Rare red-girdled mining bee found at The Twmps in Newport

The Twmps, known in English as Tumps, in Allt-yr-yrn is getting a makeover after volunteers recorded 550 species of wildlife there, including two rare species of bee.

Residents from Allt-yr-yrn formed The Tumps Nature Restoration group and began work on the area in 2021.

One of the volunteers, Dr Arthur Turner, a lecturer at The University of the West of England, said: “The Tumps is a place that can look deceptively empty, but it is actually so wild and full of life.

“There are a number of interesting species, one thing I was really excited about was a red-girdled mining bee.”

Dr Arthur Turner, a UWE Bristol lecturer, is helping create a nature reserve in Newport at Allt-yr-yrn

The 69-year-old from Allt-yr-yrn added: “It took us months to identify it and then my neighbour found where they were nesting.”

The group also found the short-spined nomad bee, which lays its eggs in the nest of the other bee like a cuckoo, at the site.

Dr Turner said the area of land had been unloved and left to fly-tipping.

“Part of the problem we face at the moment is that the area has become known as bamboo land or a dump land because of the invasive Japanese Knotweed that covered the area.”

“It has been quite difficult to muster up the energy to clear the fly-tipping and then return three weeks later and discover more rubbish dumped there,” he said.

The restoration group is trying to encourage people who live in the area to connect with nature at the site.

The volunteers plan to create a series of different habitats to cater for a broad range of species.

Mr Turner said: “Some will be tangled and full of brambles and some will be clear. Another section will have grass, another will be muddy and so on.

“We have a whole area full of Lesser Celandines, little yellow flowers, so it’s like the daytime equivalent of the night sky.

“If you stand there for a while, it’s like a refuelling centre for bumble bees. You see hoverflies, mining bees and all kinds of other things.”

The rare red girdled mining bee, which has been found in Newport

The volunteers are being mindful of the way they do this as they are aware of the niche habitats that support specialist insects.

“We found out that different height of grass caters for different grasshoppers. So, if you cut it all down to one length you would lose four or five species of grasshopper.”

The restoration group is looking for people from the neighbouring estates who are interested in connecting with the nature that is on their doorstep.

To get in contact please email: Stonester@icloud.com