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Fantastic. Makes me want to see what I can do to benefit the Scottish ecosystem just a little. I've heard planting a patch of wildflowers in your garden is a go

Fantastic. Makes me want to see what I can do to benefit the Scottish ecosystem just a little. I've heard planting a patch of wildflowers in your garden is a good start.

Angostura 7y ago
I volunteer with what used to be the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers - here's the Scottish section https://www.tcv.org.uk/scotland/ https://www.tcv.org.uk/scotland/ I get to work with some very knowledgeable people, wade around chest-high in pond waders and use a chainsaw.
JulianMorrison 7y ago
Plant natives that are suited to your soil type and support bees. Wildflowers might not be good because they generally need less-fertile soil than a tended garden. Also put out bee houses and bird nesting sites, and leave autumn leaf fall in situ overwinter as a place for critters to hibernate.
- NeedMoreTea 7y ago
  It also needs tending if you are to prevent thistles, nettles and brambles etc dominating. We have a spot with native wild species, and it's a lovely little insect and bird oasis, but there's some constant control required. Far less than much gardening or tending a perfect lawn certainly, but not maintenance free. We made a point of not having blackberries in the mix, but nature intervened and some bird must have planted one for us. If only they were easier to get shot of...
- stinos 7y ago
  and support bees And all other pollinating species as well, there's way more than just bees :) But good adivce about native plants: around here there's a bit of a hype in certain circles and people are all over what they call 'bee plants' but forget that non-native plants which happen to have pretty flowers usually do not provide anything but nectar for a couple of generalist species, so not all native ones, plus don't take part in the reproduction cycle because they aren't wanted food for the caterpillars. To get native plants, which support the most biodiversity, essentially the best thing you can do in a lot of situations is: not too much. Leave your lawn grow, current herbs (if any) will develop and other will fly in as seeds. Then for instance mow once in spring and once at the end of the summer (hard to tell eaxctly, depends on what grows currently and soil type). Remove what you mow: otherwise the nutrients make it back into the soil so the fast-growing plants which thrive on nitrogen (grass, nettles) get a jumpstart while the slower growing ones (most flowering ones) don't get a chance and won't get enough space and light. Don't mow everything at once, you'd take away shelter and housing for may fauna. Likewise be sure to leave pathches uncut during winter in order to e.g. not get rid of the eggs of butterflies. After one or more years you should see transition into a native meadow i.e. also flowering herbs instead of just grass.
  - _carl_jung 7y ago
    Do you have any further reading?
    - stinos 7y ago
      Not in Egnlish unfortunately. But what I wrote is pretty much the generic way in which 'good' meadows etc are being preserved and developed and that's not going to be different from grassland management done by nature organizations your area, so your best bet is to contact them and ask recommendations. And/or join for volunteering; thing is: removing all cuttings is key, and quite some work, so in places where it cannot be done with machines (most of them, meadows don't like to be ran over with heavy machines because it compacts the soil on dry terrain or ruins it on wet terrain) people will be very happy with some extra hands and in return you'll learn all these things firsthand. At least that's how it worked for me.
      - JulianMorrison 7y ago
        Cuttings can be repurposed as compost for the food-forest part of your garden, which exists alongside the wildflower-meadow part. (Grow flowering perennials, and this will help with supporting pollinators.)
    - jfk13 7y ago
      Ah, memories of my youth: Create a Butterfly Garden, by L. Hugh Newman. Long out of print, but readily available used. For a more modern resource, try Butterfly Conservation's site: https://butterfly-conservation.org/how-you-can-help/get-involved/gardening https://butterfly-conservation.org/how-you-can-help/get-invo...
- _carl_jung 7y ago
  You may be overestimating how tended my garden is! Thanks.
pvaldes 7y ago
It depends. Coastal area? moor? mountain?
- _carl_jung 7y ago
  Rural. Garden by lots of farmland.
  - pvaldes 7y ago
    A wildlife pond would be my first option (if there is not a suitable one yet next).
arethuza 7y ago
You can volunteer to plant trees in the Highlands: https://treesforlife.org.uk/ https://treesforlife.org.uk/ Edit: I've planted quite a few bee friendly plants this year in my garden and have been very pleased at the results.
- _carl_jung 7y ago
  Thanks for this link!

