Casgliadau ac Ymchwil

I begin my day by checking our general library inbox for any inquiries that we might have received over the weekend. This morning [as usual] there were quite a few but they were mercifully straight forward so didn’t take too long to answer. Next, I spent a very enjoyable hour squirreling away through our old photograph drawers for some interesting images to share with everyone during this Museum Week UK  on Twitter and what treasures I have found [but more of that to come via Tweets from @amgueddfa_lib during the week]! 

I also took some photographs of the pages of a giant old scrap book full of museum ephemera; it contains tickets, pamphlets, public announcement posters, order of services, lists of lectures and just about anything else you can stick down with heavy duty glue and sellotape…

However, my day begins in earnest with the post – as Assistant Librarian one of my main priorities is to manage the journal subscriptions. We maintain around 700 titles, a combination of paid subscriptions, exchanges and gifts. Therefore, after our Administration Assistant has opened and checked it, I weed out all the journals and record them onto our database. By doing this I am alerted to previous issues not received and will then chase them up with relevant suppliers. This time, there are no missing issues to chase but we have received a few duplicates, and [as always] these are from suppliers who categorically promised that no further duplicates would be sent out! Next, I count and measure the post so that at the end of the year I am able to supply our Principle Librarian with the total number of actual issues received and the meterage of space they will have covered. For instance, our statistics for 2013 were 1972 issues received that covered just over 11 metres of shelf space.

Next, I date stamp and separate them into departments. Our subscriptions naturally correspond with the curatorial departments, so we receive journals on the following disciplines: Art, Archaeology, Zoology, Botany, Geology and Industry and we also subscribe to more general subjects kept here in the Main Library. Once all this is done, it’s time to go and shelve them in the departmental libraries. These are dotted all around the museum so I wait until I have a little pile, normally a few days’ worth, before I go on my shelving travels.

Dwi wedi cyffroi yn lân! Mae fy mlodau i wedi agor o’r diwedd, ac mae nhw mor brydferth alla i ddim peidio gwenu wrth edrych arnyn nhw. Blodeuodd y crocws ar 16 Mawrth ac roedd e’n 90mm o daldra. Blodeuodd y cennin Pedr y diwrnod wedyn ac roedd e’n 240mm o daldra. Dyma ffotograff o’r ddau.

Diolch yn fawr i Glwb Garddio Stanford o Ysgol Gynradd Stanford in the Vale CE yn Lloegr am eu ffotograff o’u cennin Pedr cyntaf! Oes unrhyw un arall am anfon ffotograffau o’u planhigion ata i, i fi gael eu rhoi nhw ar y wefan hefyd?

Pa ysgolion sydd wedi gweld eu blodau cyntaf yn agor?

Mae Abronhill Primary School, Culross Primary School, ac Glencairn Primary School yn yr Alban, ac Christchurch CP School, Coleg Meirion Dwyfor, Gladestry C.I.W. School, Rogiet Primary School, Ysgol Clocaenog, Ysgol Gynradd Cross Hands, Ysgol Deganwy ac Ysgol Santes Tudfulyng Nghymru i gyd wedi gweld eu blodau cyntaf. Yn Lloegr, mae ysgolion Arkholme CE Primary School, Burscough Bridge Methodist School, Coppull Parish Primary School, Hillside Specialist School, John Cross CE Primary School, Pinfold Primary School, Scotforth St. Paul's CE Primary School, SS Philip and James CE Primary School, St Laurence CE Primary School ac Woodplumpton St. Anne's Primary School i gyd wedi anfon eu cofnodion blodau cyntaf. Llongyfarchiadau i chi gyd!

Un wythnos ar ôl…

Dim ond un wythnos sydd ar ôl tan ddyddiad cau project Bylbiau’r Gwanwyn. Cofiwch anfon eich cofnodion ata i erbyn 28 Mawrth.

Beth i wneud os nad yw’r blodau wedi agor erbyn y dyddiad cau?

