A Raasay Weekend

Yesterday and today I visited five 1 km squares on Raasay with pre-2000 records for Orchis mascula (Early-purple Orchid). I only re-found it in one. Partly this is because I only had four-figure grid references  and 15-20 years have passed since I last recorded them. Also, some of the sites are quite well grazed by sheep this year.  Anyway, here is the 1 km square map of records for Raasay before this weekend:

where red squares are pre-2000 and black dots more recent records. The middle of the N-S line of three red squares in the south-east of the island now has a black dot in the middle.

The first Dactylorhiza maculata (Heath Spotted-orchid) are in flower:

Dactylorhiza maculata

I found this tachinid fly Gymnocheta viridis which is one of HBRG’s TRY species and is a bit short of records in the Highlands:

Also, I found  Rhododendron Bud Blast (Pycnostysanus azaleae):

Pycnostysanus azaleae

which is also a bit short of Highland records:There were quite a few Common Heath moths about and I got a better photo today:

Common Heath (female)

Getting back to plants, there was a large patch of Symphytum tuberosum (Tuberous Comfrey) where I had not spotted it before. It is well established along the road near Raasay House and also in the grounds but this was a little way outside.

Symphytum tuberosum

Yesterday, Alasdair had a dead female Emperor Moth caught in a spider’s web and a couple of days ago I had this very fine-looking sawfly:

Sawfly

As we have no-one within Highland Region who can determine these, I let it free – probably to lay eggs on my gooseberry bushes.

 

Tags: Fungi, Moths, Plants