The Hay-ley Mower!
A new mower named ‘Hay-ley’ in honour of Haley, was unveiled on 1 June. The name celebrates Haley’s sustained and substantial contributions to Transition, and her unstinting support for ‘green’ initiatives in the University, over the years she has been a student here. Haley submitted her PhD thesis, which quantifies biodiversity in abandoned cocoa plantations on the tropical island of Trinidad, just a few days before the unveiling. She’s seen here posing with the mower and hasn’t been driving it around the campus—yet!
The Hay-ley mower will play a crucial role in the University’s ‘Meadows in the Making’ biodiversity project . By cutting grass less frequently, and by collecting cut grass – a task Hay-ley is designed for – this approach reduces competition from vigorous grasses and enables wildflowers to thrive. You can find an example of one of these meadows beside the Gateway Building on the North Haugh.
Estates Ecological Projects Manager Johanna Willi, who plays a key role in the ‘Meadows in the Making’ project, reports that they are about to embark on Phase 1 Habitat surveys of their grassland sites. These sites are dotted around St Andrews, Guardbridge and Crail and are quite varied, ranging from council public parks to St Andrews Botanic Garden. She would welcome help from any students or botanists interested in contributing to the monitoring.