A Variety Package

Similar to the Sonchus arvensis story, I spotted Eupatorium cannabinum (Hemp-agrimony) on the roadside south of Sligachan. Again, this is almost exclusively coastal locally and this is a new hectad (10 km) record.

Eupatorium cannabinum by the road

Recently, Joanna found the glabrous form of Heath Pearlwort (Sagina subulata var. glabrata), not something I have checked for. Then on Friday, out with Seth, Neil and Wilma, I took a specimen of Sagina subulata for Mike which turns out to be var. glabrata too. I wonder if we have the standard version?!

Even more interestingly, Mike noticed a swelling in the stem below a flower that contained a small worm, probably a nematode. This does not seem to be a known gall.

We also saw galls on Rhodiola rosea (Roseroot) caused by the mite Aceria rhodiolae. There are very few records for this on NBN and within the last week or two this made the third local record, previous finds being by Neil and Nick H.

A Michaelmas Daisy near the road at the Fiskavaig croft we visited a few weeks ago has caused a certain amount of confusion and debate, not least in the taxonomic nomenclature, but I think we are settled on Symphyotrichum x salignum (Common Michaelmas Daisy).

Symphyotrichum x salignum

Some confusing Schoenoplectus in Loch Cill Chriosd has been pinned down as S. lacustris (Common Club-rush) mostly on the grounds that the glumes are not papillose even at 40x.

Schoenoplectus glume

At Fiskavaig, moth finds included the following:

whilst at home my latest trap yielded three species new to my home list, two of which were completely new to me.

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