Daliwch ati i anfon eich data blodau! Os nag yw eich blodau wedi agor, mae croeso i chi barhau â’r ymchwiliad. Pan fydd y planhigion yn blodeuo byddwch chi’n dal i allu cofnodi y dyddiad a’r uchder ar ein gwefan.

Y rheswm am y dyddiad cau yw fy mod i’n ysgrifennu adroddiad arbennig bob blwyddyn yn crynhoi yr holl ddata fyddwch chi’n ei anfon. Rhaid i fi ysgrifennu’r adroddiad ym mis Ebrill. Bydd cofnodion fydd yn cyrraedd cyn y dyddiad cau yn cael eu cynnwys yn yr adroddiad eleni. Bydd cofnodion fydd yn cyrraedd ar ôl y dyddiad cau yn cael eu hychwanegu at y bas data ac yn cael eu cynnwys yn adroddiad y flwyddyn nesaf.

Mae eich cofnodion i gyd yn bwysig iawn. Rwy’n addo y bydd eich data i gyd yn cael ei gynnwys yn y project ac yn helpu i wneud yr ymchwiliad yn fwy cywir yn y dyfodol.

Ydych chi wedi gweld unrhyw arwyddion o’r gwanwyn wrth chwarae? Fe welais i gacynen flewog dros y penwythnos, buwch goch gota ac ŵyn bach! Dyma fi’n edrych mewn llyn ond welais i ddim grifft llyffaint. Ydych chi wedi gweld grifft llyffaint neu unrhyw arwyddion eraill o’r gwanwyn?

There are two sides to exploring biodiversity. One is fieldwork, often in interesting and remote places looking for new or otherwise interesting forms of life. As an entomologist with an interest in tropical flies this often means extended trips under challenging conditions armed with a net, various kinds of insect trap, a pair of binoculars and a notebook. We know so little about tropical insects that discovery of new species is a daily occurrence and almost everything encountered is interesting for one reason or another. Unfortunately, identification of most insects in the field is quite impossible, let alone proper recognition of new species. This is where the second and perhaps less glamorous part of exploring biodiversity comes in involving long hours of study back in the laboratory when the true identity of captures may be revealed and their significance evaluated. My ongoing collaboration with Wichai Srisuka as the Entomology Section of Queen Sirikit Garden in Thailand (http://www.qsbginsects.org/) is starting to provide thousands of specimens for study. Wichai and his staff have been running a type of trap known as a Malaise trap to sample insects on the forested slopes of two of Thailand’s highest mountains, Doi Inthanon and Doi Phahompok. Specimens they have collected have been sent to me in Cardiff where I am beginning the process of ‘working up’ the samples. This involves first sorting the specimens into groups (or families and genera as systematists call higher groupings of species). Insect diversity is so great that no one person can be an expert in all of them. For this reason, many of the sorted samples are sent to collaborating colleagues around the world who are specialists in the groups concerned. I retain the rest for my own specialist studies.

Thereafter each specialist concentrates on identifying species that are already known and describing as new to science those that are not. The work does not stop there as once we have data on actual species and where they are found it can be interpreted to tell us more of, for example, the evolutionary history of a group of insects, their ecology or their biogeography (the study of how species and ecosystems are distributed geographically and historically). Furthermore, the results are of profound interest to conservation planners as they enable important areas of biodiversity to be recognised. As the work progresses I hope to feed back some of the more interesting finds through this blog.

by Adrian Plant

Previous Information:

http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/blog/2014-02-17/Exploring-Insect-Diversity-in-Thailand

http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/blog/2014-01-16/Exploring-Insect-Diversity-in-Thailand

Waw gyfeillion y gwanwyn! Mae cymaint ohonoch chi wedi gweld eich planhigion yn blodeuo ers y blog diwethaf! Mae’n rhaid bod meysydd chwarae a gerddi yr ysgolion yn werth eu gweld. Diolch am eich cofnodion blodau i gyd.

Pa ysgolion sydd wedi gweld eu blodau cyntaf?

