Limestone Walk July 23rd

Common Spotted and Heath Spotted Orchids Species that may be seen on the Dun Coillich and Schiehallion Limestone Pavement Walk (23rd July 2022)

Some of the plants and animals that may be encountered on the walk, with links to informative websites such as Wildlife Trusts, Plantlife, Buglife, Wildflower Finder, Wikipedia amongst others.

This by no means an exhaustive list and birds are excluded. 

English Name >         Latin Name >         Notes

Plants

Ferns

Bracken - Pteridium aquilinum - Below dyke

Hard Fern - Struthiopteris spicant - Above dyke below and above spur

Lady Fern - Athyrium filix-femina - Above spur

Maidenhair Spleenwort - Asplenium trichomanes - In grykes at the Schiehallion Limestone Pavement

Grasses

Colt’s Foot - Tussilago farfara - At burn
Meadow Foxtail - Alopecurus pratensis - Below dyke

Spike Bentgrass - Agrostis exarata - Above dyke below spur

Spreading Meadow Grass - Poa pratensis - Path near the dyke

Sweet Vernal Grass - Anthoxanthum odoratum - Below dyke
Yorkshire Fog Grass - Holcus lanatus - Below dyke

Wavy Hairgrass - Deschampsia flexuosa - Above dyke below spur

Wire Bentgrass - Nardus stricta - Above spur

Heathers

Ling - Calluna vulgaris - Below dyke

Cross-leaved Heath - Erica tetralix - Above dyke below spur

Bell Heather - Erica cinerea - Above dyke below spur

Hemiparasites

Hemiparasites are plants that are partially parasitic on other plants. The examples given here extract water and nutrients from the roots of other plants such as grasses. In doing so they weaken the grasses and give the flowers of the wildflower meadows a better chance of competing. They still have green leaves and can photosynthesise as well.

Eyebright - Euphrasia officinalis - Limestone Pavement

Yellow Rattle - Rhinanthus alectorolophus - Below dyke

Lousewort - Pedicularis sylvatica  - Just above dyke - a hemiparasite

Marsh Lousewort - Pedicularis palustris - At Lochan an Daim near the Limestone Pavement

Red Bartsia - Odontites verna -  At Keltneyburn Wildflower Meadow (SWT)

Insectivorous Plants

These are plants that gain nitrogen by trapping and digesting insects. They are found in boggy areas which are low in nitrogen because denitrifying bacteria have turned nitrates into atmospheric nitrogen and it is lost to the soil.

Butterwort - Pinguicula longifolia - Above dyke in many places - At the Schiehallion Limestone Pavement

Roundleaf Sundew - Drosera rotundifolia - Above dyke below spur

Limestone loving plants

Rockrose - Helianthemum nummularium - Pig’s back and between there and spur

Thyme - Thymus vulgaris - Pigs back

Wild Strawberry - Fragaria vesca  - Pigs back

Nitrogen Fixing Plants

These are plants that have bacteria on their roots which are able to capture atmospheric nitrogen and turn it into nitrates and therefore improve the fertility of the soil. Most are members of the pea family but Bog Myrtle is an exception.

Birds Foot Trefoil - Lotus corniculatus - Below dyke

Bitter Vetch - Lathyrus linifolius - Below spur

Bog Myrtle - Myrica gale - Just above dyke - can fix nitrogen

Broom - Cytisus scoparius - Above spur

Bush Vetch - Vicia sepium - Below dyke

Red Clover - Trifolium pratense - Below dyke

White Clover - Trifolium repens - Below dyke

Gorse - Ulex europaeus - Above dyke

Kidney Vetch - Anthyllis vulneraria - Pigs back

Yarrow - Achillea millefolium - Pigs back -  Roadside near the Limestone Pavement

Orchids

Heath Spotted Orchid - Dactylorhiza maculata - Above dyke in many places

Rannoch Nature Information > Common Spotted and Heath Spotted Orchids 

Lesser Twayblade - Neottia cordata - Above dyke and below spur - growing in amongst the heather .

Rushes

Common Rush - Juncus effusus - In the drainage ditch leading to the scrapes.
Joint Leaf Rush - Juncus articulatus - In the drainage ditch leading to the scrapes.

Soft Rush - Juncus pylaei - At scrapes

Sedges

Common Cottongrass - Eriophorum angustifolium  - Above spur
Deer Grass - Trichophorum germanicum - Above dyke below spur and above spur. Not a grass but a Sedge

Trees & Shrubs

Eared Willow - Salix aurita  - Above spur
Elder (Red Berried) - Sambucus racemosa - Below dyke

Guelder Rose - Viburnum opulus - Near pigs back and close to the Dun Coillich hut.

