Kirkcudbrightshire Botany Group at Dalry, 29th June 2025
This meeting had been postponed because of poor weather on the date originally chosen, but this time it was a perfect sunny day! A local resident of Dalry, George Conway, had recommended that we should visit the area and we were delighted by what we found.
A group of eight of us assembled in the car park and walked up the Southern Upland Way until we reached the monad that we planned to record (NX6382) as it had no previous records at all on the database. The monad which we walked through to reach it had been well recorded, so we only made one brief stop in order to admire a wall in the village which had a wonderful display of white Fairy Foxglove Erinus alpinus as well as numerous plants of Rustyback Asplenium ceterach.
We started recording in an area of acid grassland crossed by spring lines. This had a good mix of typical acid species including the grasses Sweet Vernal-grass Anthoxanthum odoratum, Heath-grass Danthonia decumbens and Common Bent Agrostis capillaris, together with Lesser Stitchwort Stellaria graminea, Heath Rush Juncus squarrosus, Green-ribbed Sedge Carex binervis, Oval Sedge C. leporina, Heath Bedstraw Galium saxatile, Heather Calluna vulgaris, Cross-leaved Heath Erica tetralix and Bell Heather E. cinerea. Scattered throughout was flowering Whorled Caraway Trocdaris verticillata, Heath Spotted-orchids Dactylorhiza maculata as well as a small number of plants of Spignel Meum athamanticum. One of the spring lines we explored contained Marsh Cinquefoil Comarum palustre, Creeping Forget-me-not Myosotis secunda, Common Marsh-bedstraw Galium palustre, Water-purslane Lythrum portula, Flea Sedge Carex pulicaris and Star Sedge C. echinata. The range of species present indicated that this grassland had not been intensively improved and remained in a good semi-natural condition.
Walking on, we reached a very interesting small enclosure which George had shown me containing two raised banks covered by a dense growth of Spignel Meum athamanticum. This had mostly finished flowering but there were one or two creamy white inflorescences left. In the wetter areas in between the banks was a rich tall herb community containing Common Valerian Valeriana officinalis, Wild Angelica Angelica sylvestris, Meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria, Water Avens Geum rivale, Marsh Violet Viola palustris, Devil’s-bit Scabious Succisa pratensis, Marsh Hawk’s-beard Crepis paludosa, Pale Sedge Carex pallescens and Carnation Sedge C. panicea. Best of all was finding a good quantity of Globeflower Trollius europaeus, a few of which were still in flower.
In this area we saw Large Skipper Ochlodes sylvanus, Dark Green Fritillaries Speyeria aglaja in tandem and a Golden-ringed Dragonfly Cordulegaster boltonii. Faith managed to get some lovely photos.
We next decided to follow the Trolane Burn downstream and were delighted to find that the rich tall herb marshy community continued along the banks, including Globeflower of which there were a number of clumps at intervals. Jan was sure that there must be more sedge species to find and sure enough soon spotted a clump of Smooth-stalked Sedge Carex laevigata.
Bob meanwhile had a look at the two small lochs close to our monad but just outside the square boundary. Ardoch Loch and the surrounding wetland (NX6383) produced a number of new species that we hadn’t recorded such as Branched Bur-reed Sparganium erectum, Marsh Lousewort Pedicularis palustris, Skullcap Scutellaria galericulata, and the lovely Slender Sedge Carex lasiocarpa with its very fine leaves and hairy utricles. Bob also found Tawny Sedge Carex hostiana in NX6263 giving us an impressive total of 13 sedge species for the day!
Our total for NX6382 was 144 species. Very many thanks to those who came along and for your contributions, and to George for suggesting that we look at the area. It was a very enjoyable day.
Sarah White
