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u3a Botany Group - 20 July 2021
by Jenny Taylor - 09:10 on 23 July 2021
On a warm, calm afternoon, eight of us enjoyed an afternoon of botanising on Black Craig and along the adjacent ridge. We wandered amongst a lovely and interesting array of wildflowers, with beautiful views out to sea and along the coast. The botanical highlights were the finding of two areas of the diminutive, but beautiful, Adder’s Tongue, some rare Crested Hair-grass found by John, an unusual Eyebright (probably E. marshallii x arctica) and a fine Frog Orchid. We looked at the male and female flowers of Mountain Everlasting, debated the pollination methods of the lovely Grass of Parnassus and looked at the differences between Catsear and Autumn Hawkbit. But the sheer abundance of the different flowers, grasses and sedges in the area was a pleasure to see, especially in such benign weather.
Other flowering species seen included - Thyme, Lousewort, Cross-leaved Heath, Bell Heather, Tormentil, Selfheal, Angelica. Primula scotica, Sneezewort, Eyebrights, Bog Asphodel, Crowberry, Slender St John’s Wort, Mat Grass, Heath Bedstraw, Red and White Clover, Spearwort, Marsh Cinquefoil, Yellow Sedge, Ragged Robin, Primroses, Marsh Thistle, Heath Rush, Ribwort Plantain, Sea Plantain, Glaucous Sedge and Common Sedge.
Frog Orchid Adders Tongue
Cross-leaved Heath
Botanists at work
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