Kirkcudbrightshire Botany Group at Barlocco Bay, 3rd August 2024
Nine of us assembled for the 10-minute walk down to the bay – which took us the best part of two and a half hours! No wonder, as we passed through semi-natural woodland and semi-improved grassland before reaching the spoil heaps of the old barytes mine.
The semi-natural woodland held the usual SNW indicator species such as Dog’s Mercury Mercurialis perennis, Yellow Pimpernel Lysimchia nemorum, False-brome Brachypodium sylvaticum, Remote Sedge Carex remota and several other typical woodland species. The drain running alongside the woodland gave us Brooklime Veronica beccabunga of deep blue flowers and shiny green leaves, Marsh Willowherb Epilobium palustre and in the drier section the smaller and hairy Hoary Willowherb E. parviflorum.
However, the mine spoil heap gave us our first rare, for the VC, species with Field Madder Sherardia arvensis in profusion on the dry soil there. At least 5 separate dense clumps covering at least 12m2 beside a patch of gorse. Recorded in the 1990 Flora as “occasional, coastal turf and fields”, it was present up to 2000 in hectads NX54, NX74-76 and NX85-6; and in monads Kirkmabreck NX 4755, Mossyard NX 5457 and Borness NX 6145.[1] This is the second post-2000 record, the first being from nearby Abbeyburnfoot NX7444 on 31st May 2018 (Hawker, D.). The species is either under-recorded or in serious decline.
This site also gave us Sea Campion Silene uniflora and Lesser Trefoil Trifolium dubium among several common species of dry grassland, as well as Smith’s Pepperwort Lepidium heterophyllum and Fairy Flax Linum catharticum.
The track gave us a long-established American invader, Slender Rush Juncus tenuis with its long bract far overtopping the fruiting head. It’s a species common on forest and farm tracks. We also picked up various smaller species such as Heath Cudweed Gnaphalium uliginosum, Procumbent Pearlwort Sagina procumbens, Trailing St John’s-wort Hypericum humifusum and Sand Spurrey Spergularia rubra. And finally, a quick march past semi-improved grassland – unexpectedly no Meadow Buttercup Ranunculus acris despite a search – and reed beds bordering the rocky shore, and lunch time.
The rock and shingle part of the shore held abundant Sea-kale Crambe maritima – I counted at least 30 plants – Sea Mayweed Triplospermum maritimum, Spear-leaved Orache Atriplex prostrata, scattered Sea Radish Raphanus raphanistrum ssp.maritimus and Perennial Sowthistle Sonchus arvensis. But it was the low cliffs of sandstone which provided the best species. There were many small diffuse flows of water down these faces and we soon found several specialities. A small patch of Bog Pimpernel Lysimachia tenella was found along with Brookweed Samolus valerandi beneath an overhanging area of Purple Moor-grass Molinia caerulea. This was followed by a large clump of Wood Vetch Ervilia sylvatica hanging down the cliff face, above which were clumps of the tall, pale, pink-flowered Hemp-agrimony Eupatorium cannabinum. Then we discovered at least 19 separate clumps of the Nationally Scarce Dotted Sedge Carex punctata again in wet seepages, usually of mineral-enriched water, down the rock faces. This is not scarce in the VC being present in 18, now 19, distinct colonies between Portling and Ravenshall Point. And oddly one clump of the large Pendulous Sedge Carex pendula – completely out of character as this is usually a woodland species.
The taller cliffs held Sea Spleenwort Asplenium marinum, Sea Plantain Plantago maritima and Buck’s-horn Plantain P. coronopus., along with Thrift Armeria maritima
There was a small area of saltmarsh (merse) with Saltmarsh Rush Juncus gerardii and Carnation Sedge C. panicea.
The walk back up showed the reed beds to be very dense and with few other species but the old, ruined cottage part way back to the cars gave us three ferns: Black Spleenwort Asplenium adiantum-nigrum, Wall-rue A. ruta-muraria and Maidenhair Spleenwort A. trichomanes. The last stop was, for some of us, an apparently recently excavated pool by which Malcolm spotted a plant of Lesser Swine-cress Lepidium didymum described in the 1990 Flora as “Rare” but with 8 post-2000 records (all but 3 within 1km of the coast). So, a new site for this species.
In all, we had 129 species in the section before the shoreline (monad NX7847) and a further 48 more from the coastal strip (NX7846). These included 11 sedges, 6 rushes and 8 ferns. 177 species in one day is amazing, so thanks to everyone for this day, and especially to Nick and Mary for allowing access to this section of the coast. We didn’t complete this stretch of coastline so I hope we will be allowed back to finish the job sometime.
[1] Kirkcudbrightshire Rare Plant Register 2024
David Hawker
