Aberaeron on Stori Wyllt 2026

Ysgol Gynradd Aberaeron Workshop 4 — Exquisite Corpses

Fri, 15 May 2026 16:34:07 +0100

Rebecca took full charge of the workshop, creating creatures from all the plants, fungi and animals of the wood and countryside surrounding Tŷ Mari.

More information to follow!

Oriel Gallery

Ready to assemble

Assembling two corpses

Cutting a tree

Multiples

Plenty of materials and imaginations

Ysgol Gynradd Aberaeron Workshop 3 — The magic of Tŷ Mari

Fri, 08 May 2026 16:34:07 +0100

We finally managed to go to the house of Mari Berllan Biter on the Esgair Arth estate.

The minibus arrived filled with students and staff, and we gathered around the entrance to the field, with the song of the Willow Warbler, identified by ecologist Carys May.

We set off across the tussocky pasture, diagonally left toward the corner, where the footpath descends down through the wood. Along the way, we saw voles plenty of spiders, mole hills and evidence of voles.

List of species at Esgair Arth

Fri, 08 May 2026 16:10:54 +0100

Ecologist Carys May from WWBIC did an amazing job finding, explaining, photographing and cataloguing a whole load of different species on Ysgol Gynradd Aberaeron‘s trip to Tŷ Mari at Esgair Arth.

Swallow landing on a telephone wire, photo by Carys May

Species	English name	Welsh name	Species group
Acer pseudoplatanus	Sycamore	Masarnen	Flowering plant
Circaea lutetiana	Enchanter’s-nightshade	Llysiau Steffan	Flowering plant
Phyllobius pomaceus	Green Nettle Weevil	-	Insect - beetle (Coleoptera)
Hirundo rustica	Swallow	Gwennol	Bird
Alauda arvensis	Skylark	Ehedydd	Bird
Quercus	Oak	Derwen	Flowering plant
Pisaura mirabilis	Tent Spider	-	spider (Araneae)
Rubus fruticosus agg.	Bramble	Llwyn Mwyar Duon	Flowering plant
Allium ursinum	Ramsons	Craf Y Geifr	Flowering plant
Ulex europaeus	Gorse	Eithinen Ffrengig	Flowering plant
Blechnum spicant	Hard-Fern	Gwibredynen	Fern
Andricus foecundatrix f. agamic	Artichoke Gall Causer	-	Insect - hymenopteran
Clytocerus		-	Insect - true fly (Diptera)
Oniscus asellus	Common Shiny Woodlouse	Pryfed Coed (?)	crustacean
Anthoxanthum odoratum	Sweet Vernal-grass	Perwellt Y Gwanwyn	Flowering plant
Holcus lanatus	Yorkshire-fog	Maswellt Penwyn	Flowering plant
Phylloscopus trochilus	Willow Warbler	Telor Yr Helyg	Bird
Polystichum setiferum	Soft Shield-Fern	Gwrychredynen Feddal	Fern
Fraxinus excelsior	Ash	Onnen	Flowering plant
Cynips quercusfolii f. agamic	Cherry Gall Causer	-	Insect - hymenopteran
Turdus merula	BlackBird	Mwyalch	Bird
Dryopteris dilatata	Broad Buckler-Fern	Marchredynen Lydan	Fern
Eupeodes corollae			Insect - true fly (Diptera)
Juncus effusus	Soft-rush	Brwynen Babwyr	Flowering plant
Hedera hibernica	Atlantic Ivy	Iorwg Yr Iwerydd	Flowering plant
Corylus	Hazel	Collen	Flowering plant
Vulpes vulpes	Red Fox	Cadno	terrestrial mammal
Puccinia punctiformis	Thistle Rust	Rhwd Ysgall	Fungus
Melampyrum pratense	Common Cow-wheat	Gliniogai	Flowering plant
Vaccinium myrtillus	Bilberry	Llusen	Flowering plant
Troglodytes troglodytes	Wren	Dryw	Bird
Chrysosplenium oppositifolium	Opposite-leaved Golden-saxifrage	Eglyn Cyferbynddail	Flowering plant
Fringilla coelebs	Chaffinch	Ji-binc	Bird
Phyllitis scolopendrium	Hart’s-tongue	Tafod Yr Hydd	Fern
Flavoparmelia caperata			Lichen
Cirsium arvense	Creeping Thistle	Ysgallen Y Maes	Flowering plant
Ficedula hypoleuca	Pied Flycatcher	Gwybedog Brith	Bird
Taraxacum officinale agg.	Dandelion	Dant Y Llew	Flowering plant
Calluna vulgaris	Heather	Grug	Flowering plant
Ilex aquifolium	Holly	Celynnen	Flowering plant
Hyacinthoides non-scripta	Bluebell	Clychau’r Gog	Flowering plant
Anemone nemorosa	Wood Anemone	Blodyn Y Gwynt	Flowering plant
Luzula sylvatica	Great Wood-rush	Coedfrwynen Fawr	Flowering plant
Crataegus monogyna	Hawthorn	Draenen Wen	Flowering plant
Cyanistes caeruleus	Blue Tit	Titw Tomos Las	Bird
Fagus sylvatica	Beech	Ffawydden	Flowering plant
Phylloscopus collybita	Chiffchaff	Siff-saff	Bird
Urtica dioica	Common Nettle	Danhadlen Boeth	Flowering plant
Talpa europaea	European Mole	Gwahadden	terrestrial mammal
Parmotrema perlatum			Lichen
Prunus spinosa	Blackthorn	Draenen Ddu	Flowering plant

