The adventure began awkwardly, with heavy rain showers and poor lighting making photography and smiling something of a challenge, and with Steve's dog, named McDougall, MacGregor, or something such, startling an otter as it nosed through the ditch, with the briefest glimpse of a rapidly retreating, black, wet rear end and cable-like tail adding to the drizzle-induced frustration. It must have been a very quiet dog as I have no memory of it being on the walk apart from the aforesaid incident and at lunchtime when he tried to snaffle everyone's sandwiches. Actually, his name is Fergus (Canis lupus familiaris); identified by Steve.
But the weather did eventually transform into sunshine and characterful clouds.
Scotch Argus (Erebia aethiops); identified by Steve. We saw lots of these later on.
2. A tasty looking sorrel-like leaf. Later identified by Steve as Common Sorrel (Rumex acetosa). Although used in soup, sauces, and salads for thousands of years it can, according to Wikipaedia, kill you if you eat too much as the oxalic acid, which gives it it's sour taste, is poisonous.
Self Heal (Prunella vulgaris)
Enchanter's Nightshade (Circaea lutetiana); identified by Steve and used by Circe to entice Odysseus' colleagues and turn them into pigs, so go easy on this one in your avocado salad.
More sorrely stuff.
Wild Angelica (Angelica sylvestris; also known as Vicar's Mead); identified by Steve. Apparently used as a vegetable in the Faroe Islands and Iceland and as a herbal medicine for respiratory problems. You'll have to ask a vicar what exactly they do with it but it does sound vaguely scandalous.
Speckled Wood butterfly (Pararge egaria), minus a small bit; identified by Steve.
Common Figwort (Scrophularia nodosa); identified by Steve. Apparently used to treat scrofula, a form of tuberculosis.
Heading south, down the western shore of Loch Slappin.
Looking back north.
A young herring gull (Larus argentatus), looking rather sad; maybe an orphan.
Fuchsia (apparently there are nearly 110 recognized species).
Wood Sage (Teucrium scorodonia); identified by Steve.
Common Valerian (Valeriana officinalis); identified by Steve. Valerian root has a sedative or anxiolytic effect.
Argus again.
A Red Cuillin peak.
Needs a bit of iSpotting. Decided not to have it with chips and veggieburgers. Turns out to be a Hygrocybe (thanks to iSpot), some of which are edible - go on, add a bit of colour to your salads.
I couldn't believe it when the rest of the group failed to observe this white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) flying right over their heads and in front of their seaward binocular gaze; probably too busy looking for basking sharks!
Highland cow (Bos taurus)
Fashionable grey hair.
These guys were so utterly still that I really thought they were statues, garden gooses, until their sentient status was revealed by the most microscopic of movements.
Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)
Golden Ringed Dragonfly (Cordulegaster boltonii); identified by Steve. The female is the longest dragonfly in the UK.
Oystercatcher (Eurasian) (Haematopus ostralegus).
On our way home.
The caterpillar of the Peacock butterfly (Inachis io). Thanks to iSpot.
In the final stage of the walk I mentioned how I had begun brewing my own ginger beer. Gill mentioned that she, and presumably her siblies, had made ginger beer as children back in Liverpool, though supposedly it was non-ethanolic, and that she had given away surplus yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) to friends so that they too could produce this gingerous material. I find it difficult to comprehend why yeast would be used, and how it would survive and proliferate, in the absence of sucrose and the concomitant production of hydroxyethane. I have images of a couchful of ginger beer-sozzled Scouserlings in the 1950s, watching the Woodentops, Noddy, and Mr. Plod on the 13-inch black and white telly, wondering why there were two Spotty Dogs and Big Ears had four ears; against a background of oystercatchers crying and darkly disapproving murmerings from Linda.
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