Bugworts arrives at St Maurice’s Pond

This Saturday sees the first ever visit from Bugworts Academy of Witches, Warlocks and Wacky Wildlife and we are soooooo excited.  The tickets have been snapped up quicker than you can say Sellius Oootius with additional slots being added due to demand. Potential students and families will begin their visit to Prof. Mini Bugonnagal Hunter’s office for registration before exploring

The chilling bite of Autumn

Had to dig the winter jacket out the cupboard the other night, boy was it chilly! A crisp autumn evening with clear skies and a smattering of stars heralded the need for gloves, a hat and a hot drink when I returned from my walk. It got me thinking of how wildlife copes with such changes of temperature and the

Bugworts comes to St Maurice’s Pond this Hallowe’en

Recently Alba Scoticus, headteacher of Bugworts Academy of Witches, Warlocks and Wacky Wildlife, got in touch and asked if we would like to host an event at North Lanarkshire Council’s St Maurice’s Pond this year as there is a magical connection to the water and woodlands of the site. Well we jumped at the chance! For the past few years

Autumn is a time of change

I love autumn. We get to see the trees and plants prepare themselves for winter by drawing down the energy they have spent spring and summer creating. This energy transfers back to the roots, discarding the leaves once it is reabsorbed. It is this process which gives us the multi-coloured hues of autumn. Autumn reminds me of childhood days spend

A swift break

You may have read that we submitted an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for our new project. We will hear in December if we are successful. Following the submission I headed out to Lanzarote for a break. Now you may be wondering what my holiday had to do with wildlife or Cumbernauld Living Landscape, but stay with me here.

Guest Blog – Chris Simpson from Informed Tree Services

Chris Simpson is the Managing Director of Informed Tree Services and does much of his work providing training in tree and woodland management within Cumbernauld. We invited Chris in for a Q&A about his work.     What does your job involve? I organise and deliver training courses, and assessments, for candidates looking to learn forestry and tree surgery skills.

A little compassion – and lots of tea

Anti-depressants are good for you! That was pretty much the message that was being blared out by the newspaper headlines last week after the publication of a major new study into their use was published. The truth is – you won’t be surprised to hear – a little more complicated than that! The actual results of the meta-analysis conducted were

Making memories

Over the past few weeks Cumbernauld Living Landscape has been holding consultations to find out the aspirations of groups and the barriers that stop people from using our local woods and wild places to help us develop our Natural Connections project. We’ve met with people who have a passion for their town, and those who are new to the area

Consultation for Cumbernauld Green Route

A new route to improve the link between Abronhill and the town centre through Kildrum and Carbrain is being proposed and the local community are invited to have their say at a special consultation event next month. Cumbernauld Living Landscape and Central Scotland Green Network Trust (CSGNT) have been working for the last two years with community partners to develop

Frost Beards

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