Dumfriesshire Botany Group at Ellisland Saturday 16th May 2026

On a fine day with light rain arriving only at the end of the meeting seven of us met in the Ellisland overspill car park. We were visiting Ellisland Farm owned by the Robert Burns Ellisland Trust by kind permission of their on site team Cameron and Ginny. The aim was to give them information on the diversity of the plants growing on the farm and where the richest areas were. They recognise that much of Burns work was inspired by the nature around him.
Ellisland is the farm that Robert Burns moved to in 1788, leased from Patrick Miller, an acquaintance from Edinburgh, who had recently purchased the Dalswinton Estate. Burns chose Ellisland out of the farms on the Estate that were offered to him. Interestingly a plan exists of the farm drawn up by Willian McCartney for Patrick Miller and used as the basis for the rental agreement. Dated 1787 it shows not only features as they were then but also plans for improvements which Burns himself was obliged to implement as part of his lease. The major changes from that plan was the original farm house which was demolished and rebuilt and the subsequent delineation of field boundaries. The plan shows field boundaries that were to be inserted that are pretty much the same today though whether Burns himself put these in in his three years of tenancy is unclear. They are definitely present on a map of 1817. Burns built the farmhouse and brought his young family Jean Armour and baby son to live there. At Ellisland he was especially creative and fruitful in his writings composing Auld Lang Syne, Tam o’ Shanter and Ae Fond Kiss among many others.
We divided our efforts into recording what plants could be found in three distinct areas during the day. These were: 1 the fields, hedgerows, the farmyard and orchard; 2 the wet woodland down beside the A76; and 3 the Riverside woodland and banks.

Fields, Hedgerows, Farmyard and Orchard
As set out above the fields and boundaries may not resemble the field pattern when Burns was farming but they have been there for over 200 years. Apart from the old farm steading the only feature on the 1787 plan that does not exist today is a small lochan. Areas shown as moss on the old plan still exist though in a modified and reduced condition. The farm has been worked since Burns time and today is leased to a neighbour who grows grass and occasional arable crops and grazes stock so the fields are agriculturally improved.
We started recording in the overspill car park. This is a grassy area cut out from the field and had a few interesting plants. Notable was the presence of Bulbous Buttercup Ranunculus bulbosus a plant known to be largely intolerant of fertilised grassland. There was also plenty of Cuckooflower Cardamine pratensis, Sweet Vernal-grass Anthoxanthum odoratum, Common Bird’s-foot Trefoil Lotus corniculatus and a little bit of Pignut Conopodium majus. This area is used as an occasional car park so subject to disturbance and compression and trampling but suggests some small fragments of a species rich grassland survive on site.

This was reinforced later in the day when we found another larger area of grassland with a similar mix of species on the steep bank at the far NE corner of the farm. There are stones on the bank here and these might be remnants of the old Ellisland farmhouse or just stones from the field that have been dumped here. This area also had amongst other things Bulbous Buttercup, Pignut, Bluebells Hyacinthoides non-scripta and Bird’s-foot Ornithopus perpusillus again suggesting it is an area that has escaped fertilizer and ploughing. It is clearly marked as a bank on the 1787 plan and may give a glimpse of how the grassland looked in Burns’ time.
We looked closely at the main hedges along the access track. These have likely also been here for a long time and contain a good mix of species. Woody species included Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna, Holly Ilex aquifolium, Beech Fagus sylvatica and the climbers Common Ivy Hedera helix and Honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum. A Small-leaved Elm Ulmus minor agg occurs in at least one place opposite the car park. Such Elms are uncommon across Dumfriesshire. Notable on the banks of the sunken parts of the lane was Harebell Campanula rotundifolia, Common Dog Violet, Viola riviniana, Common Polypody Polypodium vulgare and Shining Cranesbill Geranium lucidum. Other hedges which are intact may have some of these species.
Around the farmhouse garden and orchard there were a few ruderal species associated with disturbed ground and human structures. So on the paths and drives in gravel there were little annuals like Common Whitlowgrass Erophila verna, Parsley-piert Aphanes arvensis, Smooth Sow-thistle Sonchus oleraceus, and Changing Forget-me-not Myosotis discolour. On the walls there was both Black Spleenwort Asplenium adiantum-nigrum and Maidenhair Spleenwort Asplenium trichomanes subsp quadrivalens.

The one wet area that remains today in the fields is a small depression in the northern field. In 1787 this was a larger feature marked as a “mossy bog”. When we saw it after a hot week in late May it had largely dried up. It had nothing of what might have been there 200 years ago. Just a scant flora of wetland species like Water-pepper Periscaria hydropiper, Floating Sweet-grass Glyceria fluitans and Lesser Spearwort Ranunculus flammula.

Wet Woodland and the Coneish Burn
As you turn into Ellisland from the A76 you pass through a low-lying wet woodland. This is part of what was a more extensive wet area, Ellisland Moss, shown on the 1787 plan. The plan also shows that a new turnpike road was planned or recently constructed through this wet area which was drained to facilitate this. This is now the A76. This wet area has thus survived since Burns time though on the 1787 plan it is not wooded. It might have once had stock grazing but that does not appear to have occurred for a long time. So it has been reduced by draining the area particularly deepening the Coneish burn which flows south and marks the boundary with the Isle Estate south of Ellisland. Draining has led to slow drying which has allowed larger trees to establish. It was not easy to explore as there is plenty of fallen trees and branches and bramble and scrub to get past.

