Dumfriesshire Botany Group at Kinnelhead, 19th July 2025
The nine brave members who gathered were aware that the grim forecast for Saturday had cast a shadow over this meeting going ahead. Even as we set off heavy thunderstorms were still a real possibility and we knew we might have to conclude business early. As it turned out the storms passed just to the east. We had only light rain occasionally to contend with and were able to finish at more or less our normal time.
We were visiting Kinnelhead Farm with kind permission of the owner Mr George Blacklidge. He has owned the farm since the 1980s and runs sheep and hill cattle on this high hill land that is part of the Queensberry hill block. The Kinnel Water, a significant tributary of the Annan starts on the farm. Much of the land is above 400m but we focussed on the lower ground between 250 and 350m along the Kinnel Water. The main habitats are areas of peat, acid grassland, flushes and rocky knolls.
When we reached our square we did not move very far for the first half hour as the grassland along the river and track side was quite species rich. There was nothing unusual but it was quite colourful. There were four flowering composites (yellow dandelion like) with lots of flowering Autumn Hawkbit Scorzonoroides autumnalis, Cats-ear Hypochaeris radicata Mouse-ear-hawkweed Pilosella officinarum and Rough Hawbit Leontodon autumnalis. The bright display was supplemented by amongst others Harebell Campanula rotundifolia, Meadow Buttercup Ranunculus acris, Wild Thyme Thymus drucei, Bird’s-foot-trefoil Lotus corniculatus, White Clover Trifolium repens, Red Clover Trifolium pratense and the misleadingly named Burnet-saxifrage Pimpinella saxifraga (it is an umbel not a saxifrage). The sometimes strikingly blue leaved Meadow Oat-grass Helictochloa pratensis was along the river bank.
A rather nice marsh on the riverside had good populations of plants. Among those that had largely finished flowering were Marsh Marigold Caltha palustris, Marsh Violet Viola palustris, Cuckooflower Cardamine pratensis and Marsh Cinquefoil Comarum palustre. But still in flower was Heath Spotted-orchid Dactylorhiza maculata, Ragged Robin Silene flos-cuculi, Marsh Lousewort Pedicularis palustris and Marsh Speedwell Veronica scutellata.
We left the track and headed up the slope. Here there were some rocky knolls and on one of these we saw a small patch of Mountain everlasting Antennaria dioica. This is a scarce plant in Dumfriesshire largely confined to mid to higher altitude rocky places. This is only the second monad occurrence for NT00.
The slope had wet ground lower down fed by flushes coming down the slope. In these wet areas on peat there was Bog Myrtle Myrica gale, Round-leaved Sundew Drosera rotundifolia Bog Asphodel Narthecium ossifragrum and Hare’s-tail Cottongrass Eriophorum vaginatum.
We made it to a knoll for lunch and it had stopped raining so we could enjoy dry sandwiches!
After lunch we worked across the slope into better grassland. This was more neutral in places but it lacked calcareous flushes. There were plenty of flowering orchids both Heath–spotted orchid and Common Spotted-orchid Dactylorhiza fuschii. We added expected grassland plants like Pignut Conopodium majus, Bitter Vetch Lathyrus linifolius, Quaking Grass Briza media and Arctic Eyebright Euphrasia arctica.
By the time we had reached to top of the square I offered the group the chance to walk on up the track to north of the cottage at Blairmack. Last year I had visited this area in August and noted the number of orchid spikes in quite rich flushes but too late to identify them. I was keen to see if there was anything additional to the two orchid species we had been seeing all day. As we reached the spot there was a lovely purple leaved Eyebright in a flush above the track. In such a wet place you expect Scottish Eyebright Euphrasia scottica. However the purple leaves are more a feature of Slender Eyebright Euphrasia micrantha. On balance I think though that this is Scottish Eyebright because the flowers are white.
Below the track we explored the flushes. There was much Tawny Sedge Carex hostiana, Flea Sedge Carex pulicaris and Quaking-grass indicating calcareous enrichment. There were a lot of orchid spikes. Near the bank of the Kinnel Water where the grazing has been less a stand of plants had just a few flowers to show they were Heath Fragrant Orchid Gymnadaenia borealis. Those who bent down to smell them got the rich smell of cloves. This remains a scarce plant in the county and is a first record for NT00. A fitting end to the day.
Chris Miles
BSBI county recorder for Dumfriesshire VC73 – see bsbi.org/dumfriesshire
