Category: Species and habitats

Some Wild Ways Well firsts

, by Paul Barclay
It was a busy time for Wild Ways Well last week, with three sessions on the go, I can’t really call it hard work with a clean conscience though, it really just meant more chances to be outside! The first two groups spent their time down in the Glen, having a go at some forest skills and learning about the…

What’s in a name?

, by Paul Barclay
What’s in a name?  The Wild Ways Well group were out looking for Dingle-Dangles in the woods of Cumbernauld this Thursday… That’s not as dodgy as it sounds! Dingle-Dangles, Snow Piercer, Fair Maids of February, Little Sisters of the Snow, Milk Flowers, White Ladies, Hope’s Flower, Death’s Flower, Candlemass Bells… all mean the same thing, snowdrops.   The scientific name…

Conservation day at Luggiebank Wood

, by Tracy Lambert
We are very excited to be heading out to Luggiebank Wood Wildlife Reserve for a spot of conservation work at the weekend. This is a wee gem looked after by the Scottish Wildlife Trust located just behind the train station at Greenfaulds. It is the Trust’s smallest reserve in Cumbernauld but what it lacks in size it makes up for…

Frost Beards

, by Paul Barclay
Sometimes you find beauty in the strangest places. Last Sunday was spent out with the Nature Ninja Volunteers at St Maurice’s Pond, removing invasive rhododendron and litter picking. St Maurice’s Pond itself is a beautiful place but you don’t normally get the best view of it while patrolling with a bin bag. On this occasion keeping our eyes to the…

Not so fantastic plastic

, by Tracy Lambert
If you’re a nature lover like me then you were probably glued to your TV during Blue Planet 2. The new findings from this series have been incredible, from attaching cameras to whale-sharks to help find where they give birth to their pups, to the first ever footage of an amazing fish that preys on seabirds. However, the last show…

Fantastic Fungi

, by Paul Barclay
While out with the Wild Ways Well group this Thursday we were lucky enough to come across some amazing fungi in the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Seafar Wood Wildlife Reserve. Each one was the size of a pinhead, and they ranged in colour from brilliant orange to vivid green. Fungi are fascinating, belonging to a Kingdom of Life all of their…

Natural Connections – A great effort at awards

, by Tracy Lambert
Left to right Provost Jim Leighton MBE, me, Gemma CLL Community Engagement Assistant CJS, Doreen Tesco Community Champion and William our first ever Nature Ninja volunteer Last Thursday a group of participants in the Cumbernauld’s Bloomin’ Wild attended the Beautiful Scotland award in Dunfermline coordinated by Keep Scotland Beautiful.  It was a fantastic day with people from all over Scotland celebrating what make their place special.  These awards are a way of recognising hard work and determination, mostly carried out by volunteers, to improve parks, reserves, business districts and residential gardens.  Read on to find out how Cumbernauld's Bloomin' Wild got on.

Natural Connections – A Beautiful day for judging

, by Tracy Lambert
At the start of August we had two lovely volunteer judges from Keep Scotland Beautiful out assessing areas in our town for the Beautiful Scotland of Cumbernauld’s Bloomin’ Wild.  It was a mixed day of sun and showers but that didn’t stop our local groups from shining on the day. I would like to say a huge thank you to Adam Smith of the Cumbernauld Environmental Society for organising and delivering Cumbernauld’s previous entries over a number of years.  This is a huge undertaking and one that surprised us in its depth and requirements.

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.

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