In August, Buglife was awarded a CSV Action Earth Grant to create a stunning native wildflower meadow in Toryglen, Glasgow. The ‘Toryglen’s Buzzing’ project aims to bring local residents and volunteers together in a series of outdoor sessions to transform a patch of species-poor grassland into a rich meadow containing native wildflowers and a range of grass species that will support numerous bug species.
Toryglen is a district in south-east Glasgow situated to the west of the much larger town of Rutherglen. The meadow will be created on the northern edge of Toryglen at Mall’s Mire Community Woodland; this mixed broadleaved deciduous woodland was planted in 1993 and is now managed by the charity Urban Roots. The community woodland plays host to a wide range of plant and animal life, but is also overlooked by a number of residential flats, meaning it is easily accessible to thousands of people who live locally. With the help of local volunteers and Urban Roots the meadow will be available for the entire community and other visitors to enjoy for years to come, as well as provide a much needed resource for the myriad of bugs that live in the area.
The wildflowers that will be sown at the meadow are all species that are native to Scotland, using these species will support bugs such as beautiful bees, flower flies and leaf beetles.
The Toryglen’s Buzzing sessions will take place from September-December 2014 and will involve practical and healthy activities to create the meadow. On top of this, there will be a number of wildlife workshops that will allow people to enjoy and learn more about the bugs and other wildlife found at Toryglen.
Last Thursday saw Toryglen’s Buzzing’s first meadow creation session and we made some great progress. Check back very soon to find out more about what we did and the progress we have been making. Our next meadow creation session is on Thursday 25th September, come along and join in the fun!
