbot in the Clydach Valley, north of Pontardawe. These meadows, nestled in an upland landscape, represent one of the largest examples of species-rich neutral grassland in West Glamorgam. They are cut and managed for hay under a scheme prescribed by Natural Resources Wales and support colourful Crested Dog's-tail/Common Knapweed (MG5) communities with extraordinary amounts of Rostkov's Eyebright (Euphrasia officianalis subsp. pratensis) and lots of Rough Hawk's-bit (Leontodon hispidus) and Greater Burnet (Sanguisorba officinalis). It is also one of the few places in the county where Greater Butterfly-orchid (Platanthera chlorantha) can still be found.

Grassy roadside verges and roundabouts are usually composed of communities dominated by coarse grasses such as False Oat-grass (Arrhenatherum elatius), Cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata) and Yorkshire Fog (Holcus lanatus) and they conform largely with the NVC community, MG1. They can be surprisingly diverse in colourful hebaceous species, particularly Ox-eye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare), Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra) and Red Clover (Trifolium pratense). A number of species such as Cowslip (Primula veris), Hedge Bedstraw (Galium album) and Musk Mallow (Malva moschata), rarely seen in our verges 50 years ago, are now common features of these habitats. However, some of these appear to have been introduced from sources that are not of local provenance and the tall form of Lady's Bedstraw (Galium verum), which differs markedly from rather dwarf, native variety that occurs in calcareous grasslands, is a striking example of this. Other examples are Hedge Bedstraw (Galium album), a showy form of Bird's-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus var. sativus), the large form of Salad Burnet, sometimes called Fodder Burnet (Poterium sanguisorba Ssp. balearicum) and a tall form Yellow Oat-grass (Trisetum flavescens Ssp. purpurascens). The wide roadside verges that occur along some of the major highways in coastal West Galmorgan (e.g Fabian Way, Baglan Energy Park and Harbour Way) are particularly species rich and colourful in Summer. Of note is the local range expansion of Hawkweed Oxtongue (Picris hieracioides) into these coastal verges where it is the host plant for the nationally rare Oxtongue Broomrape (Orobanche picridis).

Other less well known habitats in this category include the grassy verges that occur along forest roads in conifer plantations, which are often very diverse and collectively (in total area) make up a large proportion of West Galmorgan's mesotrophic grasslands. They often support a colourful herbaceous flora which includes Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera), Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis), Southern Marsh-orchid (Dactylorhiza praetermissa), Common Spotted-orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii) and Common Twayblade (Neottia ovata). Where limestone gravel has been used to dress these roads the verge flora may contain base-loving species such as Yellow-wort (Blackstonia perfoliata), Carline Thistle (Carlina vulgaris), Hairy Rock-cress (Arabis hirsuta) and Autumn Gentian (Gentianella amarella). Fungi such as Waxcaps and Pinkgills may also be represented.

Alluvial floodplain meadows were probably common in the riparian basins of some of West Glamorgan's valleys in former times, but drainage, improvement and developement have all played a part in their steady decline. What remains today are largely poor represenations of Meadow Foxtail/Greater Burnet (MG4) meadows which are scattered in the upper Tawe and Neath valleys. Some good examples occur in the Neath Valley between Resolven and Glyn Neath. They are characterised by the presence of significant amounts of Meadow Foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis) and Greater Burnet (Sanguisorba officinalis) with other prominent species like Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus acris), Marsh Ragwort (Senecio aquaticus), Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) and Lesser Stitchwort (Stellaria graminea). Meadow Saxifrage (Saxifraga granulata), Water Avens (Geum urbanum), Lesser Pond-sedge (Carex acutiformis) and Wood Club-rush (Scipus sylvaticus) are less common but notable members of these meadow communities.