2022 County Report for Dumfriesshire
Chris Miles
The year started with a New Year Plant Hunt in Dumfries. The Dumfriesshire Botany Group then went on to hold 10 meetings through the year. The last of these in September focused on lowland willows. Illustrated accounts of each of these with highlights of finds are available on the VC72 web page Dumfriesshire, v.c. 72 – Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland (bsbi.org) .
An introduction to Sedges and Rushes workshop was held for 15 participants on 18th June.
An exhibit highlighting eight particularly interesting finds in 2022 was presented at the Scottish Botanists' Conference in November. These included one first vice county record for Mudwort Limosella aquatica. New populations or refinds of other rare scarce or uncommon species locally include Frog Rush, Juncus ranarius, Coralroot Orchid Corallorhiza trifida and Adder's-tongue fern Ophioglossum vulgatum for which 7 new sites in 2022 was exceptional. Further details are available on the web page.
Further Hieracia were collected and sent to the Referee for determination or confirmation. These included Waterfall Hawkweed H. stenophyes restricted to the Southern Uplands and one that could be Rusty-red Hawkweed H. rubiginosum which would be a new VC record.
With some records still to be uploaded about eight thousand records will have been collected and entered into the DDB. This will include further recording in the Moffat Hills where monad coverage edges towards completion.
