Llanilar on Stori Wyllt 2026

Ysgol Llanilar Workshop 5 — Cyanotope covers & ribbon

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 16:41:33 +0100

Post by Jake Rayson

It was a very chill morning session with not too much to do. Marian showed the students how to create the end covers out of card and patch of cyanotype, then measure up some ribbon and glue it all together.

After the students had finished all their cutting and their gluing and their assembling, we were going to go out for a final cyanotype session, but the summer rain had different ideas.

Ysgol Llanilar Workshop 4 — Cyanotype collage strips

Thu, 21 May 2026 20:43:28 +0100

Marian showed the students examples of the cyanotype collage strips that they’ll be creating, and then handed out the students‘ negative acetate prints in envelopes. These will form the textured background on the cyanotype. And then we went outside to gather plant material.

Artist Marian Haf with Ysgol Llanilar students

Positive about the negatives

Habitat guidelines — where to put up nest boxes

Wed, 20 May 2026 19:09:54 +0100

We ran a workshop with Harry Smalley from Cardished at Ysgol Llanilar, constructing kit nest boxes. We then walked around the school grounds and village pond, looking for potential sites.

Habitat overview

Mosaic of habitat – pond, river, streams, woodland, marsh, grassland, hedges, gardens, houses, buildings…

Different habitats from satellite photo

Siting habitat

Bat boxes

Bat Conservation Trust

Where bats are known to feed and navigate (close to hedges and tree lines);
Ideally at least 4m above the ground (where safe installation is possible);
Away from artificial light sources (to protect them from predation);
Sheltered from strong winds; and
Exposed to the sun for part of the day (usually south, south-east or south-west).
North Ceredigion Bat Group northceredigionbatgroup@gmail.com & facebook.com/groups/northceredigionbatgroup

Nest boxes

British Trust for Ornithology

Habitat workshop at Llanilar

Wed, 20 May 2026 14:18:54 +0100

Harry Smalley from Cardished ran a fantastic habitat workshop with Year 5 students from Llanilar. He brought two finished Barbastrelle bat boxes, four nest box apartments for House Sparrows and kits for Robin and Starling sizes nest boxes that the students assembled, using a form, a clamp, hammers and nails.

After the workshop, we walked around the grounds to look at possible sites for the nestboxes, and then we had a quick walk around the village pond to talk about habitat and the importance of water and flying insects for bats.

List of plant species at Ysgol Llanilar

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

Ecologist Sheena Duller very kindly made a list of plant species that are on the school grounds. The translations are from Y Bwiadur website.

Species	English name	Welsh name	Area
Cerastium	Mouse Ear	Clust-y-Llygoden
Hypochaeris radicata	Cat’s Ear	Melynydd
Achillea millefolium	Yarrow	Milddail
Plantago lanceolata	Ribwort Plantain	Llyriad Yr Ais
Crepis	Hawksbeard	Gwalchlys
Cardamine pratensis	Cuckoo Flower	Blodyn Llefrith
Ranunculus bulbosus	Bulbous Buttercup	Blodyn-Ymenyn Bondew
Ranunculus arvensis	Meadow Buttercup	Blodyn Ymenyn
Ranuculus repens	Creeping Buttercup	Blodyn-Ymenyn Ymlusgol
Sagina	Pearlwort	Corwlyddyn Y Mynydd	Between paving slabs
Plantago major	Greater Plantain	Llydan Y Ffordd
Hypochaeris radicata	Cat’s Ear	Melynydd
-	Moss	Mwsogl
	Lichens	Cennau
Veronica arvensis	Wall Speedwell	Rhwyddlwyn Y Fagwyr
Poa annua	Annual Meadow Grass	Gweunwellt Unflwydd
	Grasses		Car park lawn
Anthoxanthum odoratum	Sweet Vernal	Perwellt Y Gwanwyn
Alopecurus pratensis	Meadow Foxtail	Cynffonwellt Y Maes
Festuca rubra	Red Fescue	Peiswellt Coch
Poa annua	Annual Meadow Grass	Gweunwellt Unflwydd
Dactylis glomerata	Cocksfoot	Troed Y Ceiliog
Luzula campestris	Field Wood Rush	Milfyw
Holcus lanatus	Yorkshire Fog	Maswellt Penwyn
	Flowers
Trifolium repens	White Clover	Meillionen Wen
Trifolium pratense	Red Clover	Meillionen Goch
Trifolium dubium	Lesser Trefoil	Meillionen Hopysaidd Fach
Lotus corniculatus	Birds Foot Trefoil	Pysen-Y-Ceirw
Vicia	Vetch	Llaethwyg
Veronica chamaedrys	Germander Speedwell	Llygad Doli
Veronica serpyllifolia	Thyme-leaved Speedwell	Rhwyddlwyn Dail Teim
Veronica officinalis	Common Speedwell	Rhwyddlwyn Meddygol
Geranium lucidum	Shining Cranesbill	Pig-Yr-Aran Loywddail
Bellis perennis	Daisy	Llygad Y Dydd
Taraxacum officinale	Dandelion	Dant Y Llew

Ysgol Llanilar Workshop 3

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 10:00:52 +0100

A cyanotype is a monochrome print made by placing objects on a pre-prepared light-sensitive surface†

What I have absolutely loved about the Stori Wyllt workshops so far is the range of activities and the different types of engagement (clay making, charcoal baking, bubble blowing, story telling, crayon rubbing & more).

At Ysgol Llanilar, I am entranced by making cyanotypes, the Prussian Blue tinted proto-photographic method of objects on light-sensitive paper, and artist Marian Haf has already helped the students create some truly gorgeous pieces.

Ysgol Llanilar Workshop 2

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:03:52 +0100

For the second workshop at Ysgol Llanilar, the class of 23 was split into two groups of a dozen. One group went with Sheena the ecologist, and the other with Marian the artist. Sheena was also joined by mycologist and educationalist Louise Tranter

Sheena talked about ecosystems, the tree of life and then took the group outside, showing different habitats around the pond and the river.

The students with Marian were sketching the shapes and outlines of leaves, and then went outside to take photographs of patterns in nature. These photographs will be used alongside plants in the cyanotype printing process, which uses ferric ammonium citrate/oxalate and potassium ferricyanide and water to develop and fix.

Ysgol Llanilar Workshop 1

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 20:19:33 +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.

The workshop started with a fantastic session in the classroom with ecologist Sheena Duller, who had brought in a veritable cornucopia of lichens, native plants and tree buds and flowers. The students seemed really enamoured of the lichen on the branches (with a couple of examples on rocks), particularly when using the hand lenses. The sheer diversity of species really hit home.

Ysgol Llanilar site visit

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 20:05:33 +0000

A foundational element of the Stori Wyllt project has been to foster strong relationships between the schools, creatives and naturalists. This is why the initial Stori Wyllt Symposiwm was so important; an opportunity for practitioners to meet each other and ask questions.

On a gloriously sunny Thursday afternoon, I met up with ecologist Sheena Duller, artist Marian Haf and headteacher at Ysgol Llanarth, Jannette Jones.

We walked first past the village pond

Marsh Marigolds in the village pond. I must admit, photo was taken on a cloudier, later day!