Sarah, Andy and The Bug Farm team welcome you to their historic farm’s Walled Wildlife Garden. This ultimate low-maintenance garden is a wildlife haven and is buzzing with life. Rediscovered from a bramble wilderness in 2015, the garden features a mixture of native and garden plants that fight it out amongst themselves for survival! A wildlife pond, teeming with newts, built-in blue tit nest boxes and bug hotels feature alongside a display of garden art by Pauline Beynon.
Make sure to have a look at the ‘Pollinating the Peninsula’ mini meadow to give an idea of how to create a visual wildflower meadow in a garden – see https://www.thebugfarm.co.uk/research-farm/pollinating-the-peninsula/. The site is also a wildlife reserve and, during your visit, you must explore the award-winning wildflower meadows – which are at their prime at this time of year. You can also meander around the newly-planted Woodland Trail, the Arable Trail and Fairy Path wetland walk: Make sure to keep a lookout for rarities, such as nesting grasshopper warblers, small red damselflies and wall butterflies.
The network of habitat at The Bug Farm is part of a larger project to connect up the Northwest Pembrokeshire Commons Special Area of Conservation through the farm – see: https://www.thebugfarm.co.uk/research-farm/marsh-fritillary-project/ and https://www.thebugfarm.co.uk/research-farm/connecting-the-commons/ for more information.
Enjoy a coffee or delicious lunch in Grub Kitchen cafe and stop by the gift shop where you can buy garden wildflower meadow seed, bug hotels and a range of wildlife identification guides and artwork.
USEFUL INFO:
The Bug Farm site is also a visitor attraction – www.thebugfarm.co.uk – and is open from 10:30am-4:30pm each day, with lunch served in Grub Kitchen cafe from 12-2:30pm. Open Gardens ticket holders are welcome to visit the rest of the site with 50% off the usual ticket price on the day. Please just present the tickets on entry. entrance to Grub Kitchen, the Walled Garden and trails is free for Open Gardens ticket holders. Opening times: 10:30am-4:30pm
Accessibility: The Bug Farm is a flat, fully accessible site with accessible toilet facilities. The Walled Garden paths are compacted stonedust and have narrowed with plants over the years, but a determined wheelchair user will make it all the way round! The nature trails follow mown paths, but the Fairy Path is uneven and boggy in some areas.
Hazards: The Bug Farm is a working farm and nature reserve. There are honeybee hives, Welsh Black cows and other animals onsite, as well as deep ponds and uneven terrain.
Children: Indoor and outdoor play areas onsite (entrance fee applies) and kids meals in Grub Kitchen.
Dogs: Dogs on leads very welcome.
Refreshments: Grub Kitchen cafe – https://www.thebugfarm.co.uk/about-us/grub-kitchen/ – serves lunch (first-come-first-served) from 12-2:30pm and drinks and cakes from 10:30am-4:30pm. Sustainable, plant-based and insect-based options available, plus kids menu.
Contact: 07966 956357/[email protected]