Community gardens support wildlife in Cumbernauld

One of the bug hotels at Craigieburn Community Garden (c) Kate Fromings Community Garden Week runs from 3rd – 9th April so, today, we are handing our blog over to Kate Fromings from Craigieburn Community Garden for an update on what’s been happening there… In Cumbernauld, there is an issue with the lack of native plants within the town’s green

The magic of forests

As we come up to International Day of Forests, I thought it would be an idea to reflect on how our woodlands hold so much wonder and curiosity, and how they are beneficial to both people and wildlife. Take a saunter through the woods and you are immersed in a whole new world, of dappled light, earthy smells, and a

Hello again, hedgehogs!

March is here and that means many things for nature but, this week, we are all about the hedgehogs, who should soon be emerging from hibernation. These prickly nocturnal characters are one of the few species of mammal to enter hibernation in the UK – alongside the dormouse and our native bats.  Hedgehogs go into hibernation around October or November

A helping hand for bees

Spring is beginning to awaken and last week our Project Officer spotted her first tree bumblebee of the year. As you can imagine, the bee was a bit sluggish after a long winter sleep. The bee would have been seeking food and heat. The risk is that this mild period of winter could be a false start for many of

Over to you…

Over the last couple of years I have really enjoyed writing pieces for this blog telling you about some of the fantastic wildlife that we have in Cumbernauld, and about the amazing people that we have worked with to protect and improve our beautiful greenspaces. Sadly this will be one of the the last pieces for a while, as the

A fun way to explore our greenspaces

If you go down to the woods today we hope you will have a nice surprise! We have installed new interpretation panels and will soon be putting in activity trails at six greenspaces around the town: Ravenswood, Mosswater, Broadwood Loch, the Community Park, Seafar Wood and Cumbernauld Glen, which we hope will help you get the most out of your

Teaching the teachers of tomorrow

Despite the pandemic, over the past four years of the project, we have been fortunate to work with many schools in the Cumbernauld area. During this time, we have delivered both Early Connections and Natural Connections sessions for pupils and teachers – in both Primary and Secondary schools – across Cumbernauld. The pandemic has made us ever more aware of

The benefits of a scruffy garden

I glanced out of my sitting room window, where I was working at my laptop, yesterday morning, and caught a streak of lipstick pink as it flashed down towards the plants beneath the sill. Sitting up for a better view, I saw it was a male bullfinch, smart as new paint, rosy chest, coal-black cap and face, grey back and