BSBI Northern Lochs of the Galloway Forest Park (GFP) Excursion 16-17 August 2025

The weekend visiting the northern lochs in hectad NX49 will live long in the memory because of wonderful weather, exciting finds, beautiful views and good company. As well as the three Ayrshire VCRs (Gill Smart (GS), Dave Lang (DL) and Carol Crawford (CC)) we had Liza Downie and Janey Floyd down from Glasgow; Sarah White (SW), Malcolm Haddow (MH) and Jim McCleary up from Dumfries and Galloway, and nomadic Zoe Gardner.

Saturday 16 August

We met in the Loch Bradan car park and walked into monad NX4397 where Sarah’s husband Ken kindly took a group photo. Continuing southwards on a track above the loch, we recorded typical moorland species in the flanking bog which was often Purple Moor-grass Molinia-dominated with abundant Bog Myrtle Myrica gale.

The track itself and verges were more interesting with Fairy Flax Linum catharticum, Bristle Club-rush Isolepis setacea, Lesser Sea-spurrey Spergularia marina (see photo above), Heath Pearlwort Sagina subulata (see photo above) and Flea Sedge Carex pulicaris. Nearby ditches and pools with Bog Pondweed Potamogeton polygonifolius and Lesser Spearwort Ranunculus flammula were bordered by carnivorous Round-leaved Sundew Drosera rotundifolia and Common Butterwort Pinguicula vulgaris. Further away, Sea Plantain Plantago maritima, Marsh Arrowgrass Triglochin palustris, Lesser Clubmoss Selaginella selaginoides and Common Reed Phragmites australis were sighted.

After crossing into the Galloway Forest Park, the track became a less diverse path. However, we already had a good list including seven rushes, six sedges and six dwarf shrubs. We soon reached a parting of the ways, half the group taking the hill path and the others continuing near the shore.

Carol, Sarah, Liza and Janey found the adjoining Molinia mire slow to traverse and only added Narrow Buckler-fern Dryopteris carthusiana before following a ridge of shorter, more heathy vegetation down to the stony shores of the reservoir. Here we added Viviparous Sheep’s-fescue Festuca vivipara (see photo below), Bulbous Rush Juncus bulbosus, Water-pepper Persicaria hydropiper, Marsh Pennywort Hydrocotyle vulgaris and Marsh Speedwell Veronica scutellata (see photo below), the last often trailing over the rocks. Zoe had got to the shore before us and had seen both Great Sundew Drosera anglica and Royal Fern Osmunda regalis (see photo below) before we met, the former in wet flushes at the edge of the bog above, or even in crevices on the shore. She also found Shoreweed Littorella uniflora on peaty flats.

We continued to see these species (except Shoreweed and Great Sundew) as we moved west into the next monads NX4396 and NX4296, the regular sprigs of Royal Fern a delight.

About halfway along NX4296, we struggled back up through the Molinia to the path. There were some more colourful verges including Yellow Rattle Rhinanthus minor, Sneezewort Achillea ptarmica and Common Alder Alnus glutinosa on the way back to the cars.

An unknown Bramble was noted by the path in NX4397. Photographs were sent to Scottish Bramble referee Angus Hannah who thinks it is likely to be The Notched-petalled Radulan Rubus echinatoides.

Meanwhile Dave, Gill, Malcolm and Jim went higher up NX4397 and across to NX4396 and some plateau pools then worked their way down again via Loch Brecbowie. They did not expect much from the Molinia bog either side of the path but sorties into flushes and runnels did not disappoint. The first surprise was a healthy colony of Great Sundew and strands of Nordic Bladderwort Utricularia stygia (see photo above). Gill confirmed the latter, confirmed by observing the quadrifid hairs within the carnivorous bladders under the microscope. It was also found in the summit pools along with Lesser Bladderwort U. minor (see photo above) whose identification was aided by it being in flower. A flushed gully on the way to Loch Brecbowie yielded a lovely patch of Northern Bedstraw Galium boreale, Wild Thyme Thymus drucei and Creeping Willow Salix repens. One convincing leaf of Thalictrum minus nestled among them. Loch Brecbowie had a fringe of Water Lobelia Lobelia dortmanna, sadly past flowering, and one dislodged plant of Quillwort Isoetes lacustris was retrieved from the water. Other interesting finds for this group were Long-stalked Yellow Sedge Carex lepidocarpa and Alternate Water Milfoil Myriophyllum alterniflorum.