Mae Ysgol Gynradd St Bernadette yn yr Alban ac Ysgol Gynradd WR Abergwili, Ysgol Gynradd Parc Darran, Ysgol Gynradd CIW Henllys, Ysgol Gynradd WR Llanishen Fach, Ysgol Bro Tawe ac Ysgol Gynradd Dolgellau yng Nghymru i gyd wedi gweld eu blodau cyntaf. Yn Lloegr, mae ysgolion Balshaw Lane Community Primary School, Dallas Road Community School, Golden Hill School, Holy Trinity CE Primary School, Manor Road Primary School, Red Marsh School, St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, St Michaels CE (Aided) Primary School, St Nicholas Primary School and The Blessed Sacrament Catholic Primary School i gyd wedi anfon eu cofnodion blodau cyntaf. Llongyfarchiadau i chi gyd!

Dim ond 3 wythnos i anfon eich cofnodion

Fyddwch chi’n ennill tystysgrif Gwyddonydd Gwych eleni? Y dyddiad cau i anfon eich cofnodion blodau yw 28 Mawrth. Os byddwch chi’n anfon eich cofnodion tywydd a blodau ata i (os ydyn nhw wedi agor) byddwch chi’n dod yn Wyddonydd Gwych! Bydd pob Gwyddonydd Gwych yn derbyn Tystysgrif a Phensel. Bydd cyfle i chi hefyd ennill Taith Natur neu hadau i dyfu blodau’r haul eich hun!

Ydych chi’n artist? Beth am gymryd rhan yn y Gystadleuaeth Darlunio Cennin Pedr? 20 Mawrth yw’r dyddiad cau ar gyfer hon hefyd. Rydw i’n chwilio am ddarluniau botanegol – sef darluniau o blanhigion mewn arddull wyddonol. Rwy’n siŵr y gallwch chi dynnu lluniau gwych, ond cofiwch labelu rhannau’r Cennin Pedr yn glir hefyd. Gallwch chi weld yr enillwyr, a’r esiamplau gorau o’r llynedd drwy ddilyn y ddolen hon. Bydd yr enillwyr yn derbyn pecyn gwylio adar gyda binocwlars bach i’r dosbarth, a’r goreuon eraill yn derbyn bag o hadau blodau i’r ardd!

Dyw fy mhlanhigion i mewn potiau yn dal heb flodeuo, ond mae’r crocysau draw yng ngardd Sain Ffagan Amgueddfa Werin Cymru yn werth eu gweld. Mae’r gwenyn yn eu mwynhau nhw hefyd y ôl y ffotograff yma! Allwch chi weld bod paill melyn dros gorff y gacynen? Pan fydd e’n hedfan at flodyn arall bydd e’n trosglwyddo’r paill o un blodyn i’r llall – dyma sut mae blodau yn cael eu ffrwythloni!

Eich cwestiynau, fy atebion:

Raglan VC Primary: Still no sign of the flowers this week! We are having some good weather. Prof P: Don’t worry Raglan School, mine haven’t flowered yet either. Hopefully the good weather will help our plants to flower.

Cutteslowe Primary School: Monday 17th - school closed, no heating or hot water. Prof P: Brrrr that sounds very chilly.

Manor Road Primary School (Lancashire): One of are crocus bulbs are starting to flower. Prof P: Fantastic news Manor Road, Congratulations!

Chatelherault Primary School: Wk 10: Most of our plants have started to too grow. It has raining a lot and some snow. Prof P: We didn’t have any snow at all in Cardiff this year, but we did have lots of rain.

The Blessed Sacrament Catholic Primary School: It has been so exciting this week as the buds all suddenly started to appear and on Friday some crocus flowers opened! The daffodils have suddenly grown and we know it won't be long before they too flower. They just love the sunshine! Prof P: Hooray! It’s such a lovely feeling to see your flowers open isn’t it?

Greyfriars RC Primary School: S - ten of our crocuses have budded. Prof P: Great news S. at Greyfriars, I’m sure the other crocuses won’t be far behind.

