An image showing a Whin bush in flower with a bee collecting pollen.

A Whin Bush in flower – Image by Siobhan Fraser

As Spring Arrives the Work Continues

The first of March once again saw a small group of volunteers carry on where they had left off in February with clearing the sides of the core path leading to Dunglass Road. With some of our members away on holiday there were fewer people involved in the tidy up this month. Due to the shortage of numbers it was decided to give the giant Rhododendron ponticum a short reprieve.

Well-equipped with bow saws, tree pruning saws, loppers and secateurs the small team of volunteers got to work to open up the core path to allow more people access to the woodland. The Beech (Fagus sylvatica) saplings, a non-native tree species along with Broom (Cytisus scoparius) and Whins also commonly called Gorse (Ulex europaeus), were targeted by the group.

Another Good Morning’s Work

An image of a patch of Lesser Celandine with its bright yellow flowers

Lesser Celandine in flower – Image by Siobhan Fraser

The beech is a non-native and invasive and if not controlled would eventually take over the woodland. The native Whin and Broom both prolific spreading species will take over open spaces reducing the ability of other woodland edge species to grow. In order to keep the core paths open for people to use, both these plants need to be kept under control. The other common plant targeted for clearance from the core path area was the bramble (Rubus fruticosus). This spreads along the ground and can cause injury to anyone walking along the core paths due to its prickly stems.

After a morning of hard work, the group returned to the grassed area in Birch Drive to have bread rolls with sausage or burgers along with cups of tea and coffee. Again, the Maryburgh Community Woodland Group would like to thank the volunteers who gave up their Saturday morning for the benefit of all those who use the woodland in Maryburgh.