On the moor

  On a sunny day, we went for a walk to Luibleathann bothy across the moor between Nuide and the Milton Burn.  The main vegetation is heather (Calluna vulgaris) which is just brown at the moment, but underneath was plenty of cowberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) with small pink buds.  These will open out to look like small white bells which will later form red berries. The leaves are shiny and evergreeen and the edges roll in towards the underside which is dotted.  Looking at the leaves is one way to distinguish it from other berried plants that grow on the moors.

Cowberry buds

Cowberry flowers

Cowberry leaves showing rolled-in edge and dots.

We stopped by a loop in the Milton Burn and there was a stand of bare bushes with catkins. 

Milton burn with a stand of Bog Myrtle beyond the man and dog!

From their position next to the burn I thought they would be Bog Myrtle (Myrica gale) but I had never seen the catkins before.  They gave out a puff of yellow pollen when touched.

Bog Myrtle catkins

Close up of Bog Myrtle catkin showing yellow pollen grains.

 West Highland Flora  says that plants are either all male or all female but can change sex from year to year! The pollen would make the plant I touched a male one.

There was not much else flowering, but some dead flower stalks of Yarrow (Achillea millefolia), identified from the small leaves at the base.

Yarrow - old flower stalk

Yarrow leaves

Luibleathann (Gaidhlig) probably Luib= loop, bend  + leathann= broad,  and it is by a loop in the Milton burn.