Kilpatrick Hills, West Dunbartonshire

The woods are carpeted with bluebells!

Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta)

The first Green-veined Whites (Pieris napi) and Peacock butterflies (Inachis io) are on the wing.
In the sheep-grazed fields below the Kilpatrick hills there are numerous Mottlegill mushrooms (Panaeolus acuminatus).

Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea), Bugle (Ajuga reptans), Cuckoo Flower (Cardamine pratensis), Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris) and Sun Spurge (Euphorbia helioscopia) are also flowering.

Bugle (Ajuga reptans)

Cuckoo Flower (Cardamine pratensis)

Cuckoo flowers have a pungent, bitter flavour and are high in vitamin C.

Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris)

Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris)

Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris)

....and this wee beauty is a Velvet Mite:

Kilpatrick Hills,West Dunbartonshire

Today I took another stroll through the woods South of the Kilpatricks, to make the most of this brilliantly sunny weather. Since there is only a short walk to the nearest bus stop I can take my time and footer about with my camera without the worry of getting back home.

The landscape in this area is composed of pasture-fields, planted mixed-woodland, blocks of forestry comission pines, rough grassland and heather moorland, with a few small patches of marsh, (poor quality)bog and tiny remnants of natural birch/rowan/ash forest. There are a number of reservoirs/lochs scattered throughout. Native trees were planted some years ago to the West of the Cochno Loch in an attempt to restore the natural woodland which once covered much of this area. The growth of these planted trees seems to be quite slow and the tallest specimens are still less than 2 metres in height.

Beech (Fagus sylvatica) :a photo-study:

I visited the 'hidden valley', which lies between the Hill of Dun and 'the Slacks', just above Bowling. This is a wee pocket of ancient woodland and a good place to see jays, green woodpeckers and (for awhile) peregrine falcons. A lone buzzard soared over to check me out and was subsequently mobbed by a pair of ravens. The first Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) are beginning to flower in the shelter of the valley and within a week or so, the entire forest floor will be a carpet of vibrant violet-blue. Sloe (Prunus spinosa) bushes are also just beginning to blossom.

The 'Hidden Valley'

Kilpatrick Hills, West Dunbartonshire

Glorious weather today: clear azure skies with not a wisp of cloud in sight, and the hills are sprinkled yellow with early spring flowers. The creamy custard-yellow of Primroses and the bold brash yellows of coconut-scented Gorse and Lesser Celandines are in rich abundance.

Primroses (Primula vulgaris)

Gorse (Ulex europaeus)

Lesser Celandine (Ranunculus ficaria)

Less visible, hidden amongst the grasses, are the first Common Dog Violets (Viola riviniana), Barren Strawberries (Potentilla sterilis) and (the often overlooked) Common Whitlow Grass (Erophila verna).

Barren Strawberry (Potentilla sterilis)

The Test is crammed with newt-poles, or newtlets...newtlings even. Whatever the term may be, they are only known as 'efts' once they have left the water. These cuties will eventually grow into Palmate Newts (Lissotriton helveticus).

This heavy stone gate post (now without gate) stands to the west of the gas-works near Carleith.



Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) is a shrub of many guises: in spring it is thickly clothed in pinkish-white 'may blossom', in summer it provides thick leafy cover for many small birds and insect larvae, autumn brings a heavy glut of pretty pillar-box red berries (a tasteless staple for birds) and by the end of winter, the Hawthorns stand thorny, naked and gnarled, awaiting their next transformation. Right now, even in their crone-stage, the Hawthorns have a haggard beauty of their own. I often wonder how old these trees are, they seem timeless, relentlessly clinging onto the bare hillsides.

Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)