There was a good turnout (12 maybe, I didn’t count!), for our August 8th meeting in Finstown, when we took a wander up to the Cuween Hill cairns by way of a circular route. Plenty of sunshine, but the freshening NW’rly breeze made it feel chillier than the 14C on the thermometer.

 

Still only the 1st week in August, there were many signs in the Botanical world that Autumn is well under way, with Cat’s-ear “clocks” seen, as well as the seed heads of Water Avens, Marsh Thistles, Red Campion, Bluebells and of course, the many grasses we spotted like the Bents, Yorkshire Fog, Crested Dog’s-tail, Cocksfoot, Tufted and Wavy Hair-grass and Sweet Vernal grass.

 

It was interesting to note the the effects of the  stress that plants experience on footpaths. The 3sp. of Plantains ( Ribwort, Greater and Sea), some of the Sedges like Glaucous, Common, Green-ribbed and Deer grass,  and Rushes like Heath, Smooth and Compact Rushes were all much smaller, stunted, even flattened in some instances by being frequently trodden upon by passing walkers.

 

August of course is the month when one expects to see the heathers cladding the hillside in a purple haze, now accompanied by Devil’s-bit Scabious, very much one of our autumn flowering plants. It was a surprise to find a single Slender St. John’s-wort still in flower having pushed its way up through the heather to reach the sunlight. Also unexpected were 3 lovely lemon coloured Mouse-ear Hawkweeds putting in a late appearance at the cairns. Neither had we anticipated finding a solitary flowering Common Lousewort only a few meters away from a tiny Heath Milkwort also in flower. The former was traditionally regarded, growing as it does on acidic soils, as poor for grazing livestock, while the latter supposedly indicating good ground for cattle, improving milk yields, hence its name.

 

Most of us need to get down on our hands and knees if we are to be able to distinguish Common Cat’s-ear from Autumnal Hawkbit by their leaves, and to confidently identify Field from Autumn Gentians with a fine spread of the former at the quarry in amongst the Fairy Flax and the last little sprigs of Wild Thyme still in flower.

Apart from the Gentians, perhaps the stars of the day were the Eyebrights, so thick on the ground, in places appearing like a dusting of snow, particularly Euphrasia arctica. Much discussion centred around our attempts to separate out E. micrantha from E. scottica, and did we also see E. confusa, the latter aptly named as the Eyebrights are known to hybridise.

 

We missed out on the ombrogenous bog, as the group had become strung out at that point. That’ll have to wait for another visit.