08 Loch Fad (15.9.17) - Isle of Bute Wildflower Walks

It’s coming to the end of the growing season, but there’s still plenty to see. As well as ferns and late-flowering plants, this walk includes sections of hedgerow with a good variety of species; and this is the season for rose hips and blackberries!

The walk begins at Bute Produce, just beyond the Joint Campus at Townhead (GR: NS086634). Follow the track that leads down to Loch Fad and cross the causeway, the distance being just under a mile. After the causeway you can either retrace your steps or complete a circuit by continuing along the tarmac road and returning to your start point via Lovers’ Walk (see Walk 04).

I’ve divided the species list set out below into two sections, one for the track down to Loch Fad and a separate one for the causeway (which can, of course, be accessed directly by car using the road to Loch Fad Fisheries).

Many of the species appear on both lists, but on the track section note the colourful stands of Marsh Woundwort, usually blooming throughout August and September. Further along, where the soil is more acidic, the blue-purple heads of Devil’s-bit Scabious take over, interspersed by the delicate yellow Tormentil hiding among the grasses.

A feature of the causeway section is the collection of ferns on its stone parapet; the photo below shows, from left to right, Rusty-back Fern, Maidenhair Spleenwort and Polypody.

The back of the Rusty-back Fern, as the name implies, is encrusted with scales, whereas the Polypody has large roundish spores on its back.

Species on the walk include:

		Track	Causeway
Beech	Fagus sylvatica	*
Blackthorn	Prunus spinosa	*
Bracken	Pteridium aquilinum	*
Bramble	Rubus fruticosus agg.	*	*
Broad-leaved Dock	Rumex obtusifolius	*	*
Broad-leaved Willowherb	Epilobium montanum	*	*
Broom	Cytisus scoparius	*
Bulrush	Typha latifolia		*
Bush Vetch	Vicia sepium	*
Cat's-ear	Hypochaeris radicata	*	*
Cleavers	Galium aparine	*
Common Figwort	Scrophularia nodosa	*
Common Mouse-ear	Cerastium fontanum	*	*
Common Nettle	Urtica dioica	*	*
Common Sorrel	Rumex acetosa	*
Common Spike-rush	Eleocharis palustris		*
Creeping Buttercup	Ranunculus repens		*
Creeping Thistle	Cirsium arvense	*	*
Daisy	Bellis perennis	*
Dandelion	Taraxacum officinale agg.	*	*
Devil's-bit Scabious	Succisa pratensis	*
Dog Rose	Rosa canina	*
Elder	Sambucus nigra	*
Foxglove	Digitalis purpurea	*
Garden Privet	Ligustrum ovalifolium	*
Garlic Mustard	Alliaria petiolata	*
Goldenrod	Solidago virgaurea
Gorse	Ulex europaeus	*
Greater Bird's-foot-trefoil	Lotus pedunculatus	*	*
Greater Plantain	Plantago major	*	*
Groundsel	Senecio vulgaris		*
Hawthorn	Crataegus monogyna	*
Hedge Bindweed	Calystegia sepium	*	*
Hemp-agrimony	Eupatorium cannabinum		*
Herb Robert	Geranium robertianum		*
Hogweed	Heracleum spondylium	*
Holly	Ilex aquifolium	*
Ivy	Hedera helix	*	*
Ivy-leaved Toadflax	Cymbalaria muralis		*
Japanese Knotweed	Fallopia japonica	*
Japanese Rose	Rosa rugusa	*
Knapweed	Centaurea nigra	*	*
Lesser Stitchwort	Stellaria graminea	*
Maidenhair Spleenwort	Asplenium trichomanes	*	*
Marsh Woundwort	Stachys palustris	*
Meadow Buttercup	Ranunculus acris	*
Meadowsweet	Filipendula ulmaria	*	*
Monkeyflower	Mimulus guttatus	*
Montbretia	Crocosmia x crocosmiflora	*
Nipplewort	Lapsana communis		*
Ox-eye Daisy	Leucanthemum vulgare	*
Perennial Sow-thistle	Sonchus arvensis
Pineappleweed	Matricaria discoidea	*	*
Polypody	Polypodium agg.	*	*
Prickly Sowthistle	Sonchus asper		*
Procumbent Pearlwort	Sagina procumbens		*
Purple Loosestrife	Lythrum salicaria		*
Ragwort	Senecio jacobaea	*	*
Raspberry	Rubus idaeus		*
Red Bartsia	Odontites vernus	*
Red Campion	Silene dioica	*
Red Clover	Trifolium pratense	*
Ribwort Plantain	Plantago lanceolata	*	*
Rosebay Willowherb	Chamerion angustifolium		*
Russian Comfrey	Symphytum x uplandicum	*
Rusty-back Fern	Ceterach officinarum		*
Selfheal	Prunella vulgaris	*
Sherard's Downy-rose	Rosa sherardii	*
Silverweed	Potentilla anserina		*
Smooth Sow-thistle	Sonchus oleraceus	*
Spear Thistle	Cirsium vulgare	*
Tormentil	Potentilla erecta	*
Tufted Vetch	Vicia cracca	*
Wall-rue	Asplenium ruta-muraria		*
Water Mint	Mentha aquatica	*
White Clover	Trifolium repens	*
Wild Angelica	Angelica sylvestris	*	*
Wood Avens	Geum urbanum		*
Woody Nightshade	Solanum dulcamara		*
Yarrow	Achillea millefolium	*
Yellow Flag	Iris pseudacorus	*