Blog Entries from Plants of Skye, Raasay & The Small Isles
Shore and Wood (
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We are just back after five weeks away. While much of the UK has been suffering excessive rainfall, here in NW Scotland it has been unusually dry, with folks on Raasay reporting three weeks with no…
Seth has put the rest of us to shame by making a number of interesting records in January and the first half of February. Malva sylvestris (Common Mallow) at Kyleakin, subject to final confirmation…
Yesterday, I helped an Atlas Arts workshop with Daniel Godínez Nivón from Mexico on Dreaming, with a contribution on St John’s-worts and a short botanical walk here on Raasay. Domhnall Uilleam…
Shore Safari (
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Friday was a very low tide, though the equinoctial tides two weeks later will be even lower. An excursion to Ob Lusa on Skye with three friends produced an excellent selection of marine invertebrates…
The equinoctial rides are in full swing, so Neil, Seth and I visited Staffin Bay yesterday. A few of our finds: I am hoping that my friends will again be kind enough to correct/improve my…
I caught just seven moths, but one of them was new to my West Suisnish list, the 293rd. I am hoping for seven more newbies during 2026.
A couple of oddments: In the ditch by the main road in Inverarish, Raasay there is a a lot of filamentous green algae. There may be others too, but the bulk is a Spirogyra. There are, however, a…
Psyllid (
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This far north, most trees are not really in leaf yet, but the Hawthorn outside our gate is. This little chap which is probably either Cacopsylla melanoneura or C. affinis was sitting on a fresh leaf…
Mostly Birds (
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Two days ago, the first swallow, yesterday the first cuckoo and in the bay a Great Northern Diver. A Raasay vole has taken up residence below the bird feeder – I kept finding stones moved by the…
Yesterday morning beside my moth trap (a bit dull: 11 Clouded Drab, 7 Hebrew Character, 1 Red Chestnut, 1 Common Quaker), there was a harvestman that looked different from those I normally see. It…
