ON Sunday (June 12) the Monmouthshire Meadows Group will be holding an Open Day at five sites in the Penallt, Catbrook and Botany Bay areas.

The sites display the richness of Monmouthshire's native flora including spotted, pyramidal and twayblade orchids, ox-eye daises, birds foot trefoil, knapweed and many other species.

The Ty Mawr Convent meadow is always a popular site with an apple orchard and many varieties of orchid. The meadows at New Grove Farm are amongst the very best wildflower meadows in Britain – their grassland flora is indicative of an unbroken history of traditional management.

Dingle Cottage has fields with a flora typical of the natural Wye Valley pastures; some of the soil at the Poplar meadows is quite acidic and wet so supports some interesting species such as Lousewort and the pasture adjacent to Yew Tree Cottage has a great range of plants and butterflies and huge Small-leaved Lime trees.

The sites are open from 11am until 5pm. An entry fee covers entry to all the meadows. For further information contact Maggie Biss 01989 750740 or Steph Tyler 01600 719890.