Inshriach Forest: 29th April 2016
Woke to find it snowing fairly heavily, which it continued to do intermittently through the morning. We set out from Inveruglas for a walk through the Inshriach Forest to Uath Lochan and then on towards Loch Insh returning along the Badenoch Way. A nice enough walk. Many Tree Pipits around the Lochan and a nice pair of Crested Tits in the section beyond the Lochan. By the time we returned the temperature was rising and the precipitation distinctly wetter. Distance ~9km. By afternoon it reached 8 deg C – the warmest we have seen since we arrived in Scotland.
Plant of the day: Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris)
Native to Scotland and the only native British pine. Flaking grey and reddish bark. Needles in pairs, 10-14cm when young 4-8cm when mature. Buds resinous. Male flowers yellow, female pink-purple, May-Jun. Cones green in first year, then grey-brown, pointed oval, 3-7cm.
Maritime Pine (Pinus pinaster) is Britain’s only other naturalized pine (in Dorset). It has longer needles, 15-20cm and longer, prickly, shiny brown cones, 10cm.
Corsican Pine (Pinus nigra laricio) and Austrian Pine (P.n.nigra) occur in plantations parks and gardens. They have dark grey bark. Corsican Pine has long pale green needles (10-18cm) while in Austrian Pine they are 8-12cm and dark green.
Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta), introduced in 1851 as a forestry species, has dark red-brown bark, needles 3-10cm, cones small 2-5cm with a small prickle at the end of each cone scale.
Native to Scotland and the only native British pine. Flaking grey and reddish bark. Needles in pairs, 10-14cm when young 4-8cm when mature. Buds resinous. Male flowers yellow, female pink-purple, May-Jun. Cones green in first year, then grey-brown, pointed oval, 3-7cm.
Maritime Pine (Pinus pinaster) is Britain’s only other naturalized pine (in Dorset). It has longer needles, 15-20cm and longer, prickly, shiny brown cones, 10cm.
Corsican Pine (Pinus nigra laricio) and Austrian Pine (P.n.nigra) occur in plantations parks and gardens. They have dark grey bark. Corsican Pine has long pale green needles (10-18cm) while in Austrian Pine they are 8-12cm and dark green.
Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta), introduced in 1851 as a forestry species, has dark red-brown bark, needles 3-10cm, cones small 2-5cm with a small prickle at the end of each cone scale.