West Coast Islands Blogs
Blogs (web logs) provide an ideal opportunity to explore the traditions, culture and wildlife of Wild Lochaber. We have put together a collection of local blogs and provide the titles and text snippets to give a taste of each entry with direct links to the main blog entry on the host website. We hope you will find time to explore the full articles and further information on the host blog sites.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any suggestions for blogs you would like to see here.
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Beside a forest track in the middle of Skye a few days ago, I found a single plant of Genista anglica (Petty Whin). This is new to the vice-county. These maps show the known hectad distribution in Scotland up to 2020 and up to the present: Hectads up to 2020 Hectads to date The...
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I came across a post about galls in elder flowers caused by the midge Plachochela nigripes. I may or may not have found that (what looks like a gall, but no larvae found), but what fell out of the flowers was a Thrips. Thinking that I had little chance of getting any further than that, I...
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Flushed with success over Cydia ulicetana (Common Gorse Moth), yesterday I tackled some gorse about 500 m from home. I still didn’t find that micromoth, but I did find Coleophora albicosta (Gorse Case-bearer) for which there are only two previous records in the vice-county:...
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Some folks from Tennessee Tech University have been surveying parts of Raasay in connection with our Rhododendron reduction programme. As I was involved in helping out with plant identification, I was invited to join them in a circumnavigation of Raasay in a RIB from Raasay House. This was a great...
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As I hoped, Equisetum pratense (Shady Horsetail) is also present in the next tetrad south. It occurs to me that, despite its vernacular name, I never see this anywhere near shade. Equisetum pratense beside the Eynort River On the banks of the Eynort River, I also found three species that had...
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Yesterday, I took a wander in NG3828, which includes a stretch of the Eynort River and the eastern half of Cnoc Scarall. I had noticed that this tetrad (NG32Z) was a bit low on records of plant species and thought it deserved a better look. In fact, I added nearly forty taxa to the tetrad including...
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Eleanor has found Barbarea intermedia (Medium-flowered Winter-cress) at Cleadale on Eigg. This is the first record for any Barbarea on the island, though this species is known on Rum (and also on Skye and Raasay). Interestingly, she knows another plant that may be the same species near the ferry...
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My Carabus larva has pupated: Carabus pupa I await further developments… Also in the garden recently, I have seen Ctenicera cuprea and a Philonthus that is either P. politus or P. succicola, but it appears that dissection would be required to be sure which. Ctenicera cuprea and a...
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The Yellow Azalea (Rhododendron luteum) in the garden has crown galls. These are caused by the bacterium Rhizobium radiobacter, also known as Agrobacterium tumefaciens, a major tool in plant biotechnology where it is the agent used to introduce DNA into a host plant. I had this on Symphoricarpos x...
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For the second time in four years, I have recorded Andrena ruficrus (Northern Mining Bee) in the garden. This time I spotted its “mine”. After taking its photo. I returned it close by. Andrena ruficrus On gorse (Ulex europaeus) just outside the garden, I found a small bug nymph...
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Hugely grateful to JP, AP, and IMcD who did a fantastic job on replacing the rooves of Middle and West. Don't they look great? March 2025.
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The kit arrived.The jayger came and the cement was poured. The blockwork was done. The founds were ready.
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Tup pedicures with D's help.Kale surviving the winter. Herdwick hoggs overby. Starlings are back. Feeding the Herdwicks.
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I have been to see Seth’s Arum in Broadford. As he said at the time, it is odd that it is a clumped patch. This is a feature of A. italicum and a completely green version of A. italicum ssp. neglectum (rather than A. italicum ssp. italicum) is known (see Poland). There are differences between...
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Eorsa lay like a scallop-shell on the fringe of the western sea, its concave face opening to the wide ocean, the sunset, and the strung jet beading that was the line of the Outer Hebrides. The view from a fictional Eorsa — the novel Bridal Path, Nigel Tranter (1952)Unlike...
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Seth has spotted Arum maculatum (Lords-and-Ladies) in Broadford. It is close to a garden, but there doesn’t appear to be any Arum in there. Arum maculatum at Broadford Image: S J D Gibson This is the first localised record for the vice-county. There are four anonymous, old (1950/57)...
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Visitors to Treshnish over the last few months may have noticed signs of something happening, along the track past the farm building towards Haunn.This is where we are building a house. A year ago we were barely taking the first steps towards this, and now here we are.. the kit arrives on...
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Easdale was a significant milestone, as it was the final island on my final cruise as a guide on Hjalmar Bjørge. We'd spent the morning on na h-EiIeacha Naomha of the Garvellachs. Upon learning none of the guests had been to Easdale, I decided to make it the last island of the cruise.And so, on a...
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After exploring Inchkenneth, we set a course to na h-Eileacha Naomha, one of the Garvellachs, also known as The Isles of the Sea. On the island are the ruins of St Brendan's Monastery, which include two of the largest beehive cells in the Hebrides. The island is unusual in that it has four...
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After a night at anchor in Lon Bearnus, we set a course west to circle around Ulva and Gometra. With the always-tempting Treshnish isles dotting the horizon to the west, we made our way along the southern coast of Ulva. Once past the collonaded castles, we motored into the shallow waters between...
