Kirkcudbrightshire Botany Group at New Abbey, 26th April 2025
A group of 12 of us met at the Monument car park just outside New Abbey for the first meeting of the season. Our aim was to record the monad NX9565 for which the database held only two previous plant records. In the traditional way, we spent at least the first half hour at in the car park where native woodland plants such as Dog’s Mercury Mercurialis perennis, Wood Anemone Anemone nemorosa, Wood Sorrel Oxalis acetosella and Common Dog-violet Viola riviniana were accompanied by a range of garden plants which had become established there, presumably from garden refuse, including Lesser Knotweed Koenigia campanulata, Himalayan Honeysuckle Leycesteria formosa, Leopard’s-bane Doronicum pardalianches and Yellow Archangel Lamiastrum galeobdolon ssp argentatum. A wonderful veteran Oak Quercus sp. was host to a number of epiphytes including Cotoneaster Cotoneaster sp., Polypody Polypodium agg. and Holly Ilex aquifolium.
The group then split into two, with an energetic threesome choosing to hike up the steep hill to the monument, while the rest of us explored an area of wet grassland and open woodland below. The mountaineers successfully added a good number of acidic hill species to the list such as Heather Calluna vulgaris, Bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus, Lemon-scented Fern Oreopteris limbosperma, Hairy Wood-rush Luzula pilosa, Hard-fern Blechnum spicant and Slender St John’s-wort Hypericum pulchrum; they even saw a Slow Worm!
The group below enjoyed huge patches of vivid yellow Opposite-leaved Golden-saxifrage Chrysosplenium oppositifolium and were delighted to find a population of Whorled Caraway Trocdaris verticillata. It was useful to compare Soft Rush Juncus effusus (with the continuous pith) growing together with Jointed Rush Juncus articulatus (with the interrupted pith). We also saw the early flowering Sweet Vernal-grass Anthoxanthum odoratum with its bearded ligule. Lots of frogs hopped amongst the wet grasses. Zoe went exploring on her own and came back with Round-leaved Crowfoot Ranunculus omiophyllus and Marsh Violet Viola palustris as well as the Bog Beacon fungus.
A last sortie was made up the path past Mid Glen. Much of the woodland here had garden plants such as Fringecups Tellima grandiflora and we keyed out Wood Forget-me-not Myosotis sylvatica. Further up the hill we reached a clear fell area with extensive Bracken Pteridium aquilinum and scattered birch trees with a Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis singing.
Our total of species for the day was well over 150 species, quite an improvement on the two previously recorded! My thanks to everyone who came along and shared a very enjoyable spring day.
Sarah White
