Wildflower Hotspots

There are certain places which seem to be much richer in wildflower species than neighbouring, often very similar sites. This is one, where a narrow path branches off from the main forestry track that climbs to the summit of Bheinn Bhraggie. In this case, one factor in the proliferation of wildflowers may be the open aspect of the site.

Along with all the usual daisies, dandelions, buttercups, tormentil, eggs and bacon, more unusual flowers found within twenty-five metres of the junction include....

....yellow pimpernel. This is one of the only a few places locally where we find it, and it grows here in numbers. The yellow variety isn't as exciting as the scarlet - which we haven't found here - nor as rare as the blue which we searched for, unsuccessfully, when we lived in Suffolk.

I think this is heath speedwell but would be pleased if someone corrected me. It's an unassuming little plant but delicately beautiful, flowering in small numbers at this site.

In some ways bugle is very similar in structure but it's bigger and bolder. As with so many of these small wildflowers, bugle seems to have places it favours which are often quite far apart.

This is the unhappily-named lousewort., a flower which is very common out on the open moorland but more unusual in our local woods. This is the first lousewort we've found this year.

Lastly, this pretty flower is chickweed wintergreen or arctic starflower. It grows under the coniferous trees and along the sides of the paths, and is one of those flowers which occurs in patches some distance apart. At a glance it can easily be confused with word anemone or wood sorrel, both of which grow nearby in these woods.