Fly Agaric

Here is every child's image of a toadstool - the classic red with white spots. We have had lots of fly agaric on the garden this year and they reminded me of a poem my Mum used to recite to us as children - The Elf and the Dormouse by Oliver Herford, an American poet of the early twentieth century.

Under a toadstool crept a wee Elf,
Out of the rain to shelter himself.

Under the toadstool, sound asleep,
Sat a big Dormouse all in a heap.

Trembled the wee Elf, frightened and yet
Fearing to fly away lest he get wet.

To the next shelter—maybe a mile!
Sudden the wee Elf smiled a wee smile.

Tugged till the toadstool toppled in two.
Holding it over him, gaily he flew.

Soon he was safe home, dry as could be.
Soon woke the Dormouse—"Good gracious me!

"Where is my toadstool?" loud he lamented.
—And that's how umbrellas first were invented.

I am reminded of this little rhyme every time I see the large toadstools that have sprung up all over the garden this year.

An early Autumn

Just a quick post - there's a lot happening and not much time for blogging.

The walk in the woods is getting wetter with the loch level really high for this time of year. The beaches have practically disappeared - much to Rosie's displeasure - and some of the trees already have their feet in water.

After weeks of seemingly unremitting rain there are occasional glimmers. I caught this pool of light on a walk last week. I love the spicy

smells of Autumn and the changing colours. The bracken is turning brown now and will soon be flattened by the winds and storms.

There are also signs of the swallows preparing to leave - lining up on the wires and taking part in spectacular feeding frenzies as they swoop and dive for insects. It's either that or they are in training for the marathon flight ahead.

What a week!

This has probably been one of the wettest weeks of the summer. There have been several absolutely torrential downpours - one of the which sent the cows in the neighbouring field stampeding down to shelter under the trees at the furthest corner. It has been impossible to miss the showers when out walking Rosie and we have observed that the loch level has risen several feet and the beaches have now disappeared.

The woods are beginning to change with far fewer wild flowers in evidence and bracken and grasses turning brown. Even though it is still August there is a faint tinge of Autumn about, as colours change and berries begin to ripen. The storm-struck oak has now been felled and lies full length on the ground. It was considered too much of a risk to leave it to age and fall naturally, possibly across the path or destroying the nearby fence. The size of the split shows how much damage was done by the lightening. It will now be left to decay naturally and provide a micro-habitat for wildlife and fungi. From the number of rings on the trunk this oak had already lived to a good age - at least 60 years if not longer.

A sure sign that Autumn is coming is the number of mushrooms and other fungi springing up throughout the reserve - and in the garden. Here are a couple from the garden - a giant puffball measuring at least 10 inches in diameter and some that I think are common earth balls.

Summer sights

It's been a rather hectic month with some time away and also a steady stream of visitors. This has meant lots of walks to share the beauty of the loch but not much time to write up the blog.

The fields up to the village have remained a delight throughout the summer with amazing numbers of butterflies. Here are pictures of a few that I have managed to get close enough to photograph.

Small copper on a hawkweed

Small white.

Painted Lady.

These were all taken on the same morning in the fields below the Millennium Hall. There are clouds of small whites and on one patch of rosebay willowherb I counted over 30 of them moving restlessly amongst the bright purple flowers.

It may not have been a great summer but it hasn't been a bad one either. I've enjoyed the mixture of sunshine and showers and the flowers and hedgerows have certainly flourished. I picked my first few blackberries today and there are lots more to come. There are the first hints of autumn now with the rowan berries ripening and some plump rosehips beginning to ripen near the bench at net bay.

A Unique Opportunity.

If you get the chance, take the first part of the Aber path from the Hall down to the Dam of Aber bridge in the next few days. These fields are like no other this year. Since the farmer died earlier this year there have been no cattle grazing; nor have the fields been mown for hay or silage, apart from a track about a metre wide that forms the path. This means that there is an opportunity to see the field in its natural state and it is beautiful!

The grasses are almost waist high and as you walk through them clouds of butterflies rise up ahead of you. It is so unusual to find such an untouched meadow and it has been a real haven for butterflies and other insects. As well as butterflies there was the hum of bees in the clover which was welcome to hear as there are so many reports of bees being under threat.

We did get caught in a very heavy shower yesterday but it didn't spoil the sheer delight of being there. The farm has now been sold and the new owner may well wish to cut these fields and get some income from the land. That's why these meadows provide such a unique opportunity to experience an untouched landscape - for this summer at least.

Treats and terrors

Today's walk was back to Ross Priory and the walk past the old Buchanan family graveyard and on through to the loch behind the golf course. It was a real jungle today. Lots of meadowsweet, burdock, brambles, columbine and the willow herb just beginning to appear above everything else. There are also lots of wild raspberries that were sweet and delicious - a real treat. In one place they formed an arch of raspberry canes which we needed to go under.

There was one terror we noticed as well - a specimen of giant hogweed. This is a spectacular plant but one that is very nasty and can cause severe burns to the skin - to be avoided at all costs. It spreads along rivers and watercourses and can be clearly seen spreading along burns in the Carse on the road to Stirling. Although attempts are being made to get rid of it, it is very strong and persistent. Ecoscope have produced a very useful leaflet describing Giant Hogweed and eradication methods.

By the time we reached the shore in front of Ross Priory it had started to rain quite heavily but we were not deterred as one of the reasons for the walk was to see the orchids in the meadow nearest to the Portnellan boundary. We were not disappointed. There were one or two along the path but the field was covered with them. There appeared to be several varieties but I haven't been able to identify them all. See today's picture for the one I can identify. We were pretty wet by now but spent several minutes admiring and photographing the profusion of orchids there.

Lightning strike

If you've been on the shore path walk this weekend you might have noticed the tree that was hit by lightning in the storm last Thursday. It really is quite dramatic. Sheets of bark have been stripped from the lower trunk of this relatively young oak tree but it appears to be untouched in the higher branches. The exposed trunk is a rich orange tan colour and the force of the strike can be seen in the splits that were made.

The height of this tree made it a natural lightning conductor. The charge follows the sap (phloem) between the bark and the trunk and its rapid vapourisation blasts the bark from the trunk. It must have been quite powerful as some of the strips of bark are several feet away from the tree.

It will be interesting to see if it can recover or whether the damage will ultimately kill the tree. Without its protective bark it is vulnerable to insect and fungal damage.