Kirkcudbrightshire Botany Group at Southerness, 22nd June 2024

Despite a meeting at Southerness in September 2023, this area was substituted for the original Tallowquairn site due to difficulty with access.  The intention was to go as far westwards from the square Southerness lighthouse as was possible in the time.  In fact, we, just 5 of us, only made it into 2 monads, both lying seaward of the golf course.

The first monad (NX9754) has a sparse covering of saltmarsh between the rock strata, with cover mainly of Saltmarsh Rush Juncus gerardii, currently in full flower and patches of Sea Milkwort Glaux maritima. There was a scattering of several other species, including Sea Plantain Plantago maritima, Sea Aster Tripolium pannonicum (previously named Aster tripolium), Distant Sedge Carex distans, Carnation Sedge Carex panicea, and the trailing and often purple stems of Common Saltmarsh Grass Puccinellia maritima. There were scattered plants of Lax-flowered Sea Lavender Limonium humile, recognised at this early stage by having no more than 3 florets to each flowering spikelet (as opposed to 5 or more for Common Sea Lavender L. vulgare). Unfortunately, we noted several clumps of the invasive Cord Grass, either the infertile Spartina x townsendii or its fertile offspring S. anglica. There are records of it having been planted in the Solway around 1947 as a means of reclaiming marginal land as it effectively traps silt and raises the surface sufficiently to allow cattle or sheep grazing, given time.  It tends to oust other colonising saltmarsh plants.  Much of the saltmarsh and the wet areas throughout the site held bands of Sea Club-rush Bolboschoenus maritima.

The seawall had been recently augmented to protect the adjoining properties – there were still tractor/excavator tyre tracks in the softer substrate – with huge blocks of granite and the vegetation was relatively sparce here.  However, I counted 20 separate clumps of Sea Kale Crambe maritima sheltered within the blocks.  This is a species that has been spreading along the D&G coastline here since I first came here in the 1980s.

Once past the point (NX 96988 54262), low sand dunes separated us from the golf course and things got more interesting botanically.  The dunes were largely swept away during the winter storms of 2013/4 and have been slowly rebuilding since then.  The initial colonisers which stabilise the sand were obvious here – Marram Grass Ammophila arenaria, interspersed with individual clumps of the broader grey-green leaves of Lyme Grass Leymus arenarius and stands of Sea Couch Elymus species and/or hybrids which need an expert, not me, to tell them apart. There was abundant Sand Sedge Carex arenaria distinguishable by its heavy nodding flower heads and the straight lines of shoots emanating from underground rhizomes.  We also found two clumps of the alien Hoary Mugwort Artemisia stellerana with its silvery foliage.

The dunes are somewhat calcareous so it was not unexpected to find Common Restharrow Ononis repens, some with spines and raising the question of its identity as either this species, a subspecies or a hybrid with Spiny Restharrow (another expert needed!).  Nearby was a vivid yellow patch of Biting Stonecrop Sedum acre. There were a few plants of Wild Pansy Viola tricolor, a single shoot of Sea Spurge Euphorbia paralias, a few plants of Prickly Saltwort Salsola kali, 7 flowering and more non-flowering plants of Sea Bindweed Calystegia soldanella, and some Sea Rocket Cakile maritima plants as yet only vegetative.  Here too we found a single flowering plant of Isle of Man Cabbage Coincya monensis, one plant of Sea Beet Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima and a single plant of a brassica which turned out, after long deliberation at home, to be Wild Turnip Brassica rapa.  An unexpected find was Crosswort Cruciata laevipes in the grassy dunes.  Common in Dumfriesshire, it occurs in the east of Kirkcudbrightshire but gradually peters out as you move westwards.

There was a belt of Alder Alnus glutinous bordering the higher dunes at the western end of our travels (NX 9654) with Common Reed Phragmites australis, amongst which was Gypsywort Lycopus europaeus, Marsh Bedstraw Galium palustre and Wild Angelica Angelica sylvestris.  Around here there were a small number of seeps and flushes crossing the upper edge of the bare sand.  These held two spike-rushes: Common Spike-rush Eleocharis palustris, taller with a terminal inflorescence of many flowers; and Slender Spike-rush E. uniglumis, smaller and with fewer flowers.  There was also a slight colour difference in the stems and the flower heads as well as differing spike shapes, the former being more elongated and tapered.

That more or less concluded the survey work, we stopped about halfway along this 2nd monad (NX 96407 54619) and returned rapidly to the cars.  In all, we had 87 species in the first monad and a further 17 in the second one – total for the day 104.  Of these, 5 are included in the county’s Rare Plant Register (shown in red).

Thanks to you all for your keen eyes and help with identification and for the photographs.

P.S.  This long stretch of sand and sand dunes between Southerness and Mersehead is notable for several other rare or scarce species and I hope those of you who join us at Mersehead on 26th July will see more of these rare species. Depending on whereabouts we go, possibly another 6 or 7 rare ones!!

Sarah White

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