Leitir Fura, October 2014, fungi, lichen, and broken seats

29th October

 Looking east to the mainland of Scotland; the combined peaks of Beinn a'Chapuill (742 m) and Creag Bealach na h'Oidhche (755 m) in the centre (I think but I'm not sure) and just to the right of them Beinn Sgritheall (928 m, making it a Munro, over 3000 feet or 914.4 metres; pronounced Ben Sgreehell).

 Steve claimed that the dark areas were a fungal infection. We wondered if this could be ergot (Claviceps purpurea) which produces alkaloids that cause Saint Anthony's Fire (ergotism) when ingested. The symptoms include convulsions, hallucinations and irrational behaviour which at one time, apparently, could brand you as a witch and get you into big trouble. We asked Gill if, in the interests of medical research and to generate more publicity for the Skye U3A blog, she could take a lick but she refused.

 Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum); I think this is the only honeysuckle species on Skye.

What happened next was something of a confused blur. We were about to take a break on a public bench when without warning someone or something rushed out from behind us and commenced to smash up the said seating ....

.... before finally posturing atop the now defunct bench like a beast marking its territory, 

issuing base unearthly sounds, as from some unfathomable black abyss. Despite being a bit put out we acted as would any upstanding member of society and attempted to apprehend this abomination and make a citizen's arrest. Yet its bizarre loping gate left us far behind as it ran screaming into the local woods. A cursory search revealed nothing and we though it wise not to stray further into the twilight domain of this alien creature.

Some amongst us speculated that it might be the mate of the infamous leopard man, known to stalk the southern regions of Skye in a state of foul nakedness. Indeed, the outdoor wear being sported by the creature might well have been a gift from the leopard man, removed from the body of one of his many victims.

In all the excitement, none of us had noticed that Gill had disappeared, but she soon turned up further along the path skirting the woods, albeit seeming slightly confused. So all was well in the end and we were already looking forward to future adventures with the redoubtable Isle of Skye U3A nature group.

Greshornish 2014

15th September 2014

 Near the Greshornish Hotel we found a host of mushrooms which, if they were of the same species, were at very different stages of growth. Awaiting an iSpot ID.

 They had a very noticeable yellow ring.

 No ID yet.

 The dreaded Sheep Tick (Ixodes ricinus), one of two photographed on my trousers as we sat on the grass for a rest. Before 2014 I'd never encountered a tick, but now they seem to be everywhere. Apparently one in four of these guys is infected with Borrelia type bacteria so, given the number of times I've been bitten, the chances are I should have Lyme disease, but I probably wouldn't know the difference between that and normal everyday life!

 Looking north east across Loch Snizort over Eilean Mor and Eilean Beag (little island and big island) to Trotternish.

 A broken Sea Urchin shell.

 Looking south, back down the Greshornish Peninsula.

 And to the north.

 Looking for basking sharks, but with Linda hanging around they don't stand a chance.

North Trotternish in the distance.

The walk was terminated prematurely as the rest claimed they had to go home and feed their dogs or something, but I'm pretty sure it was because they were terrified of facing the Path of Death - the great softies!

Carr Brae, Balmacara Square, and a beetle called Alexander

25th May 2014

 This was where it happened.

Red Campion (Silene dioica) amongst the blue bells. The cylindrical shape of the sepal indicates a male flower (the sepal of the female flower is oval or globular).

 A common lichen yet to be identified - maybe Tree Lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria).

 Identified by Steve as Greater Birdsfoot Trefoil (Lotus pedunculatus).

 Is this a red campion hybrid?

 Identified by Steve as Greater Stitchwort (Stellaria holostea).

 Horse (Equus ferus caballus)

 Bluebells (Edymion non-scriptus)

 Looking back at the valley.

 According to Steve, this is a slime mould. This means that it reproduces via spores and at some stage in its life cycle may have the appearance of a gelatinous slime. It feeds on microorganisms in dead vegetation. The two main forms of slime mould are: (1) cellular slime moulds (single amoeboid cells which live independently until food runs out - they then aggregate into a mass of cells called a pseudoplasmodium which eventually sends out spores that form new amoeboid cells without any sexual process; (2) plasmodial slime moulds [a single giant cell comprising a plasmodium (thin, slimy, flat mass of protoplasm) containing thousands of nuclei - environmental stress causes the production and release of spores which develop into reproductive cells and a new plasmodium is formed when two such cells merge].

 Balmacara Square

 A UBM (unidentified boatman)

 A Newt.

  We came upon this wee chappy in the same puddle.

 But the best images were from Steve.

 He also got it identified on i-Spot.

A Net-Winged Beetle (Dicyoptera aurora). Notes by the i-Spot identifier: "The ridges on the pronotum and the pattern of pits on the elytra indicate this species, which is only known from Scotland in the UK, and is associated with Scots Pine".

Gill: "I feel a bit sad. I should have put him in a match box and kept him all the day". "Good to know what the little fella is. To you he may be a net wing but to me I will always think of him as Alexander!".

Steve: "There are only two previous recorded sightings of 'Alexander Beetle' in Western Scotland, and both date from the 1970s! If you are walking near a conifer plantation, keep your eyes peeled!".

Unfortunately, Alexander was never seen again (bit of a weird hairstyle, so maybe for the best).

 An insect gall. These are apparently produced from plant tissue by plant mites, aphids, plant lice, gall midges, or gall wasps.

 A moss which looks a little like spaghettified magic mushrooms.

 Orange Tip butterfly (Anthocharis cardomines)

 The insectivorous Common Butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris)

 And its flower.

 4. Is this Bugle (Ajuga reptans)?

 Green-Veined White butterfly (Pieris napi)

 Dried-out bracket fungus.

Wild Strawberry ( Fragaria vesca)

 5. Cuckoo Flower (Cardamine pratensis)?

 Looking south over Loch Alsh to Kyle Rhea, a rapidly flowing channel which separates the Scottish mainland on the left from the Isle of Skye on the right.

 Holly flowers (Ilex aquifoluim).
Holly is a dioecious species, which means that both female and male flowers are required for reproduction. Each Holly tree produces either male or female flowers, but not both. This is a female flower as in its centre there is a green ovary; the male flower has four yellow stamens at its centre.