Last week I wrote about biodiversity and belonging, following our BioBlitz at Carsebridge Cultural Campus.
A few days later, I found myself outdoors again, this time some distance from home, getting my hands dirty alongside people from across Forth Valley.
Members of the Forth Valley & Lomond Local Action Group (LAG) and Youth LAG joined friends from Green Routes at the Beewell Demonstration Garden, created by Lauren Lochrie of Herbal Homestead.
The gathering was another contribution to Forth Environment Link's first Forth Valley Biodiversity Festival – and before long, we were all working.
Lauren had set us the challenge of creating two new pollinator herb and “stumpery” beds. I confess, like a few others, I wasn't entirely sure what a stumpery was when we began!
By the end, we had manoeuvred an enormous tree stump into position and surrounded it with layers of natural materials and planting to create something rather wonderful.
But looking at everyone gathered around what we'd made, I realised the most interesting thing wasn't the garden bed.
It was how we had made it.
People brought different strengths, knowledge and abilities. Someone could lift something heavy. Someone knew about plants. Someone fetched materials, held something steady or worked out what should happen next.
There was conversation, laughter, problem-solving and plenty of mud.
Action Earth funding helped provide materials, including locally sourced supplies.
Tools were borrowed from Stirling Library of Things, while the group also considered how something as ordinary as where we buy, borrow or source our lunch and materials can help keep resources circulating locally.
Sue Wyllie, Chair of the FVL LAG, described it simply: “It was a thoroughly enjoyable day.”
It was. But I think it demonstrated something else too.
Culture is often described through the things a place produces – its art, music, traditions or heritage. Perhaps culture is also revealed in how we choose to do things together.
The people gathered that day came from different places and organisations. Some knew a great deal about gardening; others were learning as we went.
It didn't matter. Everyone could contribute something.
And perhaps that is one of the lessons of Forth Environment Link's Biodiversity Festival itself.
Nature doesn't recognise our council boundaries. Rivers flow through them, seeds travel across them and wildlife certainly doesn't stop to check a postcode.
Maybe communities don't always need to either.
Sometimes we simply need a shared purpose, an invitation to contribute and enough trust to start building.
And occasionally, apparently, a very large tree stump.
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