Plants of Skye, Raasay & The Small Isles

It is not the peak time for fungal fruiting bodies but this one has appeared in the veggie bed. Chris tells me it is Tubaria furfuracea, commonly known as the scurfy twiglet.

Scurfy Twiglet

The gooseberries have small quantities of Puccinia caricina as usual, which is colourful and not at a level to cause concern:

Flowerng weeds in the garden now include Poa trivialis (Rough Meadow-grass) and Rumex acetosa (Common Sorrel). The weeds aren’t doing as well as usual as we are spending much more time this year removing them, owing to lockdown. Many seedlings of Gnaphalium uliginosum (Marsh Cudweed), Ranunculus sceleratus (Celery-leaved Buttercup), Spergula arvensis (Corn Spurrey), Veronica persica (Common Field-speedwell) and Veronica peregrina (American Speedwell) from the veggie beds have ended up on the compost heap, but they will have considerable seed banks in the soil.

Insects have contiued to arrive in variety. The moth trap has yielded my first Streamer of the year and the first Shears I have had for five years.

Also this splendid Poplar Hawkmoth

and in the garden my first and second ever Large Longhorn (Nematopogon swammerdamella). I didn’t manage a picture but here is one Katie found on Raasay a week or so earlier

This litle beetle is probably Contacyphon padi (thanks, Ralph)…

and this hoverfly is Xylota segnis (sometimes called Orange-belted Hoverfly). (Thanks Steve and Seth):

though I had to check for this spine at the base of the hind femur to make sure it wasn’t the rarer Xylota tarda (sometimes called Aspen-wood Hoverfly):