Category: Creating Natural Connections

Natural Connections – The dangers of garden escapes

, by Cumbernauld LL
New Zealand flat worm - Invasive non-native species The Cumbernauld Living Landscape team have been hard at work recently working with volunteers to make improvements to Ravenswood Local Nature Reserve.  Part of this job has involved digging up some of the garden escape plants that have found their way onto the site and replacing them with native wildflowers. We had hoped that some of the plants we removed could have been donated to volunteers and local charities, however while we were digging we made a very unpleasant discovery - New Zealand Flatworms.

Natural Connections – Community makes a difference

, by Cumbernauld LL
Community and The Conservation Volunteers getting stuck in Sometimes projects can take a few years to plan.  Planning for our current project at Ravenswood Local Nature Reserve began way back in 2014 and was the original basis of The Conservation Volunteer Community Engagement trainee-ship post.  However things happen, groups disband, ideas sometimes get put on hold and other priorities come to the fore, but these ideas are never quashed.

Natural Connections – Woodlands, a delicate balance

, by Cumbernauld LL
From little acorns...... A couple of weeks ago I was writing about the necessities of cutting down trees and the many reasons for doing so.  This week I am going to look a bit deeper into the structure of a woodland and why it is vitally important to have a range of trees at different ages as part of the healthy woodlands being planned in Cumbernauld Living Landscape.  

Sanctuary Scotland helps high school pupils experience nature

, by Cumbernauld LL
Click on the image to begin video.   Sanctuary Scotland came out with us recently on a Natural Connections workshop at St Maurice's pond to discover how the towns young people are connecting with nature.  Funding from Sanctuary Scotland has helped purchase tools and PPE for Students which will enable them to continue the legacy of Natural Connections. 

Natural Connections – Looking after our woodlands

, by Cumbernauld LL
Oak leaves © Katrina Martin For most people conservation is about planting trees or creating wildflower meadows and they would be mostly correct. But looking after the health of our woodlands and greenspaces also means that every now and then we cut down and remove trees.  Vandalism, fire, disease, non-native trees, structural safety and storm damage are the main reasons for the removal of a tree.  

Natural Connections – Help wildlife through a cold snap

, by Cumbernauld LL
Bee-utiful bumblebee © Katrina Martin Who else got a bit of a shock when Storm Doris rolled into town? Like many others I was caught in the traffic as the snow and ice brought the road network to a standstill.  It was great to see the spirit of Cumbernauld in action though as people helped out stuck motorists with a push or a shovel. Cold snaps like this can be a death sentence for wildlife.  A few days before Doris we were getting reports of bumblebee queens out looking for nesting sites. Read on to find out more about our bumblebees.....

Natural Connections – Wildlife Watch looking for budding naturalists

, by Cumbernauld LL
A few years ago now, when I first delivered the pine marten workshops to primary schools I was often asked if there was a club that children could attend to help them learn and reconnect with nature.  Teachers and parents were constantly telling me that there was a demand for this type of activity We tried a few attempts at getting Watch leaders and then venues and just as we thought we could launch the group something would happen that would knock us back down… but we don’t give up! 

Natural Connections – Dog mess spoils environment

, by Cumbernauld LL
The Cumbernauld Living Landscape’s Nature Ninjas were out in the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Cumbernauld Glen reserve last weekend.  As always we were so grateful for the hardy volunteers who turned out in the freezing cold to help us improve the habitat for Cumbernauld’s wildlife. We removed invasive dogwood, preparing the area for new planting – and uncovering some beautiful dog violets as we worked!  These lovely little plants are food for Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary butterflies and hopefully our work will help them to flourish. We had a brilliant afternoon and the volunteers did a power of work, back at the office however it was another type of dog we were thinking about as Tracy and I unloaded the vans and sorted the equipment.  Read on to find out what we discovered....

Natural Connections – Motorbikes drowning out the birdsong in Forest Wood

, by Cumbernauld LL
Damage sustained from high velocity vehicles limits our ability to carry out conservation work I love a walk in the woods at this time of year so at the weekend I headed out to the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Forest Wood reserve to see if I could spot the beautiful carved wooden pine martens the Trust has hidden among the trees.  The cold, still air carried sound wonderfully and my ears were tuned to the sounds of the birds singing, heralding the oncoming spring. Unfortunately however it wasn’t long before the sounds of the birds were drowned out by the sound of motorbikes.

Natural Connections – Track down the new carvings

, by Cumbernauld LL
Pine marten resting As part of a £50,000 WREN funded path access project in Cumbernauld.   Cumbernauld Greenspace Reserves Manager, Duncan has become a bit of a creative artist.  Duncan has chainsaw sculpted 7 life size pine marten heads and one full size body and placed them peeking out of tree cavities.  If you are wondering around Forest Wood keep an eye open for them and post your images to our Facebook page. Pine martens are nocturnal and incredibly shy creatures....

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