Fuzzy Felt

To have even the slightest chance of successfully seeing a thousand species of plant this year, I need to visit known sites that hold known plant species. One such site is Leitir Fura on the Sleat Peninsular in the southern part of Skye. It's an area of extensive woodland with open hilltops and a number of waterfalls and caves. It's also reputed to be about the most reliable spot on Skye to see Adders. I guess I've just been unlucky. Repeatedly.

The undoubted botanical highlight at Leitir Fura, as far as I know, is Killarney Fern. Last year I found gen for four caves where it occurs. I tried three of the caves, found it in each and then found it at a new site too. A short while later, I went back with Neil Spiderman Roberts and we found it in a couple more caves. Chances are there's loads of it down there, it's hardly a well-explored area.

Path to Leitir Fura marked in red, the blue dots are the Killarney Fern caves 

I was accompanied on my Killarney Fern Quest by one of the new lasses at work. She professed an interest in the outdoors and the bosses kindly said, "Seth will take you out, he knows everywhere. But there will always be some kind of a mission involved". Not that I knew any of this until she realised we shared the same days off work and invited herself out with me. Happily, she's a complete nutter and we get along very well together. 

One thing that seems to be rather poorly understood is the distribution of oak species across Skye. Ignoring the occasional planted alien tree, there shouldn't really be too many issues; are they Pedunculate or Sessile or are both present? In reality things seem a bit more complicated than that with the default setting seemingly being 'intermediate oak'. I guess getting to grips with Skye's oaks could be a useful project for the Botany Group to tackle once the fern project finishes next spring. All of which is the long-winded explanation for this next image being captioned Quercus sp (and nothing at all to do with the fact I didn't check it properly...) 

Quercus sp in flower

Pushing onwards, and occasionally covering as much as a hundred feet before the wee lady needed to stop and take yet more pics...bless, we eventually covered the two miles walk and arrived at the point where we had to clamber down through the trees and enter the Lost World that the Killarney Fern calls home. 

Now might be a good time to explain that Killarney Fern is a little unusual, even for a fern. It comes in two forms - one form has fronds much like any other fern (the sporophyte generation) and doesn't occur on Skye. The other form looks just like green fuzzy felt (the gametophyte generation) and that's the one that does occur on Skye. Tiny tufts of green fuzzy felt growing on dry ledges in damp caves. To quote from this JNCC site: 

Most sporophyte populations are very small. However, the gametophyte generation has been recorded from numerous localities (Rumsey et al. 1998), persisting in a state of indefinitely suspended development under present conditions.

I'm not properly clued up on how the gametophytes came to be dotted around the countryside, or how long they are able to survive in their 'indefinitely suspended development', but I suspect each tiny clod of fuzzy felt is very ancient indeed. Certainly I wouldn't pick a bit just to have a closer look. Thus far I've yet to find a clump growing anywhere accessible enough that I can bring my eye to it rather than the other way around, they do grow in annoyingly tight spots! Anyway, here's the shitpics I know you've all been waiting for

Killarney Fuzzy Felt Trichomanes speciosum with sprigs of moss

Killarney Fern is one of those plants that I love. Partly because it's so damned unusual, partly because it's a rare find, but mostly because Ghostie hasn't seen it. Gloat? Moi? How very rude!

Outside of the cave entrance we soon found a ledge full of my first Wood Anemones of the year, always a joy to see. 

"Oi, Man Slut! What are these pretty white flowers over here?"

So yeah, I seem to have acquired a new nickname. Not my idea. Here, have some pics of the 'pretty white flowers'

Wood Anemone Anemone nemorosa

I decided (wrongly) that the images were way too bright, so played about a bit with the camera settings. Definite improvements on the depth of field, but overall far too dark. I could probably fix them by editing, but would more likely ruin them entirely. Anyway, here are the results from my tinkering with stuff I know nothing about

And I liked how this one turned out, it looks as though it's taking a bow!

We quit the Killarney Fern caves and headed back to the car. Two miles each way, a bit of faffing once on site, and a mere FIVE HOURS had passed! I feel we may need to start our days out together somewhat earlier in the future. Either that or I'll have to confiscate that phone of hers...

I ended the day with 556 out of the hoped for 1000 species safely secured. Not too shabby for the end of March!

Music time again folks. Why this track? Well, I guess it's just too bloody bangin' not to be aired once in a blue moon. Plus Fergie's in it... Hope you enjoy!