Just one new event and an event reminder to report since our last post:
GCAMJH4 CITO 2024 Season 1 by 9 Usual Suspects Event D1/T3.5
When: 23.3.2024
Where: Parc Dre, Caernarfon
Time: 11am-1pm
Another CITO Event meeting on the old bridge. We will be litter picking the usual area but hope to extend to include the beginning of Lon Eifion cycle path. An area in desperate need of a tidy up. By attending this event you will earn CITO 2024 Season 1 souvenir and this event will also count towards the March Equinox souvenir.
Event Reminder
GCAJE8C Carrotking 🥕👑 @ White Rabbit 🐰 by Carrotking Event
When: 10.3.2024
Where: Promenade Shelter, Llandudno
Time: 5-5.30pm
Carrotking is visiting our area from Vorderer Odenwald, Germany and would like to meet up with other geocachers to discuss our great hobby.
March Equinox Souvenir
This week Geocaching HQ announced an extra souvenir for the March equinox.
The equinox happens twice a year when the Sun shines directly over the equator. It occurs because of Earth’s tilt on its axis as it orbits the Sun. When Earth reaches a certain point in its orbit, neither the North nor the South Pole is tilted towards the Sun, making the sunlight spread evenly over the Earth’s surface. This celestial event helps us understand more about our planet and its journey around the Sun!
To earn this souvenir, geocachers must find a total of 3 geocaches, event caches, and/or Adventure Lab® Locations between March 17th–23rd, 2024. Why three caches? Because March is the third month of the year!
Cotoneaster and the Plant Swap Scheme
Do you have cotoneaster growing in your garden? Did you know that this non-native plant has a detrimental effect on some of the most plant and insect-rich habitats in the UK? As it spreads here in North Wales it smothers limestone grasslands and is also beginning to colonise our redundant quarries. Limestone grasslands are some of the most plant and insect-rich habitats in the UK and can have over 40 plant species per square meter.
Cotoneaster berries were once thought to be a good winter food source for birds but now we are aware of the harm this plant is doing to our environment. Birds eat the berries that then pass through their digestive systems leaving the seeds intact and viable causing the progressive spread. Acting as a seed source, garden cotoneaster is escalating this issue. Cotoneaster is now considered in the top ten species having a negative impact on our protected sites in North Wales.
What is the Plant Swap Scheme?
The Plant Swap Scheme aims to reduce the spread of invasive non-native cotoneaster onto our landscape by removing cotoneaster from our gardens and therefore this seed source.
By ridding cotoneaster from your garden you are eligible to apply for a FREE £20 National Garden Gift voucher or The Woodworks Garden Centre voucher.
For details how to remove cotoneaster from your garden and apply for your voucher click on this link North Wales Wildlife Trust