Wildflowers of Islay and Kintyre June 2007

photographed by Adrian and Gill Smith

Here is just a selection of the flowers and a couple of butterflies we saw on the trip to Islay and Kintyre (click on the thumbnail for the full-size image). Thanks to Malcolm Ogilvie (see www.islaywildlife.freeserve.co.uk) and Stuart Dunlop for help with identification.

English Stonecrop Sedum anglicum An attractive stonecrop, common on rocky outcrops and cliffs. This specimen was on the Oa peninsula in Islay.
Wild carrot Daucus carota Growing beside the stonecrop was this wild carrot, rather shorter and more compact than I have seen it elsewhere, presumably because of its exposed location on the cliff. The red central flower is still in bud.
Rock Spurrey Spergularia rupicola Also on the Oa, growing in the grass on the cliff-top. Thanks to Malcolm for the id.
Thrift Armeria maritima growing on the cliff-tops of Oa.
Burnet rose Rosa pimpimellifolia A very distinctive little rose with its creamy flowers and small much-divided leaves, not to mention the prickles which give it the alternative name of R. spinosissima.
Pickaback plant Tolmiea menziesii This surprised me, growing in the woods at the Loch Gruinart RSPB site in northern Islay. It is an alien native to western North America and related to saxifrages, which has escaped from a cottage garden and is now happily growing along the stream side. Let’s hope it isn’t invasive like Himalayan balsam! (Thanks Malcolm.)
Botanist at work. Concentrating on the northern marsh orchid below.
Northern marsh orchid Dactylorchis purpurella A fine specimen growing in damp grassland at the foot of a wall.
Insect. Although this looks like a furry bumblebee (common carder bee Bombus pascuoroum) I suspect it may be something else pretending to be a bumblebee. The flower is bramble (Rubus sp.).
Butterfly on marsh thistle Cirsium palustre. I thought this was a small heath but in fact it is the less common Large heath butterfly Coenonympha tullia ssp. scotica (thanks to Stuart for the id).
Large heath butterfly Coenonympha tullia ssp. scotica.
Yellow pansy Viola tricolor These little yellow pansies were growing on the golf course at the Machrie on Islay, but only in one place on a set of steps (leading up to the 10th tee), so I am not sure if they are truly wild. I think they are the seaside pansy (subspecies curtisii rather than heartsease V. tricolor tricolor or the mountain pansy V. lutea.
Drinker moth Philudoria potatoria This rather curious furry orange moth was resting in grasses in a boggy area near Keills on Kintyre. Again thanks to Stuart for the id.
Yellow flag Iris pseudacorus Our native iris of wetlands is very beautiful in close-up.
Bog pimpernel Anagallis tenella. Another wetland gem. Not a great photo and you can barely see the delicate leaves – there are a few just right of centre near the bottom.
Yellow saxifrage Saxifraga aizoides I only saw this growing in one place, beside a very small stream on moorland near the Mull of Kintyre.
Maidenhair spleenwort Asplenium trichomanes And finally, a nice little fern growing on a wall. This spleenwort is common in the north and west but I don’t see it very often at home.