Scottish Wildflowers

[Laird_M]

For me its the Thrift.


Brings back memories of the beaches of Scotland and Ireland where I've spent some of my best hours...ah, nostalgia...

[ThistleDown]

The "forest thing" we were talking about was the twinflower, Anne, not the fritillaria. We have the latter in sheltered fields just south of Inverness. There they get a good whack of morning sun, filtered light at the height of the day, and another good dousing of sun in the afternoon. In BC we found greatest success when we planted them under an old, lace-leaf acer where they have sun all day.

[Bugbear]

You all have the "Great Bear Rainforest" up there in BC, ThistleDown, bet there are many interesting wildflowers to be found there.

I was reading about it the other day because I came across an article in National Geographic about the kermode bears that lurk in those areas.

[Lime]

A foxglove on Seil:



More foxglove, this time on Loch Carron (you can see the Loch in the background; the weavers is about a hundred yards down the road on the left):



Heather near Gairloch:



Heather near Gairloch but really close up:



Some daisies from the sea wall at Lochgilphead:

[Laird_M]

Some daisies from the sea wall at Lochgilphead:

They look very much like pineapple mayweed...

[ThistleDown]

You all have the "Great Bear Rainforest" up there in BC, ThistleDown, bet there are many interesting wildflowers to be found there.

I was reading about it the other day because I came across an article in National Geographic about the kermode bears that lurk in those areas.

I've never been on shore there, Ted, but I'm sure you're right. For those who don't know it, the Great Bear is about 25,000 square miles of conserved temperate rainforest on the coast of British Columbia. Mostly western red cedar and sitka spruce, the forest is home to a wonderful balance of flora and fauna without much of man's heavy footprint. It is possible to visit nut access is limited and primarily by sea.

[Lime]

They look very much like pineapple mayweed...

I'm sure you are right; I know next to nothing about flowers...I'm very much the black sheep of the family!

[ThistleDown]

Ah, Lime, but you crossed the Atlantic to take a picture of a foxglove on Seil Did you visit An Cala while you were there?

[Lime]

you crossed the Atlantic to take a picture of a foxglove on Seil

That makes it sound very dramatic; I certainly feel that I've earned my 'red trousers' even though the journey was extremely short and surrounded by leather, wood and jazz in the cockpit of my roadster (mk1 Eunos/mx5/miata) and it may not have been solely with the idea of taking a photograph of a foxglove... there is always an "overindulgence" in mussels and prawns, the local draft ales and whichever whisky is kicking about.

We've been over quite a few times now (it's my "get away from it all quickly" place) but for some unknown reason only found time to go to the gardens in the "off-season" (like I've said I'm the black sheep of the family despite making time to listen to gardener's question time every week); but, yes they are beautiful. We made the mistake of scrambling up the "hill" beside them: no real path... "sure footed" mountain sheep "sleeping" at the bottom... view is good though...



I've got a load of pictures and sketches and keep meaning to work them up into a watercolour but never seem to find the time.

I generally spend the rest of my time doing this....



... it is the Costa del Seil afterall!

I'll try and remember to get more pictures of flowers when I'm up next.

[Paul Henry]

More foxglove, this time on Loch Carron (you can see the Loch in the background; the weavers is about a hundred yards down the road on the left):

I'm fairly certain this isn't Foxglove, but actually Rosebay Willow Herb, a wonderful colour , but a terribly invasive plant in a garden