U3A Nature Group: On Trotternish in Search of Flowers but Finding only Weird Things

On 19th April, near the settlement of Lealt, five of us set off along the track of the former rail line which transported mineral from the diatomite mine down to the east coast of Skye. We were officially looking for flowers, for which the Trotternish Peninsula is well known, but the space-time continuum coordinates we selected were clearly a bit out as all we found was a sparse scattering of violets. However, we did encounter the following, most of which remain nameless.

                                                      Common haircap moss (Polytrichum commune)

This is definitely the insectiverous Common Butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris), with its purple flower yet to emerge; alternatively known as Bog Violet and Marsh Violet. The juices of the leaves, when applied to the udders of cows, protect milk and butter against evil influences.

                                                                                              Thingy

Wotsit, or so I thought. With the help of iSpot I discovered it was unbloomed heather (Calluna vulgaris).

                                                                           Golden ferny thing.
Or  ... Common Tamarisk-moss (Thuidium tamariscinum)    ..... or  ....  Hylocomium splendens

                         Whatever  ... but nice. iSpot thinks it is either Red Bog-moss (Sphagnum capillifolium) or Rusty Bog-moss (Sphagnum fuscum).

                                                     Cosmic bio-detritus - don't fall asleep near this one.

                       According to iSpot it could be the large acrocarp Racomitrium lanuginosum, as I'm sure you knew all the time.

Bog Myrtle (Myrica gale) flowers

                                                                          Where the weird things live.

The climax of the outing was eating our neatly packed lunches (someone brought a banana in a banana case) on the shore of Loch Cuithir before withdrawing in the face of clouds that began to swathe the granite peaks in a gloomy stratonimbus frown.