James Merryweather posts videos on YouTube under the AuchtertyreAcademy imprint that may be of interest e.g.
BLUEBELL deconstructing the English Jacinth. Part 1: Identity BLUEBELL deconstructing the English Jacinth. Part 2: Life History BRAINWAVE OR PIPEDREAM? will tree planting save us from climate change? CHRISTMAS TREES IN SCOTLAND? GETTING TO KNOW BRITAIN’S FERNS GORSE: NURSERY FOR WOODLAND an ecological process vs destructive management IS IT A FERN? (part1) IS IT A FERN? (part 2) Now I can tell that’s not a fern, but . . . MALE & BUCKLER FERNS MADE LESS DIFFICULT MODERN FORESTRY PART 1 PICKING UP A CRAB
I was away for a couple of weeks, but here are a few items from before or after, mostly seen with Seth and/or Neil.
Acleris emargana Notch-winged Tortrix
Galls caused by the sawfly Euura venusta on Salix caprea (Goat Willow)
Euura venusta larva
Euura venusta gall
This Grey Dagger larva attached itself to me in the garden and then fell off onto the carpet. I took its picture before escorting it out again:
Grey Dagger larva
A seashore excursion to see Neil’s extensive Eelgrass (Zostera marina) meadows in the sea at Harlosh sadly did not lead to any seahorse sightings. (There are records this far north, but not from Skye.)
Zostera marina at Harlosh
It was the equinoctial tide and we found many interesting critters such as a Stalked Jellyfish Calvadosia campanulata, a Tube Anemone Cerianthus lloydii, Risso’s Crab (Xantho pilipes), Star Ascidian (Botryllus schlosseri) and the Small Brittlestar (Amphipholis squamata).
Ludicrously, I had never been to Spar Cave near Glasnakille on Skye – until last Tuesday. It is well worth a visit, but one needs to be prepared for a steep climb down, slippery rocks on the shore and total darkness in the extensive cave.
Spar Cave
Unsurprisingly, there was no plant life apart from around the entrance. Hopes of finding the gametophyte of Trichomanes speciosum (Killarney Fern) remained unrealised even though it is known in a couple of sites not far away. Animal life was also thin on the ground but a few fungi may turn out to be of interest.
Just outside there were moth pupae on Asplenium scolopendrium (Hart’s-tongue) which Seth is checking whether the culprit is Psychoides filicivora or P. verhuella. (Later: Confirmed as P. filicivora from larval charcaters.)
Psychoides pupa
Down on the shore there was Devonshire cup-coral (Caryophyllia smithii)
Devonshire cup-coral Caryophyllia smithii
Away from the shore we found a patch of Calamagrostis epigejos (Wood Small-reed) together with Agrimonia procera (Fragrant Agrimony) and later on the roadside there was Linaria repens (Pale or Striped Toadflax) – only the third site in the vice-county. It has been known in Portree for getting on for 50 years and there is a single 1978 record from Kyleakin.
It being the time for equinoctal tides, I went to Eyre here on Raasay for another attempt to find the source of Zostera marina (Eelgrass) that washes up there. As last year, I failed. I am beginning to think the pieces washed up may come from Skye or Scalpay across the water. It would probably be better to search at the autumn equinox when the plants would be bigger – but I am not usually here at that time of year.
There were, of course, lots of these:
Edible Sea Urchins
and these:
Seven-armed starfish
Seven always seems an odd number of limbs and it is, I think, pretty unusual.
Skye Nature Group went rock-pooling yesterday at Port Earlish and beforehand I took the opportunity for a little botany in the adjacent area. I re-found Crepis capillaris (Smooth Hawk’s-beard) and Veronica arvensis (Wall Speedwell) in NG56 – firsts since before 2000 and added Rosa canina (Dog-rose), Rosa spinosissima (Burnet Rose), Aegopodium podagraria (Ground-elder) and Geranium macrorrhizum (Rock Crane’s-bill) to the NG56 list.
I am left wondering how this large block comes to be on the top of a very tall sea stack:
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
The SNG rock-pooling will be recorded elsewhere but here are a few images:
Yesterday Skye Nature Group went to Broadford Bay at low tide. We found lots of nice things such as the following – thanks to Seth Gibson for the images (see his blog of the event here):
Small-headed Clingfish – Apletodon dentatus
Macropodia rostrata – Long-legged spider crab
Grey Chiton – Lepidochitona cinerea
and the Eelgrass (Zostera marina) was looking good:
So today I went to Eyre on Raasay at low water to see if I could find the source of Zostera wash-ups there. I found a nice piece with root (apologies for image quality):
Unfortunately, it was not attached to the substrate. Today the tide was not as low as yesterday and there was quite a strong onshore wind driving the tide higher and making waves that beat wellies. I suspect that if I had gone yesterday and been able to wade a bit further out I would have found the source.
Anyway there were other things like several seven-armed starfish (Luidia ciliaris), something we didn’t see yesterday:
With other reasons to be on Skye, I took opportunities for a couple of modest excursions, one at Aird of Sleat and one along the north bank of Loch Sligachan from Peinnachorrain on Braes.
Spring seems to have come early on Skye this year at least at sea level. Not too surprising given the mild winter and recent warm days.
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The north side of Loch Sligachan had hazel with Glue Fungus (Hymenochaete corrugata) gluing sticks at odd angles to a Hazel::
There was a great deal of Cotoneaster simonsii (Himalayan Cotoneaster):
The shore had several Horse Mussel shells and above the shore were many whelks, clearly a favoured food of local birds. Both of these need further work to determine exactly.
Out on the shore recently there have been lots of small yellow tori on the kelp. George Brown tells me that they are the egg circles of the beautiful snail Lacuna vincta (Banded Chink Shell) and sent me this image of parents and eggs (plus one Gibbula cineraria (Grey Top Shell)).
