Pterodactyls in the park

Today a group of pterodactyls met at the Fossil Grove in Victoria Park, Glasgow, to plant a load of ferns in the rocky garden which was originally a quarry.

In 1887 a path was cut as part of a new park through the disused quarry when the first of the fossil tree stumps was uncovered. Their importance was quickly recognised and a building was erected over the site – which is still there today. There are eleven fossil tree stumps from the Carboniferous Period. They are about 330 million years old, and preserved where they grew. (https://fossilgroveglasgow.org/)

The quarry below the Fossil Grove was 'maintained' by the council for years with the minimum of attention, until it became so overgrown that it was a mass of brambles and tree saplings. A local group was set up, the Friends of Victoria Park, who turned their attention to the quarry garden. They decided to get permission to plant it up with ferns and carried out a lot of clearance before ordering over 500 hardy ferns and calling on the help of the British Pteridological Society to help them. Some unenlightened people call us Pterodactyls!

So we spent a large part of the day planting and tidying, and while the result wasn't up to my usual standard (Ha!) it looked a great deal better. Now we'll see what the local yoofs do with it!