The main trees in the wettest area are Alder Alnus glutinosa with an understory of Bird Cherry Prunus padus and Grey Willow Salix cinerea. Underneath these there were wetland plants though none in great quantity due to the heavy tree shade. Among them were Greater tussock Sedge Carex paniculata, White Sedge Carex canescens, Bottle Sedge Carex rostrata, Marsh Cinquefoil Comarum palustre, Ragged Robin Silene flos-cuculi, Marsh Marigold Caltha palustris, Large Bitter-cress Cardamine amara and Bittersweet Solanum dulcamara. These are all species of wet more open conditions and may be struggling under the tree cover. In the ditches there was Hemlock Water-dropwort Oenathe crocata, Round-leaved Crowfoot Ranunculus omiophyllus, Water Forget-me-not Myosotis scorpioides and Brooklime Veronica beccabunga. In drier parts of the wood Oak Quercus petraea, Ash Fraxinus excelsior and Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus have an understory of Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna and Rowan Sorbus aucuparia. At the southern end of the wet area there is a raised hillock with mature Beech trees Fagus sylvatica with some Bluebell. Some of the trees and wetland plants continue down the length of the Coneish burn particularly Alder. In addition there are a couple of Crack Willow Salix x fragilis here as well on the edge of the southernmost field. This was marked as “Holm” on the 1787 map so was former river floodplain. It now has a floodbank preventing flooding.

Riverside Woodland and Banks
The river Nith runs along the whole length of the farm on its eastern boundary. There is a steep bank down to the river along most of this frontage. In places this is actively eroding, in others it is stable with mature woodland. This woodland is clearly shown on the 1787 plan. This must have been a feature that attracted Burns and the walks here are reputedly associated with some of his creative output.
The woodland is diverse with among other trees Sycamore, Ash, Wild Cherry Prunus avium, Wych Elm Ulmus glabra, Alder and Horse-chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum. The understory was of Blackthorn Prunus spinosa, Hawthorn and Hazel Corylus avellana. The ground flora was particularly luxurious especially where water seeps down the bank and on the riverside. Prominent species include Ramsons Allium ursinum, Dogs Mercury Mercurialis perennis, Bluebell , Opposite-leaved Golden-saxifrage Chrysosplenium oppositifolium, Lesser Celandine Ficaria verna ssp. fertilis, and Red Campion Silene dioica.

There were a few plants that are less common and indicative of good habitat. Examples are Wood Club-rush Scirpus sylvaticus, Wood Stitchwort Stellaria nemorum, Upland Enchanter’s-nightshade Circaea x intermedia and Wood Crane’s-bill Geranium sylvaticum. A puzzling Horsetail on the riverbank with a large central hollow but more robust than Water Horsetail on closer examination turned out to be Shore Horsetail Equisetum x littorale, the hybrid between Field Horsetail and Water Horsetail. This had not been recorded before in Nithsdale. Among these plants were a range of non native species that have become established. Some of these may have been planted on site and become established. These included Londonpride Saxifraga x urbium, Hybrid Bluebell Hyacinthoides x massartiana, Snowdrop Galanthus nivalis, Lesser Knotweed Koenigia campanulata and Spotted Dead-nettle Lamium maculatum. Other non natives seen are typical of riverside habitats and are likely to have been brought in as seeds or fragments by the river. These include Russian Comfrey Symphytum X uplandicum, Tuberous comfrey Symphytum tuberosum, Pick-a-back-plant Tolmiea menziesii, Pink Purslane Claytonia sibirica, Himalayan Balsam Impatiens glandulifera and Leopard’s-bane Doronicum pardalianches.

Conclusion
in terms of plant diversity the most interesting parts of Ellisland are those least affected by farming improvements since 1787. In these areas plants that are likely to have been present in 1787 probably remain. Drainage has left a fragment of the previous Ellisland Moss. This is largely unmanaged now but is a modified version of what was there 200 years ago. The wetland plants have declined under the tree canopy which has developed slowly since drainage and subsequent drying have occurred. These will survive as long as it continues to have a high water table with occasional flooding.

The riverside remains the largest continuous area of habitat and supports the greatest diversity of plant species. As noted these are a mix of long established native species and more recent non native arrivals. No doubt Burns would have enjoyed the shaded walks under the trees and been familiar with some of the plants that still grow there.
The greatest effect of the agricultural improvements, that were required of Burns on taking up the tenancy, is that the fields have been delineated, fertilised, ploughed and reseeded to increase their productivity. Only small fragments of old grassland remain and these are likely an impoverished version of the original. For example we saw no Yellow Rattle Rhinanthus minor that would have been a common grassland component before the agricultural improvements of the mid eighteenth century onwards. These improvements are  a feature of most of lowland Dumfriesshire and lowland Scotland. Keeping the fragments of grassland that remain would at least be a link to that 1787 plan.

Total records:

Fields, Hedgerows, Farmyard and Orchard 116
Wet Woodland and the Coneish Burn 90
Riverside Woodland and Banks 137

Chris Miles

BSBI county recorder for Dumfriesshire VC73 – see bsbi.org/dumfriesshire