Summer seed collection
One thing that I have never had a chance to do before becoming a warden here at WWT Caerlaverock was collecting wildflower seeds for meadow creation.
On a nice summer’s day (proven to be a rare sight here this year) I set off on my wander along the summer trail on the lookout for any flowers that have progressed onto seed producing stage. I hear the rattling in the breeze of a yellow rattle (hence the name) telling me that it is ready for collection. Yellow rattle is a great starter species for creating a meadow due to its parasitic nature. It feeds on grasses, reducing their dominance in the area to allow other species to thrive. I carefully take off the seed heads so not to damage the rest of the plants and place it in a bag. When I'm back at the shed, I place it on a sheet to dry before processing: separating the pods from their containers to be spread out over the next few weeks. Other seedheads we collect here at Caerlaverock include red clover, bird's-foot trefoil, common knapweed, oxeye daisy and tufted vetch.
The aim of this collection is to spread seeds on areas with low biodiversity in order to increase the number of species in certain places on the reserve. The flowers are great for pollinators such as butterflies and bees as they make great nesting and feeding sites.
I am so often busy, dashing about, that wandering slowly through the meadow while collecting seeds has been a lovely way to experience the end of (so-called) summer.
Words by Rebekah Allison
Feature image of woman walking through wildflower meadow by Andrew Perry
