A Naturalist Abroad

@anaturalistabroad

Sharing the wonders of nature from my base in Norfolk and on trips much further afield.

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A Naturalist Abroad@anaturalistabroad· 25d

Two weeks ago on Ben Lawers, there was no sign. But now, as if by magic, brilliant blue dots morph into Snow Gentians (Gentiana nivalis). Sublime!

A Naturalist Abroad@anaturalistabroad· 28d

Clubmosses have shrunken down a lot since their heyday in the Jurrasic period! Here's our Scottish selection that we found...

Stag's-horn Clubmoss (Lycopodium clavatum) is a common species of acidic moorland, threading its way through other vegetation and sending up its distinctive, club-shaped, spore-bearing structures.

Fir Clubmoss (Huperzia selago) produces clusters of upright branches like little fox-tails. The spores are borne in yellowish, rounded structures, tucked along the stems at the bases of the leaves.

Interrupted Clubmoss (Lycopodium annotinum) is more open and 'leafy' than Stag's-horn Clubmoss. It gets its name from the production of shorter leaves towards the end of each growing season which produces a segmented or interrupted look to the leafy stems (unfortunately not visible here!).

Alpine Clubmoss (Diphasiastrum alpinum) is a much less common species than the previous three and is best looked for on thin, open swards in higher locations, such as here on the north side of Cairngorm.

A Naturalist Abroad@anaturalistabroad· Jul 15

For those of us from areas with chalky soils, the abundance of plants in the Ericaceae on the acidic hills of Scotland are always of interest. Here are the flowers of the three members of the genus Vaccinium. In Scotland, these are often known as blaeberries (= blueberries) or whortleberries.

Bog Bilberry (Vaccinium uliginosum) has bluish-green leaves and typically grows in wetter areas. The flowers are urn-shaped with the stigma hidden well inside the petal tube.

Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) is abundant on the hills and forms extensive swards with Crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) and Heather (Calluna vulgaris). The flowers are tinged reddish and are broadest towards the base.

Cowberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) has stiff, waxy leaves and typically is found more patchily, nestling in amongst larger drifts of Bilberry. The flowers are partially separated from each other rather than being fused to the tip and the stigma extends beyond the mouth of the petal tube.

A Naturalist Abroad@anaturalistabroad· Jul 14

In between bouts of illness, I've been lucky enough to get up to Scotland this summer for some mountain botanising... starting here with a few views - see photos for descriptions.

Though glorious sunny spells are nice to capture, spells of misty rain give more atmosphere to the Highlands of Scotland. Looking down on Loch a' Choire below Ben Vrackie.

Creag Loisgte, at around 1050m asl on the southwest corner of Ben Lawers offers spectacular views down to Loch Tay and gives an indication of the walk required to get there! This spot is the 'mecca' for UK botanists and often referred to as the 'Hanging Gardens'.

The glorious view from high on Corrie Fee, looking back down the length of Glen Clova - another fabulous mecca for UK botanists.

Probably the ultimate high in Scotland due to the mind-blowing views (on a good day!!) and the great expanse of high altitude plateaux to explore is the Cairngorm massif. This is looking north from above The Vent at Cairn Lochan, at 1200m above sea level. It's a steep old walk from the car park, which sits at a mere 610m asl!!

A Naturalist Abroad@anaturalistabroad· Jul 12

Always a difficult decision leaving thistles in the lawn, but we have a good crop of Painted Lady caterpillars for the first time this year.

A Naturalist Abroad@anaturalistabroad· May 31

The remarkable Eremurus robustus at Takhta Karacha pass, near Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

A Naturalist Abroad@anaturalistabroad· May 28

On a high! Up in Zaamin National Park, Uzbekistan and surrounded by a mass of the unfamiliar. Biodiversity at its best!

A Naturalist Abroad@anaturalistabroad· May 25

A new site in Norfolk for the popular Luzula nivea, which seems to be jumping the garden fence these days! Found this one in the dark depths of Holt Country Park.

A Naturalist Abroad@anaturalistabroad· May 1

This is getting worrying... another orchid! Cephalanthera epipactoides looking superb in Calabrian Pine forest, Lesbos, Greece

A Naturalist Abroad@anaturalistabroad· Apr 28

Back in glorious Greece - Three-horned Stock (Matthiola tricuspidata) being overly flamboyant on Lesbos.

A Naturalist Abroad@anaturalistabroad· Apr 27

Forgot my camera so poor phone shot... Lesser Flamingo on Lesbos, potentially 2nd record for Greece!

A Naturalist Abroad@anaturalistabroad· Apr 24

I'm not a huge fan of orchids, but you have to make an exception for these little beauties!

Reinhold's Bee Orchid (Ophrys reinholdii)

A Naturalist Abroad@anaturalistabroad· Apr 23

The spectacular Cyclamen rhodium ssp. vividum is endemic to the southeastern Peloponnese and is always a highlight of my visits there.

