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Botany Group - 8th August 2017
by Fiona - 13:42 on 18 August 2017
Seven of us met at the Gloup car park in Deerness on a glorious, sunny, summer afternoon. We walked along the path, between meadows, to the Gloup and then along the cliff top as far as the Brough of Deerness, although we did not climb it!
Here we relaxed in the heather watching folk swimming in the pools below, with the occasional bonxie overhead, before returning along the top path. There was abundant Grass of Parnassus in flower along the cliff top, and plentiful other plants, although many of these had ceased flowering.
Plants identified on the approach to the cliff top included flag iris (not flowering), ragwort, field buttercup, hogweed, creeping thistle, spear thistle, hawkweed, thrift, angelica, meadow vetchling, silverweed, tufted vetch, watercress, scabious, tormentil, devil’s bit scabious, woundwort, red and white clover, eyebright, cotton grass and sorrel.
Along the cliff top we saw, in addition to the ubiquitous grass of Parnassus, sea plantain, spring squill (seedheads), bearberry (with berries), common and horsetail cotton sedge, club moss, frog orchid, birds foot trefoil, chickweed (mouse ear and common) and ling.
On our return along the top path we also identified creeping willow, marsh pennywort and perennial sow thistle.
An excellent trip – unfortunately there is no tea room in Deerness!
A matter of priorities
Grass of Parnassus
Eyebright
Frog orchid (allegedly)
Ragwort and Angelica
What's that there? Team Spirit
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