Narrow Leaved Willow - Salix exigua - Near the scrapes

Water loving plants

Bog Aspodel - Narthecium ossifragum - Above dyke below spur

Bog Bean - Menyanthes trifoliata - In the water at the scrapes

Common Marsh Bedstraw - Galium palustre - Below dyke

Kingcup (Marsh Marigold) - Caltha palustris - Below dyke

Marsh Hawk’s-beard - Crepis paludosa - In the drainage ditch leading to the scrapes

Marsh Horsetail - Equisetum palustre - Above spur

Ragged Robin - Silene flos-cuculi - Scrapes

Lesser Spearwort - Ranunculus flammula - At the scrapes

Greater Spearwort - Ranunculus lingua - In the scrapes

Water Forgetmenot - Myosotis scorpioides - Below dyke - at burn

Woodland Indicator plants

Chickweed Wintergreen - Lysimachia europaea - Above spur

Dog's Mercury - Mercurialis perennis - In grykes at the Schiehallion Limestone Pavement

Rannoch Nature Information > Dog’s Mercury

Herb Bennet (Wood Avens) - Geum urbanum - In grykes at the Schiehallion Limestone Pavement

Herb Robert - Geranium robertianum - In grykes at the Schiehallion Limestone Pavement

Ivy -  Hedera helix - Schiehallion Limestone Pavement - in the grykes

Primrose - Primula vulgaris - Above dyke below spur
Violet - Viola riviniana  - Just above dyke

Wood Anemone - Anemone nemorosa - Above spur

Wood Cranesbill - Geranium sylvaticum - Above spur on pigs back side

Wood Horsetail - Equisetum sylvaticum - Above dyke below spur

Wood Sorrel - Oxalis acetosella - Above spur

Yellow Pimpernel - Lysimachia nemorum - Above spur

Other Plants

English Stonecrop - Sedum anglicum - In grykes at the Schiehallion Limestone Pavement
Meadow Rue  - Thalictrum flavum - In grykes at the Schiehallion Limestone Pavement
Greater Stitchwort - Stellaria holostea - Below dyke

Germander Speedwell - Veronica chamaedrys - Below dyke

Rosebay Willowherb - Epilobium angustifolium - Below dyke

Hoary Willowherb - Epilobium parviflorum - Below dyke

Creeping Thistle - Cirsium arvense - Below dyke

Ribwort Plantain - Plantago lanceolata - Below dyke

Tormentil - Potentilla erecta - Below dyke

Yellow Mountain Saxifrage - Saxifraga aizoides - At the burn

Dandelion - Taraxacum officinale - Below dyke

Lady’s Bedstraw - Galium verum - Below dyke

Sneezewort - Achillea ptarmica - Below dyke

Cleavers - Galium aparine - Below dykek

Common Speedwell (Gypsyweed) - Veronica officinalis - Just above dyke

Heath Bedstraw - Galium saxatile - Just above dyke

Milkwort - Polygala vulgaris - Just above dyke

Foxglove - Digitalis purpurea - Above dyke below spur

Bilberry - Vaccinium myrtillus - Above dyke below spur

Slender St John’s Wort - Hypericum pulchrum   - Above spur

Mouse-ear Chickweed - Cerastium fontanum - Pigs back

Spear Thistle - Cirsium vulgare - Pigs back

Hairy Woodrush - Luzula pilosa - Pigs back

Smooth Hawksbeard - Crepis capillaris - Above spur

Meadowsweet - Filipendula ulmaria - Scrapes

Selfheal - Prunella vulgaris - Above dyke below spur

Bugle - Ajuga reptans  - Above dyke below spur

Creeping Buttercup - Ranunculus repens - Below dyke

Sorrel- Rumex acetosa - Below dyke

Lesser Stitchwort - Stellaria graminea - At scrapes

Crowberry - Empetrum nigrum - Above dyke and below spur

Devil’s Bit Scabious - Succisa pratensis - Below dyke

Alpine Bistort - Bistorta vivipara  - Above spur - Schiehallion Limestone pavement

Common Nettle - Urtica dioica - Near scrapes

Red Campion - Silene dioica - Near the scrapes

Lesser Knapweed - Centaurea nigra - Near the scrapes

Fringed Willow Herb - Epilobium ciliatum - Near the scrapes

Bitter Dock - Rumex obtusifolius - Near the scrapes 

Smooth Hawksbeard - Crepis capillaris - Green/white path before summit spur.

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Animals
Amphibia

Common Frog - Rana temporaria - Above dyke below spur

Dragonflies

Golden Ringed Dragonfly - Cordulegaster boltonii - Above spur on steep slope

Lepidoptera

Small Heath Butterfly - Coenonympha pamphilus - Above  spur

Beautiful Yellow Underwing Moth - Anarta myrtilli - Green/white path before summit spur. Identified by Anthony McLuskey 

Angle Shades Moth - Phlogophora meticulosa - Green/white path after summit spur. Identified by Tim Fison.

Mammals

Common Shrew - Sorex araneus - Above spur

Molluscs

Brown-lipped snail - Cepaea nemoralis - Below dyke

Black Slug - Arion ater  - Below dyke

Reptiles

Common Lizard - Zootoca vivipara - Above dyke below spur

Geology

Dalradian Limestone