Wild Flower Meadow
Wildflower Bulbs
Volunteering Matters Action Earth by Nature Scot funded this initiative and we were delighted to have planted 650 wildflower Bulbs with help from other Voluntary groups in the Village in Autumn 2024.
Certificates of Volunteering went to Carrbridge Paths for Health, Church Guild, Riverside Bowling Club, Mums and Toddlers, Friday Club, and Parent Teacher Council.
We hope these will naturalise over the years to help the early pollinators and provide enjoyment for people too.
Learning Challenge -
Use the images to identify the flower,
the drop down to check the names and
the link to find out more about the plant
Native Bluebell
Hyacinthoides non-scripta
Double Snowdrop
Galanthus nivalis
Wild Daffodil
Narcissus lobularis
Perennial /Biennial Flowers
Some wildflowers were indigenous to the site and are indicators of the prevailing conditions.
One of these was Meadowsweet and another was Foxgloves.
When the orchard was first landscaped and there was mostly bare soil, we started our meadow. We are very grateful for the advice we received from Speyside Fields for Wildlife and of course suppliers - predominantly Scotia Seeds
Click on the links below to find out more about each of the plants or take the learning challenge when you are onsite.
Ladies Smock / Cuckoo Flower
Cardamine pratensis
Lady's Bedstraw,
Galium verum
Red Clover
Trifolium pratense
Trifolium repens
Daucus carota
Cerastium fontanum
Hypochaeris radicata
Lathyrus pratensis
Leucanthemum vulgare
Pimpinella saxifraga
Plantago lanceolata
Primula veris
Prunella vulgaris
Meadow Buttercup, Ranunculus acris
Rumex acetosa
Autumn Hawkbit, Scorzoneroides autumnalis
Annual Flowers
These annuals were all sown in 2023 and some in 2024.
However they may or may not appear on the site, depending on the disperal and viability of the seeds.
Our visits to nearby Wildflower meadows in 2024 helped us to understand the importance of building the seed bank of our soils.
The funding for this will come from donations and events that we engage in going forward.
Rhinanthus minor
Wild Chamomile
Matricaria inodora
Corn Cockle
Agrostemma githago
Vipers Bugloss
Echium plantagineum
Linaria reticulta atropurpurea
Nigella hispanica
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
African Marigold
Venedium fastuosum
Chrysanthemum carinatum
Meadow Grasses
Our wildflower mixes included grasses. Over time these will be parasitised by the Yellow Rattle making way for more wildflowers to come through. In the meantime they give a wild feel to the orchard and provide habitat and seeds to increase the biodiversity of this place.
Sweet Vernal Grass, Anthoxanthum odoratum
Crested Dogs Tail (c), Cynosurus cristatus
Chewings Fescue (c), Festuca rubra commutata
Smooth Stalked Meadow Grass (c),
Poa pratensis
