my local patch and wildlife - Ian McDonald

[ian mcdonald]

A couple of visits to pine woods yesterday and today and One-flowered Wintergreen, Moneses uniflora, Lesser Twayblade and Toothed Wintergreen were seen. I searched for Marsh Clubmoss but the area is now covered with heather and small saplings.

[ian mcdonald]

For anyone interested in a woodland walk I can recommend Culbin Forest near Forres. The woodland covers an area of around 16 square miles. The trees were planted in the 1920s by the Forestry Commission on drifting sand dunes. The trees, as far as I can make out, are mainly scots and corsican pine. There is an under-storey of heather and lichens. Much of the vegetation looks grey. Some of the species of fauna are also grey-ish. There is a series of well made tracks through the forest to enable the removal of trees. There are way-marked paths but maps of the site are not always accurate. Some of the smaller tracks do not appear on maps and everywhere looks the same. It is easy to loose your bearings. The flora is varied due to differing conditions but is also representative of the best of the pinewood species. It is a working forest and notices regarding forestry operations should not be ignored. A good car park is provided at a place called Well Hill. Birds recorded include Crested Tit and Cross-bill. I have attached some views taken near to the car park at Well Hill. There is a small charge for car parking.

[ian mcdonald]

[ian mcdonald]

A trip to higher ground and I found a number of "alpines" in flower. These included Dwarf Cornel, Cloudberry, Starry Saxifrage, Moss Campion and Heath-spotted Orchid.

[ian mcdonald]

Cloudberry in fruit, Globe Flower, Stiff Sedge Carex bigelowii, an Alchemilla and Northern Bilberry.

[ian mcdonald]

Lesser Clubmoss, Fir Clubmoss, Alpine Clubmoss, Stags-horn Clubmoss and Interrupted Clubmoss.

[ian mcdonald]

Mountain Sorrel, Roseroot, Alpine Ladies-mantle, Three-leaved Rush and after finding bare Creeping Azalea a good few flowering plants in an area which may have been under snow.

[ian mcdonald]

I went for a walk along the river yesterday. Just as I got there I heard thunder. I made my way to a fishermens hut for shelter. The sky had turned from blue to dark grey. It thundered for about an hour but there was no rain. I watched a pair of swallows feeding young and taking away their refuse.



By the waters edge I noticed several plants of Oval Sedge.



While getting closer for a photo. of Hedge Woundwort I disturbed a Plume Moth, which may be Yarrow Plume.



Hedge Woundwort, Stachys Sylvatica.



A familiar plant of wet places, Meadowsweet, Filipendula ulmaria.

[ian mcdonald]

Another tall plant of wet places is Common Valerian, Valeriana officinalis, not to be confused with the garden valerian, Centranthus ruber.



Many of our "weeds" are worth a closer look, this is Common Hemp Nettle.



I noticed a Banded Snail on a leaf, they come in various colours.



A flower sometimes overlooked because of its resemblance to Red Clover is Zig Zag Clover, so called because its stem changes directions.

[Robert]

Ian,

Regarding your previous posting –

If I understand correctly the pine forest was once sand dunes. If this is correct, is this site near the ocean? Or is the site inland, but in the geologic past it was near the ocean? When were the trees planted?

[ian mcdonald]

Hello Robert, the forest is next to the coast, between Nairn and Findhorn Bay. It can be seen on aerial images of the area East of Inverness. See Bing Maps and change to aerial.  The whole area, about 8 miles by 2 miles, was once drifting sand dunes. In the 17th. century drifting sand covered several settlements and the local land owner applied to have his taxes reduced/waived because he could no longer grow crops. In the 1920s the Forestry Commission took over the land and started planting trees. Because there is no soil, when trees are harvested only the trunks are removed from site to allow the branches and bark to rot down on site. The tallest dunes are about 90 feet high. There are miles of tracks in the forest and it is the home to iconic pine wood plants and insects.

[Robert]

Ian,

This is very helpful information.    I will check out the site via satellite as I can. Hopefully this will help me put the flora into perspective.

[ian mcdonald]

I have been told by a colleague that the moth on a pine tree is a Bordered White.



The fern is Lemon Scented Fern, the sori are arranged along the edge of the leaf.



This dark Eyebright is Euphrasia micrantha, identified by the BSBI recorder.



A Dark Green Fritillary catching the sun.



I think this is one of the Grass Veneer moths, often disturbed from grass when you walk past.

[ian mcdonald]

This is a fruiting spike of Heath Rush, Juncus squarrosus.



Just coming into flower in pine woods are Creeping Ladies Tresses, Goodyera repens.



A Grasshopper which I haven,t yet identified, any suggestions welcome.



A Marmalade Hoverfly.



Four-spot Chaser.

[ian mcdonald]

I went to a limestone area to check if the broad leaved helleborine were in flower. They don,t seem to be any further on since my visit two weeks ago. I did find Yellow Saxifrage which may have been washed down from the hills.



I saw two spikes of Fragrant Orchid growing on short turf.



Also seen were plants of Hairy St. Johns wort, H. hirsutum.



A few plants of Common Spotted Orchids were in flower, note the longer central lobe.



Northern Marsh Orchid were there but the camera does not record the deep purple colour. On this specimen there is a small spider which a colleague says looks like Pisaura mirabilis.