Jim and Malcolm’s dragonfly knowledge was an education. Malcolm noted six species of dragonflies and damselflies in his list of 45 fauna for the day, from ant to adder. The group also benefited from Jim’s familiarity with the botanical history of the southwest Scotland lochs.

Sunday 17 August
The group was smaller but no less enthusiastic on the Sunday: Dave, Carol, Zoe and Malcolm. We parked by the Scottish Water Works and took one car to a gate closer to Derclach Loch then soon entered our main monad for the day NX4499.

We again built up a good list by the track before reaching wetter boggier ground near the northern shore of the loch. Very soon we were seeing all three sundews, Oblong-leaved Sundew Drosera intermedia (see photo above) as well as the two sundews recorded on the Saturday. They were in shallow pools, runs and flushes by track and loch – generally defended by large Common Hawker dragonflies – which also supported the same Bladderworts as were found on the Saturday, to add to the diversity of insectivorous plants that dominate these low nutrient habitats. At the loch edges Shoreweed, Quillwort (see photo above) and Water Lobelia (some in flower – see photo above) were again recorded, along with Alternate Water Milfoil (see photo above).

Before reaching the eastern end of the loch we struck inland to explore the raised bog habitat. It was somewhat dried out but still supported large areas of Sphagnum moss and both species of Bog Cotton Eriophorum – Common Cottongrass E. angustifolium and Hare’s-tail Cottongrass E. vaginatum. At the eastern edge of the bog, near where we met the track between Derclach Loch and Loch Finlas, we found White-beaked Sedge Rynchospora alba. Sadly, the bog here had recently been burnt.

Further south on the track we entered a new monad NX4498 and saw Bottle Sedge Carex rostrata by the loch and Eared Willow S. aurita nearby. At the small watercourse running from one loch to the other we found a Water Crowfoot Ranunculus subgroup Batrachium in the channel, but there were no flowers to allow for a definite species ID. We were however able to identify the Bramble R. nemoralis.

We lunched on a flowery bank above Loch Finlas before exploring its edge, finding no new species there. Zoe caught up with us with some new species for the day including Whorled Mint Mentha x verticillata, Sneezewort and Long-stalked Yellow Sedge. She steered us to the watercourse entering the Loch where species such as Marsh cinquefoil Comarum palustre and Bogbean Menyanthes trifoliata were added.

Returning westwards on the track the bogland was fairly dry and species poor. So, it was not until we reached more disturbed ground where substrate had obviously been imported that we started to pick up new plants for the day again. These areas included numerous small or low growing species that we would not have expected to see given the habitat that surrounded us – such as Dove’s-foot Crane’s-bill Geranium molle, Weld Reseda luteola and – perhaps most surprisingly of all – Trailing St John’s-wort Hypericum humifusum. Heath Pearlwort was also noted there.

While Dave waited for Zoe, Malcolm and Carol visited a new monad. All monads visited so far over the weekend had no previous plant data but the new monad NX4399 had one record – a 1960 one of Pale Butterwort Pinguicola lusitanica. Some way before the 1960 grid reference Malcolm found it on a wet rock exposure!

There was Lesser Clubmoss alongside and Quaking Grass Briza media in nearby grassland.

Back in the car park we added Small Toadflax Chaenorhinum minus.

Malcolm saw 27 fauna species on the Sunday including Common Lizard, 3 butterflies, 4 moths, 5 dragonflies and damselflies, and 4 birds including Skylark and a distant Osprey. He counted 20 Scotch Argus butterflies (40 on the Saturday).

Conclusion
We added over 400 plant records to our database. Thanks again to everyone who took part. Thanks also to Gill, Sarah, Dave, Carol and Malcolm who sent photographs. A particular thanks to Malcolm Haddow for the long lists of fauna records, photos and nose for rarities!

There was excitement at re-finding Pale Butterwort – our only record in Ayrshire!

Other notable plant finds for the weekend were Great Sundew Drosera anglica – Near Threatened in the Red Data List and Nordic Bladderwort Utricularia stygia – data deficient and Thought to be Threatened. Thalictrum minus was also a great find as it is rare in the Ayrshire Rare Plants Register (ARPR). This new site in tetrad NX49I is only our second current one after the record in neighbouring NX49L. The following species are Scarce in the ARPR: Oblong-leaved Sundew D. intermedia, Quillwort Isoetes lacustris and Royal Fern Osmunda regalis. The last is now known to be more common.

If the unknown Bramble is confirmed at R. echinatoides it will be another Ayrshire first.

Carol Crawford, Dave Lang, Gill Smart
Joint Ayrshire VCRs