Dallas Road Community Primary School: Super Fun!!! Prof P: I’m so glad you think so Dallas Road! Science IS Super Fun!

Diolch yn fawr

Athro'r Ardd

Llongyfarchiadau i Ysgol Gynradd Ladywell am fod yr ysgol gyntaf o’r Alban i anfon eu cofnodion blodau! Anfonodd Ysgol Gynradd Lakeside, Caerdydd eu cofnodion blodau cyntaf hefyd – agorodd eu crocws cyntaf a’u cennin Pedr cyntaf yn yr un wythnos! Da iawn chi gyfeillion y gwanwyn.

Tair wythnos… Dyddiad cau anfon eich cofnodion tywydd a blodau ata i yw dydd Gwener 28 Mawrth, felly dim ond tair wythnos sydd ar ôl!

Os ydych chi wedi bod yn cadw cofnodion ond heb eu hanfon nhw eto cofiwch frysio – mae pob un o’ch cofnodion tywydd a blodau yn bwysig i fi! Bydd pob cofnod anfonwch chi ata i yn gwneud Ymchwiliad Bylbiau’r Gwanwyn yn well ac yn fwy cywir.

Os nad ydy’ch blodau wedi agor eto, peidiwch poeni. Gall tipyn ddigwydd mewn tair wythnos, yn enwedig os bydd yr haul yn tywynnu!

Hoffech ddefnyddio’ch planhigion i gynnal Astudiaeth Gwyddoniaeth Gwych? Rydw i wedi casglu rhai syniadau ar gyfer arbrofion allwch chi eu cynnal yn y dosbarth! Allwch chi dwyllo eich crocws? All eich cennin Pedr symud? Edrychwch ar Syniadau Athro'r Ardd am brojectau ymchwil. Yn ogystal ag arbrofion cyffrous, gallwch chi hefyd ddarllen fy hoff gerdd Saesneg! Cennin Pedr yw’r testun, a dyma’r pennill cyntaf:

Daffodils

I wander’d lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

gan William Wordsworth (1770-1850).

Ydych chi erioed wedi meddwl ysgrifennu cerdd am y gwanwyn? Neu beth am gerdd i’ch hoff blanhigyn? Rhowch gynnig ar farddoni!

Your questions, my answers:

Ladywell Primary School: We have had our computer system upgraded in school and it has been difficult for us to send weekly weather reports because we lost a lot of data which was stored on our apple mac and which we cant convert to PC. However we have been taking temperatures and it has not really been cold and we have had a lot of rain. Some of our plants didn't grow very well but our first daffodil opened today 25th February and it is 28 cm tall. We have another one about to open and some others not far away. We hope this is ok with you and we will send more information soon. Prof P: Sorry to hear you have had computer trouble Ladywell School, don’t worry, I completely understand. Thanks very much for sending your first flower record! Keep up the good work and send in your other flower records when they open.

Lakeside Primary: Daffodil comment: Only one is open and the one that has opened has only got half a pot of compost, we think it was knocked over and some soil lost so perhaps less soil has led to quicker flowering, but why? Prof P: Great question Lakeside! Do you have any ideas? This is my theory: A bulb closer to the surface may flower sooner because it warms up quicker and has less soil to push through when it starts to grow. So why don’t we plant them all close to the surface? Well, if there is a very cold winter the frost can damage bulbs that are too close to the surface, and then they may not grow at all.

The Blessed Sacrament Catholic Primary School: We all brought our wellies into school this week so that we can go out and look at our bulbs whatever the weather. We went to check on them all on Friday and measured how tall the leaves were, and started recording them in a table like we had been doing in maths. We hope to do this every week now then we can make a graph of the results. Still no sign of flowers yet! Prof P: What a fantastic idea! I love making graphs, they are a great way to see what the numbers are telling me. You must be very dedicated scientists to bring your wellies in to school so you can measure your leaves. Well done, I am very impressed!

Diolch yn fawr

Athro'r Ardd