Hello! It seems a busy few weeks have been had by all. When I started this apprenticeship I was told by previous trainees that this year would go in fast, they weren’t kidding! Here’s a little breakdown of what’s been keeping me on my toes.
At the end of April I had the first of my ‘Blawhorn and the Arts’ events. This project aims to capture the beauty and unique character of Blawhorn Moss throughout the year, and in this case, our first session aimed to capture Spring time on the bog. Despite some fairly dodgy weather, members of the Armadale Camera club and Blackridge painting club toughed it out and came along for a day of photography. Some local kids, kitted out with some art supplies, popped along to learn about bog plants and do some… abstract paintings, inspired by the different colours to be found in a bog.
Ladybird spotting at Fallin Bing
April also saw the start of our healthy walks at Fallin Bing and Wester Moss. So far we’ve got a regular bunch and I’m hoping to up the numbers over the next month or so. The weather has held out great for us so far and we’ve spotted some interesting critters along the way…..
In May I popped along to the John Muir Award Bioblitz and helped out at the TCV stall. We had arts and crafts and some freshwater invertebrates to keep the crowd interested and I even got a chance to do a spot of moth I.D. Next was the Scottish Bird Fayre in Edinburgh where we were making butterfly finger puppets and recruiting new members.
Moth Identification – a very tricky business
Pine Beauty moth
Over the next couple of months I’ll be getting to work with kids… a lot! I’ll be at Fallin and Cowie Primary School teaching pupils about the wonders of raised bogs and I’ll also be running sessions with a local after school club. The end of May will see the start of my nature workshops, sessions aimed at giving parents tips and ideas on how to help their children become more in tune with the outdoors. I’ll also be popping along to more Family days and BioBlitz events. Very excited 😀