A Naturalist Abroad@anaturalistabroad· Apr 22

Couldn't resist being a tourist today! The Bluebell spectacle at Great Wood, Blickling is pretty amazing this year.

A Naturalist Abroad@anaturalistabroad· Apr 21

A highlight of the second of my two southern Greece trips recently was the discovery of this wonderful Isabelline Shrike, a rare vagrant to the region.

A Naturalist Abroad@anaturalistabroad· Apr 11

Taygetos looking lovely!

A Naturalist Abroad@anaturalistabroad· Apr 10

Always a treat. Campanula kamariana at its type locality, discovered and described in 2017, so probably seen by less than 100 people!

A Naturalist Abroad@anaturalistabroad· Apr 1

Pretty weird... Ophrys sphegodes ssp spruneri with the right number of upper petals and sepals and a single central column... but two labellums!

A Naturalist Abroad@anaturalistabroad· Nov 6

Seems like the new, urban population of Jersey Cudweed has finally reached North Norfolk - I found these this week in Sheringham and Holt. Might be interesting to speculate on the effects of possible gene flow with the native population that is not too far away now...

A Naturalist Abroad@anaturalistabroad· Oct 31

The wonderful Galanthus olga-reginae flowering in our garden today. Don't you just love snowdrop time!

A Naturalist Abroad@anaturalistabroad· Sep 19

Krüper's Nuthatch is almost endemic to Turkey, extending only into the neighbouring Caucasus of Georgia and Russia and (as here) onto the island of Lesvos, Greece. Great to watch a family group coming to drink with my group yesterday.

A Naturalist Abroad@anaturalistabroad· Sep 17

Plants with a view: Recurved Thorn-apple (Datura innoxia), Molyvos, Lesvos, Greece. Introduced as a garden ornamental from Central America.

A Naturalist Abroad@anaturalistabroad· Sep 15

Today's Highlight - the much desired and very intriguing False Hemp (Datisca cannabina). An entirely new plant family for me. See Alt text on pictures for more.

Datisca cannabina is in the family Datiscaceae; the family has only one genus and two species. Datisca cannabina occurs from the Turkey, eastwards through southern Central Asia to Nepal and just reaches into political Europe in the Eastern Aegean Islands. In Greece (and thus Europe) it is only known from Lesbos, Samos and a small area of wetern Crete. The only other species in the family (Datisca glomerata) occurs in extreme southwestern USA.

Datisca cannabina is highly unusual in being one of a very small number of plants that are androdioecious. This means that individual plants may bear either male flowers or perfect flowers (flowers with both male and female parts). This picture shows the old flowering spike of a male-flowered plant.

Flowers beginning to form fruits on a hermaphrodite plant with perfect flowers.

A Naturalist Abroad@anaturalistabroad· Sep 14

Today's Highlight - the large and spectacular Bivon's Meadow Saffron (Colchicum bivonae). Lesbos, Greece.

A Naturalist Abroad@anaturalistabroad· Sep 8

Spectacular views of the Black-winged Kite at Hickling today. What a beauty!!!

A Naturalist Abroad@anaturalistabroad· Sep 5

First there was Canadian Fleabane (Erigeron canadensis), now we have some newcomers, rapidly spreading across our landscapes. These two are trail-blazing across Norfolk these days - see Alt text for more...

Pyramidal Fleabane (Conyza sumatrensis) is native to South and Central America and arrived as an urban weed in our cities. It is now pretty much everywhere, even an occasional adventive on sandy beaches. These plants at Happisburgh show the classic shape of mature plants, tapering outwards to about three quarters of the way up, then finishing with a pyramidal top, producing an overall kite-shaped appearance. Note, in the UK, the erroneous name 'Guernsey Fleabane' is used, simply because it was found there by someone - not much use as a name in its native, range, though!!

Bilbao Fleabane (Erigeron floribundus) is also native to South and Central America and is more recent in its appearance here in Norfolk. But it's wasting no time in stealing a march across the region. Compared with Pyramidal Fleabane, the outline of mature plants produces a more narrowly columnar plant but with a broadly rounded head of flowers (for those of us old enough to remember them, not unlike a mature English Elm). Alternative English names include 'Tall Fleabane' (it's no taller than any of the other species) and 'Many-flowered Fleabane' (again, no more so than other species), so, like the other recent colonist, it still could do with a decent English name that reflects its true qualities or associations.

A Naturalist Abroad@anaturalistabroad· Sep 4

Sea-heath (Frankenia laevis) is considered a scarce plant in Norfolk, so it was a pleasant surprise to find a good quantity of this smart little plant on my recent coastal plant survey. They seem to especially thrive in the cracks on concrete revetments, turning bright red in the hot, dry weather.