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The Mayflower

, by Paul Barclay
“Ne’er cast a cloot til May is oot…” I can still mind my old Grandad saying this to me on a spring morning when I was little as I tried to leave my winter jacket behind before going a walk. My Granda used the phrase to mean the month, and he stuck religiously by it, keeping his jumper on long…

Green at the end of the tunnel

, by Paul Barclay
For most of us the last few weeks have been a stressful time. The long-term effects on people’s mental health is unknowable but it is likely that more of us will suffer the effects of depression, anxiety, low moods and confidence. These effects can be felt by anyone, at any time, no matter how ‘strong’ they may seem to others,…

The not so magical midge!

, by Tracy Lambert
Recently Cumbernauld Living Landscape received an enquiry about insect bites and whether anyone else been bothered by them. The quick answer is yes. Since the middle to end of March my household has been scratching legs and arms to ease the incessant burning itch, issuing from what look like wee heat spots. I thought it a wee bit early for…

The Best Laid Plans

, by Paul Barclay
One of the first tasks I undertook when I went back to work in January was to plan out 2020 was for our green mental wellbeing project Wild Ways Well. What new ideas did we have, what sorts of sessions could we run. I was excited for the year ahead working in greenspaces along with the people and communities of…

News: Cumbernauld Living Landscape celebrate a successful year for town’s greenspaces

, by Cumbernauld LL
The Cumbernauld Living Landscape partnership has successfully completed the first year of its ‘Creating Natural Connections’ programme. Significant improvements have been made to the town’s greenspaces, including planting of over 5600 native trees and almost 100 people taking part in green mental wellbeing programmes. The ambitious four-year programme includes a variety of projects at locations across Cumbernauld, focussed on improving…

Make space for others in nature

, by Cumbernauld LL
Like so many others across the country, I left the office on Monday 16th March for the last time in a long while. For me, I knew it was going to be a really long time before I saw my desk or my colleagues again. At 28 weeks pregnant I was now officially ‘at-risk’, and should stay home for at…

The plight of the male bumblebee

, by Tracy Lambert
  PART FOUR Once the males have hatched, they leave the nest never to return. Their sole purpose is to feed, mate, then die— it is a very short life for the humble male. Most will never mate but those that do will pass on the genes from the mother queen bee and the grandmother, great grandmother etc. hence the…

The autumn of bumblebees

, by Tracy Lambert
  PART THREE All the bees born in spring and early summer are female, born from the queen’s eggs and the male’s stored sperm packet. They are all sisters who are 75% related to each other. We are up to late summer now, and things are going to get a little tense in the nest. As late summer arrives the…

A bumblebee’s tale of spring and summer

, by Tracy Lambert
  PART TWO The discussion I had with students from St Maurices’ about bumblebees will remain with me forever. For two years I would be stopped in the corridors by one or two students who asked me to repeat the bumblebee’s tale, as they couldn’t get their heads around the genetics of how brothers and sisters are related differently. It…

The humble bumble

, by Tracy Lambert
  PART ONE I finally feel that spring has arrived. You might wonder why. After all, meteorological spring was the first of March and the official beginning of spring was the 20th, so why now? Well, I just saw my first bumblebee, and it is never truly spring until I see one of those cute wee fuzzbutts! I adore bumblebees…

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