Category: Projects

Natural Connections – Weeding out undesirables

, by Tracy Lambert
SUDs pond now has Azolla growing in it Cumbernauld Living Landscape has a new Intern! Katherine is with us for 12 weeks surveying Invasive Non-native species on the three Natural Connections sites.  Her work will let us compare a previous survey of 2015 to let us see how far it has spread, if our volunteer days of clearing it have made an impact and it will map precisely where each plant is for us to be able to clear it out in the future.

Natural Connections – Lacewings, a gardeners friend

, by Tracy Lambert
Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperla carnea I recently had a visitor to my garden the other day.  A lacewing had flown in and had taken up residence on one of my plants to sleep off a busy night collecting pollen and nectar. Mainly nocturnal these insects are named due to the almost glass like transparent lacing of the wings, which rest in a tent shape over the abdomen. You might spot them on a late summer evening, weakly flitting through meadows or even your own garden plants.

Night-time Window on Wildlife

, by Paul Barclay
Have you ever walked through some woodland and wondered what creatures might live there that we can’t see?  That use their superb senses and camouflage to hide from human eyes and come out only when no-one is around. Ever looked out into the garden, or the street and wondered what wildlife visits in the night?  Maybe you’ve heard the scream of a fox, the hoot of an owl or the snuffling of a badger. One way to find out is to throw a light switch or head out with a torch, but by doing so you might frighten off the animals you’d like to see, or at the very least change their behaviour hugely. 

Natural Connections – Cause for Concern

, by Cumbernauld LL
Wood Pigeon, Columba palumbus Recently I was stopped while leading a volunteer team in Ravenswood Local Nature Reserve about a report that a local resident had made to the police. One evening within the past month someone had been seen shooting wood pigeons on the reserve. The incident was reported to police and the resident was asked if he was knew if the landowner had granted permission. 

Natural connections – Wildlife comes alive in the sun

, by Cumbernauld LL
Previous pond dipping session held during a guided walk Summer is here! It’s time to unpack the sunshine, get the deckchairs out and relax in Cumbernauld’s Mediterranean-climate. Or, as is more often the case, get out the waterproofs and scuba gear and have a soggy barbeque! We have enjoyed a good spell of warm dry weather over the last few weeks and the town’s green spaces have burst into life as a result. It’s been a great boost for invertebrates and we’ve had some great sightings of bumblebees and butterflies. 

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 – 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.....

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