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The Environment around Trehilyn
Geology dictates what plants and animals will flourish, and how we can use land. Local rocks (the walls are made of dolerite, basalt and rhyolite, and slate for the roof) provided the building materials for Trehilyn.
Pembrokeshire is more geologically diverse than any area of similar size in the UK. It has 50 Geological Conservation Review Sites (sites of national or international importance). The rocks around Trehilyn and Strumble Head date from the Ordovician period (495 - 433 million years ago) when basalt pillow lava was formed as a result of underwater volcanic eruptions. Later, sedimentary rocks (mainly shale) were laid down, and glaciers which covered the area during a succession of Ice Ages beginning 450,000 years ago, dragged rocks from areas further north with them. During the last maximum of the Ice Age, 18,500 years ago, North Pembrokeshire was at the southern edge of the area of Britain covered by glaciers, and you can see evidence of glaciation around Strumble Head. South Pembrokeshire would have been tundra at this time and the sea level was much lower. The Severn and Ceredigion Bay did not exist at this time; it would have been possible to walk from Tenby to North Devon, or from Strumble Head to Lleyn.
Flora and Fauna
The area of North Pembrokeshire around Strumble Head is very rich in wildlife. Amongst the rare species which can be found in the area are: grey seals, bottlenose and common dolphins, porpoise, puffins, razorbills, manx shearwaters, choughs, red kites, peregrine falcons, kingfishers and otters. Traditional farming methods used around Trehilyn have helped to preserve rare plant species including orchids and in autumn the area abounds in edible fungi.
For more information on the flora and fauna of North Pembrokeshire, visit:
www.pcnpa.org.uk/
(Pembrokeshire Coast National Park)
www.rspb.org.uk (Royal Society Protection of Birds)
www.ccw.gov.uk (Countryside Council for Wales)
www.pembsfungi.org.uk (Pembrokeshire Fungus Recording Network). For information on biodiversity and conservation initiatives in Pembrokeshire see
www.biodiversitypembrokeshire.org.uk
