Bog Asphodel in autumn

A trip up into the West Mainland Hills walking along the Harray and Rendall border. The autumn colours of the hill; the palest by far are the bleached leaves and dry flowers of Bog Asphodel, known as Pulderuck in

Orkney.

Pulderuck's view of Ward Hill and the Cuilags on Hoy

It's worth remembering them from our all too short summer.

This is part of the carpet of Bog Asphodels that sweeps down into Spretta Meadow just south of Yesnaby. The picture below illustrates the whole sweep. 

The leaves and stems are bleached in autumn. By late December they rise white as bones above the moor.

Wildflower walk at Yesnaby - July 9th

The heavens opened and rain of biblical proportions fell on Stenness and Sandwick. The road to Yesnaby was under 6" of water in three places - flash flooding - the soil was impervious to the rain and it ran in torrents across the baked earth. But by the time we assembled at Yesnaby, the deluge was but a recent memory. We were looking at the wildflowers of Coastal Grassland and Coastal Heath and were privileged to find that the Scottish Primrose (Primula scotica) was in the middle of one of its finest displays of recent years. The grassland was liberally sprinkled with Grass of Parnassus, Kidney Vetch, Wild Thyme (including the white variant), Sea Arrowgrass, Sea Plantain, Buck's-horn Plantain, Eyebright, Glaucous Sedge and Carnation Sedge. In the heathier areas at Inga Ness we found a fine population of Mountain Everlasting along with Slender St.John's-wort, Ling, Bell Heather, Cross-leaved Heath, Yellow Rattle, Crowberry, Flea Sedge, Viviparous Fescue and Creeping Willow.

Primula scotica, Yesnaby

Primula scotica, Yesnaby

Los Afficionados on Coastal Heath with Coastal Grassland over their shoulders

Grass of Parnassus

Grass of Parnassus

Mountain Everlasting

Mountain Everlasting

Wild Thyme with white variant