Mya’s experience as wildflower intern
Mya's experience as wildlfower intern
A blog by Mya herself to share her experience at The Habitat People, whta she learned and gained, 08/09/2022.
Between my first two years studying Ecology at the University of Aberdeen, I wanted to engage with the real-world conservation sector. I sought opportunities in the type of work that would be available to me once I graduated. The Habitat People was recommended to me for doing important work locally to help create and improve native habitats. Shortly after I was introduced to the team and began my internship.
On my first day was at the Peterhead site, a large area of dense woodland and fields which lacked biodiversity, with serious potential. The site had just been acquired by the Habitat People to convert into a nature reserve to be used for carbon offsetting and community development. I was introduced to the systematic approach of managing a meadow, and the hard work that it involves.
A sizeable portion of my internship was spent in the field at Peterhead, in the wildflower nursery, visiting areas to collect wildflower seeds or in client’s gardens creating habitats such as ponds and meadows. I was unable to see the full succession of a meadow in this short period. However, I worked on meadows in varying stages of maturity. These areas made previously by the team were flourishing, which allowed me to visualize the importance of my contribution. Clients were excited to see new species of pollinators that had visited their meadows.
David made sure that my internship was full of opportunities to learn. Including a task to write a mock management plan for the Peterhead site. This brought together many of the techniques that I had learned in my first year of university. I was also able to improve my knowledge of native wildflowers, birds and their ecologies. David detailed nesting, flight paths and behaviours. My interest in insects was also nurtured whilst observing species on sites, with David’s assistance in identification features. I can now cover a number of different families.
During my internship I was also encouraged to attend meetings with various clients who were part of larger organisations. This exposed me to the technical side of running a conservation company for the first time.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time as an intern with the Habitat People. The team have a great deal of knowledge and passion for their work, and I look forward to being part of their journey and their conservation efforts working part time in the wildflower nursery.