Fantastic. Makes me want to see what I can do to benefit the Scottish ecosystem just a little. I've heard planting a patch of wildflowers in your garden is a good start.

Angostura 7y ago

I volunteer with what used to be the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers - here's the Scottish section https://www.tcv.org.uk/scotland/ https://www.tcv.org.uk/scotland/ I get to work with some very knowledgeable people, wade around chest-high in pond waders and use a chainsaw.

JulianMorrison 7y ago

Plant natives that are suited to your soil type and support bees. Wildflowers might not be good because they generally need less-fertile soil than a tended garden. Also put out bee houses and bird nesting sites, and leave autumn leaf fall in situ overwinter as a place for critters to hibernate.

NeedMoreTea 7y ago
It also needs tending if you are to prevent thistles, nettles and brambles etc dominating. We have a spot with native wild species, and it's a lovely little insect and bird oasis, but there's some constant control required. Far less than much gardening or tending a perfect lawn certainly, but not maintenance free. We made a point of not having blackberries in the mix, but nature intervened and some bird must have planted one for us. If only they were easier to get shot of...
stinos 7y ago
and support bees And all other pollinating species as well, there's way more than just bees :) But good adivce about native plants: around here there's a bit of a hype in certain circles and people are all over what they call 'bee plants' but forget that non-native plants which happen to have pretty flowers usually do not provide anything but nectar for a couple of generalist species, so not all native ones, plus don't take part in the reproduction cycle because they aren't wanted food for the caterpillars. To get native plants, which support the most biodiversity, essentially the best thing you can do in a lot of situations is: not too much. Leave your lawn grow, current herbs (if any) will develop and other will fly in as seeds. Then for instance mow once in spring and once at the end of the summer (hard to tell eaxctly, depends on what grows currently and soil type). Remove what you mow: otherwise the nutrients make it back into the soil so the fast-growing plants which thrive on nitrogen (grass, nettles) get a jumpstart while the slower growing ones (most flowering ones) don't get a chance and won't get enough space and light. Don't mow everything at once, you'd take away shelter and housing for may fauna. Likewise be sure to leave pathches uncut during winter in order to e.g. not get rid of the eggs of butterflies. After one or more years you should see transition into a native meadow i.e. also flowering herbs instead of just grass.
- _carl_jung 7y ago
  Do you have any further reading?
  - stinos 7y ago
    Not in Egnlish unfortunately. But what I wrote is pretty much the generic way in which 'good' meadows etc are being preserved and developed and that's not going to be different from grassland management done by nature organizations your area, so your best bet is to contact them and ask recommendations. And/or join for volunteering; thing is: removing all cuttings is key, and quite some work, so in places where it cannot be done with machines (most of them, meadows don't like to be ran over with heavy machines because it compacts the soil on dry terrain or ruins it on wet terrain) people will be very happy with some extra hands and in return you'll learn all these things firsthand. At least that's how it worked for me.
    - JulianMorrison 7y ago
      Cuttings can be repurposed as compost for the food-forest part of your garden, which exists alongside the wildflower-meadow part. (Grow flowering perennials, and this will help with supporting pollinators.)
  - jfk13 7y ago
    Ah, memories of my youth: Create a Butterfly Garden, by L. Hugh Newman. Long out of print, but readily available used. For a more modern resource, try Butterfly Conservation's site: https://butterfly-conservation.org/how-you-can-help/get-involved/gardening https://butterfly-conservation.org/how-you-can-help/get-invo...
_carl_jung 7y ago
You may be overestimating how tended my garden is! Thanks.

pvaldes 7y ago

It depends. Coastal area? moor? mountain?

_carl_jung 7y ago
Rural. Garden by lots of farmland.
- pvaldes 7y ago
  A wildlife pond would be my first option (if there is not a suitable one yet next).

arethuza 7y ago

You can volunteer to plant trees in the Highlands: https://treesforlife.org.uk/ https://treesforlife.org.uk/ Edit: I've planted quite a few bee friendly plants this year in my garden and have been very pleased at the results.

_carl_jung 7y ago
Thanks for this link!