Written by Kate Thomson, Health Improvement Specialist
I can’t explain how excited I was to see that the yellow rattle seeds I scattered in a small area of my garden last year were growing!
Last autumn I collected some seeds from plants that I noticed growing in a local greenspace, with the intention of starting my own mini meadow in my garden. I was inspired after hearing Imogen (Highlife Highland) and Caroline Vawdrey (Highland Environment Forum) talk about the Meadow Mosaic project and highlight how beneficial even a small area can be for wildlife. Yellow rattle are an important species to establish when looking to increase diversity in grassland as they are really good at outcompeting the dense growing grass and leave more space for other species to establish.
I have access to a shared garden, the majority of which is a communal drying area. So I decided to experiment with a tiny area, it’s about 1x1m square. Onto bare earth I scattered some wildflower seeds that I had bought from the shop, but it was the seedlings that came from those seeds that I’d gathered that I was most excited about. There is a real joy and satisfaction that comes from knowing I’m able to slowly increase the diversity in a sustainable way, and that my actions matter and can make a difference. There are lots of wildflowers growing in Highlands, and gathering small quantities of seed and scattering them in new areas is a great way to create more diversity sustainably- and it’s a free nature connection activity that you can do with a very small space.
Identifying wildflowers can take a bit of effort, but there are lots of resources out there to help. For more information on yellow rattle you can visit Plantlife’s website. And you can also sign up to Highlife Highland Ranger Events, keep an eye out for the sessions to help maintain the meadow mosaic they’ve created across Highland.
I’m really looking forward to keeping an eye on my wee wildflower patch and seeing what insects it attracts. Maybe this year I’ll see if I can gather some seeds of different species and see if they grow next year!
