Teabags and Halophytes

 More on the mystery parcel... it is part of a research project  to investigate halophytes.  Halophytes are plants that can cope with salt so they can grow by the sea or increasingly they have spread to the sides of salted roads.  Some have reached Newtonmore which is 45 miles from the coast, presumably from seeds in car tyres and carried on the wind. Here are the details of the current project:

I will be collecting some of the plants in Newtonmore and further afield if I see them.  If you want to help out, I'm sure Christopher would be pleased to hear from you (email above).  The plants are only just appearing so it is not too late to volunteer.  The parcel he sends you contains the materials for collecting, drying and logging your plant samples.

Another plant that is spreading, probably in car tyre treads is  Mossy Stonecrop (Crassula tilleaea).  It used to classed as scarce, and was missing from much of Britain as shown in the map below.

It appeared in North East Scotland and is making its way inland.  I found it in 2019 in the car park at the Folk Museum in Newtonmore.

Mossy Stonecrop (the red plants)

It is a succulent with fleshy leaves, and can grow from broken off parts.  Given that it is in the car park, it almost certainly arrived in a tyre tread.  It is easy to spot as although it is tiny, it is bright red so if you see it locally, let me know.