Grey Granite and Rufus went for a leisurely walk over the Wastart to Haven of Braco This was an expedition to check on the flowering of two iconic plants of the Wastart, Spring Squill and thrift. We also noted that there are far more orchids flowering in the bog beneath Pitheughie than when we checked about a week ago. During the last week there have been abnormally high temperatures (26c) and very little rain. As a result many small shallow lochans are reduced to dry cracked mud in which spearwort is starting to flower.
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| At Haven of Braco we sat on the cliff tops watching a small group of dapper male eiders in the shallows near the shore and a solitary young cormorant flexing his wings on a rock. Grey Granite was very pleased to see a pair of black guillemots swimming just off the headland, not having seen these beautiful birds in the area for some time. |
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| The iconic Wastart Daisies, properly known as thrift (Arameria maritima) and Sea campion, (Silene maritima) colonizing scree underneath the Stone Steps. There is an astonishing colour range in the cushions of thrift. |
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| Rufus amongst the thrift, he was insistent that interesting huntable creatures inhabit the rocks. |
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| Thrift earns its name from the its ability to grow in the most inhospitable of locations, the accompanying sea campion is known in some area as Dead Man's Hatties. This name is thought to serve as a warning to children not to explore the rocky outcrops on which it often grows. |
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| This seems to be a particularly good year for Spring Squill. There are great drifts of this delicate blue flower in the short grass covering rocky outcrops a few yards inland from the Stone Steps and on the field side of the dyke along to Haven of Braco. |
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| Spring Squill often grows alongside the commoner, bright yellow Bird's-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) but is far less widely distributed. |
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