Cors y Llyn National Nature Reserve

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Overview

Cors y Llyn NNR near Newbridge on Wye consists of two mire basins carved out by glaciers during the last Ice Age. One of the first flowers to come into its own in very early spring is the cuckoo flower, followed by heath spotted orchid, Dyer’s greenweed, marsh violet and meadow thistle. Growing in the damper parts of the meadow are lesser skullcap and the semi-parasitic lousewort. The marsh cinquefoil blooms from May until July and there is a rich display of mosses and lichens. Cors y Llyn is a great place to see butterflies such as ringlets, red admirals, small tortoiseshells, meadow brown, green-veined white and peacock. Other insect life includes many dragonflies like the emperor, broad-bodied chaser, southern and common hawker, and damselflies. The mire is also home to amphibians like the common frog and toad and palmate newts. Birds that share the summer bonanza of insects include the hobby and migrant swallows and house martins, while winter visitors include woodcock and snipe.

Location

Llanllwchaiarn

About the area

The largest unitary authority in Wales, Powys covers an area of approximately 2,000 square miles. Much of that is mountainous because it actually has the lowest population density of all the Welsh counties.