Behind the Hedge 1

Behind the hedge 2

Hello....!!

Devil's bit scabious

Devil's bit scabious is a quirky name for a strking late season flower. Apparently the roots are short & truncated as if the devil has had a bite from them, and the flower was used to treat scabies. In the west it often occurs in open ground around woodland (there's hazel in the background of these pictures). It plays an important part in the life cycle of the marsh fritillary butterfly, another species which increasingly threatened elsewhere but which is thriving in Argyll. Marsh fritillary were spotted about 200 yards from this flower for the first time this summer.

This second picture shows the flower in full bloom, when it's also very attractive to bees.

Wood Pasture a link to the past

I noticed this area of scattered trees on a walk in the hills on the west coast. Closer inspection of the site made me think this unassuming area could be a living link to a historic system of land management.

Wood pasture is a habitat consisting of open woodland with grassland or heathland which has resulted from generations of people grazing livestock as well as maintaining the trees on the site. The people would have lived in valley, where the remains of their houses were still evident.

A feature of wood pasture is the presence of very old or veteran trees, which on this site were mainly oak.

Here are a couple of my favourite trees. The exposed location and resulting harsh conditions have sculpted an attractive mix of living and deadwood.

Nearby were the signs of the next generation of trees which with protection could maintain this open woodland as a feature in the landscape for future generations to enjoy.

More information on Wood Pasture can be obtained on the website of Scottish Natural Heritage www.snh.org.uk

Camserney Community Garden today

Dianne our fundraiser has just sent off a project report for Camserney Community garden today to the People's Postcode Trust, who funded some of the activities shown here, among others, this spring and early summer.

Peter Butter had his Camserney kids all out working this afternoon, cutting grass, preparing vegetables for the local show, doing repairs and all sorts of other tasks that needed doing.

Thanks to the People's Postcode Trust, Scottish Native Woods & others

This on their notice board........

People's Postcode Trust hedge

People's Postcode Trust Tractor in use

People's Postcode Trust Gazebo

Peter Butter giving the kids some instruction in cutting flowers for a show. The Gazebo is an excellent workshop for work like this. You can see all the prize tickets they have won for their garden produce recently displayed on the wall.......and that is only the past few months.

Winning prizes........

The kids from Camserney have been cleaning up in the vegetable sections of all the local shows this summer.

Acorns

Ancient Woodland restoration above Weem, Aberfeldy

Lots of berries

Aberfeldy's Poplar Avenue with its aspens

This is at the 12th hole on Aberfeldy Golf Course, and is called The Poplars. Behind is the famous Poplar Avenue....now composed entirely off native aspens, the planting of which was organized by Alan Drever the founder of Scottish Native Woods. There is a really nice feel about this tee, with the trees rustling in the background and a great view up the strath of the Tay towards the hills of Breadalbane.

BBC Landward

The BBC visited Glenurquhart this week to film an item on controlling invasive non-native plants for their Landward programme to be broadcast in the autumn.

Steve cuts balsam with a Martindale 781 slasher.

Presenter Dougie Vipond tells the camera why Himalayan balsam is a problem.

Meanwhile, an onlooker is bemused by all the attention.

Rock Whitebeam

One of the few scattered trees on this steep rocky slope is a rare specimen.

Rock whitebeam Sorbus rupicola is found on cliffs and steep rocky slopes of basic rock. The trees are found as either small groups or more commonly as isolated individual trees.

Rock whitebeam is apomictic, which means it can produce viable seed without sexual reproduction. The berries produced are dispersed by birds to regenerate in new locations.

Hard-working pigs

A herd of pigs have been helping to manage a 140 hectare regeneration scheme near Loch Ness. They are breaking the ground and controlling bracken in two large exclosures.

The pigs have turned over turves right across the site, so exposing mineral soil. This has provided an excellent seed bed for the regeneration of tree seedlings.

Young birch saplings are appearing in many areas, and seem to suffer little or no damage from the pigs' activities.

Inevitably, the new birch shoots are attractive to the local deer population. Interestingly, tree regeneration appears less browsed in areas most frequented by pigs. So maybe the pigs act as a deterrent to browsing animals, as well as providing a scarification service?

Woodland Walk

Grass of Parnassus

One of the more striking flowers at this time of year is Grass of Parnassus Parnassia palustris. It is found in base-rich flushes.

Little oak seedling

Waterfall in the Birks of Aberfeldy

Tiger in the garden!

I found this beautiful moth in my garden. It's a Garden Tiger moth. When I was a wee nipper I raised one from a tiny caterpillar. It became one of the well known "woolly bears"that can sometimes be seen going across footpaths on hot days. Then it pupated and emerged as one of these wonderful adults.

It takes its name from the bright orange and black hindwings (not visible in photo), known as underwings in moths because in most species they are kept under the forewings.

Big Butterfly Count

If you see any butterflies or moths during August you can send your results up to the Big Butterfly count at http://www.bigbutterflycount.org/

All sightings are valuable as butterflies and moths have declined rapidly in the last few years.

Rowan berries out again

Harebell

Harebell (sometimes called Scottish Bluebell, though not sure why, as it is widely distributed in UK) Campanula rotundifolia. It is frequent in unimproved grassland and grassy verges, rather than woodland, where we may expect to see the unrelated Bluebell or Wild Hyacinth Hyacinthoides non-scripta.

Cloudberry in the rain

Another great photo from Kristina Hayward. Non woodland habitats and species within native woodlands are every bit as important and spectacular as the trees themselves.

Well done Kristina.....

Where the bee sucks

At this time of the year, Rosebay Willowherb is a great favourite with insects, especially bees.

Yew

Yew is strongly associated with churchyards. The ancient Fortingall Yew is thought to be over 3- 5000 years old, and may be the oldest tree in Europe.

Windswept But Interesting

Despite what our Blog may show the sun does not always shine when we are out and about in the woods!

This was a particularly wet & breezy day surveying. Despite the conditions came across a nice area of natural regeneration on this exposed crag, mainly young Scots pine with a few larch, at around 550 metres asl.


Somewhere in the distance are the Cairngorm Mountains.

Natural Regeneration

A few shots of naturally regenerated seedlings getting going in a woodland clearing. These shots are taken of young trees taking advantage of the light created by felling a beech tree. You can see the tree at http://scottishnativewoods.blogspot.com/2009/02/clearing-beech-tree-from-old-track.html
This oak has had a good year, putting on 8 inches of growth in its third year of life.

These two oaks are growing on the sawdust created by clearing the beech tree. The sawdust is keeping other competitive vegetation at bay, so the oaks should get a good head start

Finally a hazel, which has also put on about 8 inches in its 3rd year.

Ash keys

Another photo from Kristina Hayward.