Kirkcudbrightshire Botany Group in Wigtownshire Saturday 30th May 2026
The meeting had been planned so that the Kirkcudbrightshire botanists could have a chance to see some of the rich flora of the Wigtownshire coast. We concentrated on the Machars and perhaps we shall be able to have a look at the Rhins and the Mull of Galloway another time.
We were a group of 6 and we were delighted that local residents Lisa and Alan came along as well as Michael Jeeves, the BSBI Recorder for VC74. We met at Craignarget where a number of uncommon plants grow on the thin turf beside the road and on the shingle at the top of the beach. Camper vans and cars regularly park here but at current levels of use they don’t seem to damage the rich flora – possibly they help to keep down the coarser vegetation and allow the smaller plants to thrive. Perhaps the most obvious plant in flower was the lovely and extraordinarily prickly Burnet Rose Rosa spinosissima with its white flowers growing only a few inches above the ground. We found several different species of vetch, including Kidney Vetch Anthyllis vulneraria, Hairy Tare Ervilia hirsuta and a glorious patch of flowering Wood Vetch Ervilia sylvatica. Lisa and Alan also pointed out several large clumps of the rare Yellow-vetch Vicia lutea. This latter had more or less finished flowering but there were still a few of the creamy yellow flowers.
In the barer areas of gravel there were countless plants of the tiny Sea Fern-grass Catapodium marinum and we were surprised to find Crested Hair Grass Koeleria macrantha, a grass that I associate with chalk grassland in the south but is apparently happy in coastal situations here. On the shingle there were good populations of the beautiful Oysterplant Mertensia maritima. A comfort break in Port William gave us a chance to view some particularly picturesque plants of Sea Fern-grass on the top of the harbour wall.
We then travelled on to Port Counan where we avoided a long walk down to the beach by driving down a rough track from the church. We parked on a bend near the beach where there were a good number of Northern Marsh Orchids Dactylorhiza purpurella and the steep bank by the side of the track here had been excavated a few years ago leaving an open turf and bare soil. These conditions obviously suit the beautiful Bithynian Vetch Vicia bithynica which is an annual plant and was abundant here. We also found Common Centaury Centaurium erythraea, Hairy Sedge Carex hirta, and in a flushed area, Common Fleabane Pulicaria dysenterica and Brookweed Samolus valerandi. Grizzled Skippers Pyrgus malvae were visiting the flowers on the bank and Jim was delighted to find Speckled Bush Cricket Leptophyes punctatissima.
We then walked down to the shingle beach where there was an abundance of Sea Kale Crambe maritima, as well as Carline Thistle Carlina vulgaris, Yellow Horned-poppy Glaucium flavum and, remarkably, the faded flowers of Meadow Saxifrage Saxifraga granulata. We were pleased to see Portland Spurge Euphorbia portlandica, a smaller plant than our familiar Sea Spurge Euphorbia paralias, with red lower stems and obovate leaves.
On our way back from the beach, we stopped to look at Bur Chervil Anthriscus caucalis growing at the edge of the arable fields here.This is a plant much commoner on the light soils in eastern England and this is currently the only site for it in Dumfries and Galloway. Our last stop was St Ninian’s Cave where we hoped to see the Ivy Broomrape Orobanche hederae, another lowland plant here at its northern limit and the only site in Dumfries and Galloway. We were delighted when Alan spotted the plant for us and, although it was out of reach on the cliff, he managed to get these lovely photos.
By the time we finished here, the rain had started in earnest, and we were soaked after our walk back to the cars! This was a wonderful and memorable day with lots of superb plants, many of which don’t occur in Kirkcudbrightshire. Huge thanks to Jim for suggesting it and to Lisa, Alan and Michael for their excellent company and botanical expertise.
Sarah White
18th June 2026
