Meadows

Overview

Little Leny Meadow is located between the Eas Gobhain and Garbh Uisge rivers, bisected by the National Cycle Network Route 7 (NCN7). The project aims to implement a management regime to create a diverse wet hay meadow habitat, which involves annual cutting and livestock grazing.  It is hoped that through more active management the diversity of plant species will increase particularly among the flowering meadow species, which in turn should improve the habitat for both invertebrates and birds. Little Leny graveyard, ancestral burial ground for Clan Buchanan, is located inside the meadow and will also be restored, which will provide opportunities to engage with local cultural heritage and interpretation.

Aims & Objectives

This project will:

• Improve the condition of 10 hectares of wet hay meadow, with elements of wet woodland, wet flushes and tall herb fen, to create a diverse site.
• Restore associated railway fencing, railway gates and dry stone dyke to provide access and to make the area stock-proof for grazing animals.
• Restore Little Leny graveyard to prevent further deterioration and preserve the site for the future.
• Provide interpretation to the public about the special qualities of the meadows in terms of biodiversity, historical significance and encourage behaviour that respects these features.

Project updates

• Botanical surveys were carried out in summer 2019 by SWT Callander working with Plantlife and volunteers. There will be another plant survey carried out in 2021 after the boundary work has been completed.
• The fencing, gates, and dry stone dyke improvements have been delayed due to prolonged flooding in the meadows when access is required.
• SWT Callander have been successful in securing funding to further enhance biodiversity in the meadows and plan to install a variety of woodcrete bird and bat boxes in autumn 2020 to attract a wider range of species to the area.

Photo Credit: Keith Wilson