November | 2019 | Plants of Skye, Raasay & The Small Isles

Archive for November, 2019

Beyond Glen Caladale

November 29, 2019

I have just spotted that this was never posted at the end of May, so for the record…..

One of the few remaining tetrads with no records ever was NG32H to the west of Eynort and south of Talisker Bay. On Tuesday Neil and I chose to walk in from Eynort and sorted that out with 136 records.

We found no great rarities but Asplenium marinum (Sea Spleenwort) on the shore and Silene acaulis (Moss Campion) on the cliffs were nice.

Silene acaulis

On the way we saw some fine examples of animal topiary with the gorse:

Gorse topiary

We startled a barn owl off the cliffs and a peregrine flashed pass at one point. We also spotted a fine Argent & Sable:

Argent & Sable

Tags:Birds, Moths, Plants
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Loch Eadar dà Bhaile, Raasay

November 29, 2019

Seven members of Skye Nature Group circumnavigated (well, nearly) Loch Eadar dà Bhaile, the loch between the townships of Balachuirn and Balameanach on Wednesday. This is a rich loch where the vegetation is slowly covering the open water. We recorded 123 plants of which Fragaria vesca (Wild Strawberry), Hypericum androsaemum (Tutsan) and Sanicula europaea (Sanicle) were new to the monad (1km square). Additionally, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Bearberry) was spotted (in large quantities) for the first time since the 1990s.

We started up a woodcock and found a newt – not in the loch – and the fungi were good, including Birch Jelly (Exidia repanda), Green Elfcup (Chlorociboria aeruginascens) (probably) and Pipe Club (Macrotyphula fistulosa var. contorta).

Chlorociboria aeruginascens

Macrotyphula fistulosa

Oh yes – and we inspected the 170m run of Crocosmia pottsii (Potts’ Montbretia) from Balameanach to the shore of Loch Eadar dà Bhaile that until this year had been recorded as Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora (Montbretia (C. aurea x pottsii)).

Crocosmia pottsii at Balameanach

Tags:Amphibians & Reptiles, Birds, Fungi, Plants
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Ducks & Monkeys

November 29, 2019

My tour of Duckweed (Lemna) sites on Skye was successful in that I re-found the plants in nine out of ten places. However, none of them was convincingly Lemna gibba (Fat Duckweed) – see previous post. I am keeping specimens for molecular work as and when a DNA test becomes available.

Skye Lemna samples

Seth checked the Lemna in the ponds at Armadale Castle and that turns out to be L. gibba. He also found two immature specimens of Araucaria araucana (Monkey-puzzle) that appear to have self-seeded. Previous records in the vice-county have been of planted trees.

Araucaria araucana

Tags:Plants
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Score Horan

November 18, 2019

Skye Nature Group went to Score Horan on Saturday. Emma captured this cranefly which Seth thinks may be Tipula pagana (Murdo also says probably, but reserves judgment until he sees it). (Later: Confirmed.) If so, it is the first Skye record on NBN.

Tipula pagana probably

We also found the Common Striped Woodlouse, which neither Seth nor I had seen on Skye before, though there are a few records.

We re-found a 1968 record for Ligusticum scoticum (Scots Lovage) at Oans and rather more a short distance along the coast at Stac a’ Bhothain and made the first record for Dryopteris aemula (Hay-scented Buckler-fern) in the 10km square NG25.

Most interesting, to me anyway, was the Duckweed. It has recently been realised that Lemna minor (Common Duckweed) has been over-recorded for Lemna gibba (Fat Duckweed) that fails to be fat. What we found on Saturday is indeed flat Fat Duckweed.

Lemna gibba

It is possible that flat Fat Duckweed is an unrecognised taxon rather than just L. gibba that fails to fatten up. So this is a first record for the vice-county (Hoorah!) but may mean that all previous records of L. minor are in error (Boo!)

More, probably much more, after my Duckweed Safari planned for tomorrow…..

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Oak-related Matters

November 13, 2019

Having found Quercus cerris (Turkey Oak) I thought I had better check for knopper galls on the local oaks of other species as Q. cerris is required for the completion of the life cycle of the gall wasp. It was only discovered in the north of Scotland in 2010 when it was found in Moray, but last year it was found on Skye.

However, like most years on Raasay, there were no acorns to be seen and so no knopper galls. There were Common Spangle Galls caused by the cynipid wasp Neuroterus quercusbaccarum – a common thing but according to NBN not recorded from Raasay.

Spangle Galls

On a dead, fallen oak there was this fungus, False Turkey-tail or Hairy Curtain Crust (Stereum hirsutum). Thanks, Neil & Seth for id.

Turkeytail?

Turkeytail? Underside

Turkeytail?

Tags:Fungi, Insects
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New Trees for Raasay

November 11, 2019

A few weeks ago I discovered that the Forestry had planted some Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (Lawson’s Cypress) near Temptation Hill on Raasay. Then yesterday I spotted a single specimen of Quercus cerris (Turkey Oak) near Inverarish:

Quercus cerris (Turkey Oak)

Quercus cerris (Turkey Oak)

Both are new to Raasay and in fact, there is only one record for Q. cerris on Skye: NG51 1987-1999, which could be in Elgol, Glasnakille, Drinan, Kirkibost, Kilmarie…….

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