2023 County Report for East Ross & Cromarty
Brian R Ballinger and Mary Dean
More than 7,600 records were made in 2023. Many parts of the Vice-County were visited and we are grateful for all the contributions, especially those from remote mountain areas. We also visited some conservation sites, including a hill farm and a new community woodland at Dingwall.
A joint BSBI/BSS/Inverness Botany Group Field Meeting was held at Tain on 25th May. We were pleased to be joined by members of the Tain Field club. Crassula tillaea (Mossy Stonecrop) was frequent on the paths and there were very large areas of Zostera (Eelgrass) by the shore. Further on Cerastium arvense (Field Mouse-ear), so rare in VC106 lately, was spotted by the roadside.
New finds included another new Linnaea borealis (Twinflower) site at Swordale recorded by Chris Gray and a new VC record for Chenopodium ficifolium (Fig-leaved Goosefoot) at Aultguish made by Matt Harding.
Talks in 2023 (BRB):
22nd September Botanical Society of Scotland’s Urban flora conference at the Royal Society of Edinburgh. “Urban habitats and Walls.”
11th September Highland Biological Recording Group. A short talk “Urban and Rural Habitats in Easter Ross.”
Articles in 2023 (BRB):
BSBI News “Plants in Urban and Rural Habitats in Easter Ross“ 154. 17-20
BSBI Scottish Newsletter “Local Botany -Pre-existing Societies or Local Groups”. 45. 62-63
BSS News “Urban and Rural Shores“ 120. 31-34
BSS News “Flora of Industrial Estates in Easter Ross”121. 35-38