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Wildflowers help Mother Nature rally


By Staff Reporter

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Lindsay envisions a space for educational events to teach visitors about biodiversity and sustainable environment.
Lindsay envisions a space for educational events to teach visitors about biodiversity and sustainable environment.

A MOTHER-of-three from Dunphail is giving Mother Nature a helping hand.

Nature and gratitude workshop-organiser Lindsay Gale was given permission by landowner Sir Alastair Gordon Cumming to transform land used for grazing into wild meadows to benefit local wildlife, as well as create possibilities for community engagement.

She said: "My inspiration came from my love of nature which emerged while spending many wonderful hours with my father in the wilds. His favourite pastime was to observe nature, photograph and draw what he saw. He was an amazing artist."

Michael Dolby passed away last year and Lindsay wanted to create a fitting memorial for him. During her childhood, the pair lived in rural Leicestershire.

She said: "One of my fondest memories was being surrounded by insects in a wildflower meadow. Nature is calling for help now, a place where pollinators can collect nectar to aid its recovery."

Lindsay approached Sir Alastair – Altyre Estate is dedicated to conservation, enterprise and learning, as exemplified by its conversion of a farm steading into the Creative Campus for the Centre for Design Innovation. Altyre's website states: "Every fallow field has the potential for re-use and new life."

Sir Alastair further proved commitment to biodiversity when he agreed to let Lindsay use a piece of land next to her home. She planted two separate areas – a larger perennial meadow with a first year of cornfield mix which has been flowering since August, and a smaller area with winter bird feed mix which bloomed all summer and attracted pollinators including bees, wasps, flies, beetles, butterflies and moths. Housemartins and swallows enjoyed the flies over the summer. Yellowhammers, goldfinches and other finches are also there.

"I was so happy to witness nature responding to such little effort," said Lindsay, "It gave me true hope."

Her aim is in keeping with Sir Alastair's vision of the estate as a world-class learning centre and eco-tourist destination.

She finished: "We will be scything the field soon – it's the most nature-friendly way to let the perennials have more light and prevent too much fertilisation from the cornfield. I have my first workshop with ecologist Desmond Dugan this winter. We will be ringing birds to help understand survival, productivity and movement."



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