Ysgol Gynradd Aberaeron Workshop 2

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 12:58:06 +0100

We were still waiting for the go-ahead to the house of the witch Mari Berllan Peter in Esgair Arth woodland, so Plan B was put into operation, a trip to Allt y Graig woods, just the other side of Jewsons where the Twr Gwyllt (Wild Tower) is situated, with storyteller and artist Rebecca Wyn Kelly and ecologist Carys May.

The walk up Bro Allt yr Graig is steeply wooded banks, a single track road and swathes of plant life. At the beginning of the track in the woods we found a book. Under a saucepan. The book is called “A Scary Adventure” and it’s discovery was a strange and happenstance.

Mishaps & magic at Esgair Arth

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 20:18:16 +0000

After the first workshop for Ysgol Gynradd Aberaeron in the morning, I returned back up to a potential site just north of Aberaeron and inland from Aberarth, on the grounds of a farm called Esgair Arth. It is the old house of a famous local witch called Mari Berllan Peter, about whom our artist Rebecca Wyn Kelly has done so much work already.

Mari Berllan Peter‘s old house by the Afon Arth

Ysgol Gynradd Aberaeron Workshop 1

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 20:17:47 +0000

NB: The notes before Easter have been written in retrospect, which means they lack detail. In future, I’ll be writing notes immediately afterwards, and also asking for immediate & short feedback from students and participants.

Ecologist Carys started in the classroom with an exercise around food webs and different living things (plants, animals, insects, fungi etc), and was drawing suggestions from the class and discussing the relationships between them.

We walked along the south bank of the Afon Aeron, past the allotments, and to the small garden south-west facing garden at Jewsons where the separate project Tŵr Gwyllt is being built by artist Rebecca Wyn Kelly. When we arrived, Rebecca was at the controls of a mini-digger, prepping the site!

Tŵr Gwyllt at Aberaeron

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 18:10:28 +0000

Guest post by artist Rebecca Wyn Kelly:

While Jake was visiting the Jewsons yard with Ysgol Aberaeron, we came across this toad tucked beneath a log, a quiet little resident already making use of the space.

I’m really hoping he might take shelter in one of the Lletau Llyffant I’ve created; these are small shelters made with the toads in mind.

A little about Llyffantod

In old Welsh folk belief, toads were linked to wise women and hidden knowledge, and were said to carry carreg y llyffant in their heads, a magical stone with protective powers. Living between water and land, tucked beneath logs and stones, they’re natural threshold keepers, creatures of the in-between, brushing right up against the Otherworld of Annwn.

Aberaeron site reccie

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 20:17:25 +0000

Last year, we ran the Grassland ID workshops at Penmorfa with Ysgol Gynradd Aberaeron.

Students from Ysgol Gynradd Aberaeron on Grassland ID workshop 2025

This year, we’re hoping for another magical spot, with a witch’s house, but this has yet to be confirmed. I had a chance meeting with my colleague, Tree Officer Norman Birch, and he explained that there is a public foot path in Aberaeron that runs on the south bank of the river Aeron, past the allotments an up to Jewsons.