A return to the Beinn na’ Leac area yesterday with Joanna allowed us to re-find my Saussurea alpina (Alpine Saw-wort) record from twenty years ago. At least, we found one rather sickly-looking plant on a ledge very close to, but not exactly at, my earlier grid reference.
The last Alpine Saw-wort on Raasay?
It looks in danger of being lost as the rock around it erodes and falls. Back in 2003, there were seven plants and I am not certain that we got to exactly the right section of this vertical crumbly cliff as we found it by approaching from above, whereas I am pretty sure that in 2003 I approached from below. Time and energy prevented us from undertaking the considerable drop and re-climb for further investigation, but sometime I will have another go from below.
We were pleased with the limestone flora here, one of my favourite places on the island:
Plants included Dryas octopetala (Mountain Avens), Polystichum lonchitis (Holly-fern), Epipactis atrorubens (Dark-red Helleborine), Bistorta vivipara (Viviparous Bistort), and Draba incana (Hoary Whitlowgrass). We took a couple of Hieracium (Hawkweed) specimens for expert determination.
Some interesting things were growing on the plants, too. Two fungi that I have seen once before (on Skye rather than Raasay) were Melampsora lini (Flax Rust) on Linum catharticum (Fairy Flax) and Isothea rhytismoides growing on Dryas octopetala. I also spotted “Little Black Pudding Galls” on bracken caused by the gall midge Dasineura pteridis and a fungus in a boggy part of the moor that I haven’t managed to identify.
A good day with various moths and butterflies as well, notably a lot of Dark-green Fritillaries and Scotch Argus.
Plants of Skye, Raasay & The Small Isles 
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