Autumn has arrived, making us all the more grateful for the brightness and warmth of the sun when it appears. And Botanic Meadow vividly manifests the changing of the seasons. If you are there around this time, you may spot ladybirds looking for places to overwinter, hibernating under the fallen leaves or in crevices in tree bark to conserve energy until the Spring.
There are just a few things to update you on for the campaign. The Pitches Strategy (under which the meadow is destined to be turned into a sports pitch) has still not been published but we expect it to be so now around mid-October with an 8 week consultation period. When it is we will issue another update, with details on the means of responding.
A number of other parks and open, nature-rich spaces are threatened by this same strategy. Belfast Botanic Meadow has linked up with similarly-concerned citizens and residents from these areas, under the umbrella of 'Belfast Keepers'. If you would like to connect in with us, please email: BotanicMeadow@proton.me
In more good news, Belfast City Council is part of the Nature Towns and Cities initiative - 'a UK-wide programme that seeks to help put nature at the heart of local decision making for everyone’s benefit'. This is an objective we strongly support! The more interest is shown in this, the better the chances of realising this objective, so please consider signing up to receive updates from that too!
There are upcoming events in both Botanic Meadow and Friends of the Field (the community garden in it) - from 'meadowcraft' to 'pumpkin patch' events. We'd love to welcome you to them, so please keep an eye on our websites for details. And if you are looking to be more involved in supporting Belfast Botanic Gardens more generally, Friends of the Field are welcoming new members, as are the Friends of Botanic Gardens Belfast.
Finally, enjoy this lovely Country Diary entry by Mary Montague, about flax being grown in the Friends of the Field garden to be woven into linen - following a tradition 'folded into' the history of this city.
Thank you again for your concern for this meadow and all that lives in it and depends on it.