Burdiehouse Burn Cleanup

Yesterday a group of Wild Reekians joined in a big community event: a Friends of Burdiehouse Burn Valley Park cleanup. The weather was unexpectedly excellent.

Photo by Friends of Burdiehouse Burn Valley Park (FBBVP).

The event had been in the Evening News the day before, as the aim was to ensure the park kept its Green Flag status. It is the only Edinburgh park with a Green Flag in an area of high deprivation. A reporter was there on the day taking lots of photos - here he is distracting Emily and Rebecca from their hard work...

My highlight was getting hold of a pair of waders and getting in the river.

Eleanor with Bruce, convenor of the Friends. Photo by FBBVP. 

This meant a chance to get really close to the river, where, you discover, is where all the flowers, moss, fungi and liverworts hang out under the willows.

Celandines, Wild garlic, Fungi, and things.

Mossy willows.

After a morning's hard work we had a huge pile of rubbish (this is only some of it), including a bike, scooter, football, buggy, and what looked like an exhaust pipe.

Afterwards the kettle went on, the baking came out, and the sunbathing began.

In the afternoon a few of us who had 'interloped' from around Edinburgh took the opportunity to explore down the burn to Ellen's Glen. Spring springing everywhere.

Blackthorn and Hawthorn I think.

Coltsfoot, one of my favourite spring flowers.

My star sighting was a Comma, a butterfly I've never seen before, as it only recently returned to Scotland for the first time since the early nineteenth century. Worth looking out for: they look distinctively raggedy round the edges.

Many thanks to the Friends for organising the event and providing such lovely weather! Keep an eye on their Facebook Page for news of their big Bioblitz this summer.

To keep informed of future Wild Reekie events, follow our Meetup Page. Follow me on Twitter @eleanormharris.