Going Wild with Dragons at St Maurice's Pond

The first weekend in July was a wild one for the Natural Connections team, on Saturday we were Going Wild with Dragons at St Maurice’s Pond and on Sunday we went for a Wild Walk through Cumbernauld Glen with our regular volunteering group.

Despite the downpours, Saturday’s event at St Maurice's was a great success with a host of families coming down to the pond to search for dragons and hunt bugs with our friends from Froglife and Buglife.  Not to be outdone the Living Landscapes team had brought the “Yick Factor” and encouraged people to have a go at becoming mammal detectives by looking, and smelling, for the clues that mammals leave behind…

We also took the opportunity to reinforce the site’s wildflowers by getting everyone to have a go at making native wildflower seedbombs and throwing them at targets scattered around the new community orchard.

We were glad of the change of pace on the Sunday as we went for a gentle stroll through the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Cumbernauld Glen reserve, taking time to walk slowly and do some wildlife spotting.  We really want to encourage people to walk the wild routes round Cumbernauld, connecting with the green spaces and taking notice of the wildlife that surrounds them.

The regular Sunday volunteers were joined by some of Police Scotland’s youth volunteers who did a great job of recording the wildlife as we went and who were equally good at brewing up the Kelly Kettles and making popcorn and toasted marshmallows over the fire afterwards.  We finished the day by making some natural art sculptures which we left behind in the hope that we raise a smile from the next person taking a wild walk through the Glen.