2024 County Report for Mid Perthshire

Jim McIntosh & Neale Taylor

8,660 records were made and added to the BSBI Database in 2024 by a total of 40 contributors. Remarkably, 700 of these records are of 46 native and mostly montane Nationally Rare or Scarce species. We are very grateful for notable contributions by NTS Ben Lawers staff Dan Watson & Lewis Donaghy; Wild Strathfillan surveyors, Ophélie Lasne, John Holland and Lindsay Mackinlay; Glen Lochay Estate surveyor, Innes Manders and for ad-hoc surveys by Faith Anstey, Anne Burgess and Matt Harding.

Neale validated 5,000 plant records from iRecord/Indicia (including records from iNaturalist) and moved them into the DDb. 1,500 iRecord/iNaturalist 2024 records were also validated and most will be moved onto the DDb in due course.

We helped Perth & Kinross Council survey proposed Local Nature Conservation Sites (pLNCS) for inclusion in the local development plan. Neale surveyed eleven and Jim surveyed three sites - some of which turned out to be very diverse. For example, six Nationally Scarce species had previously been found on the montane Creag Garbh site, on the south side of Loch Tay, but we found a further eight NS species including Draba norvegica (Rock whitlowgrass) and Micranthes nivalis (Alpine Saxifrage). A new hectad record of Juncus alpino-articulatus (Alpine Rush) was made at the Meall a’ Choire pLNCS, near Pitlochry and of Salix myrsinites (Whortle-leaved Willow) (photo) at the Meall Ban pLNCS, near Trinafour.  Jim also drafted a Rare Plant Register species list for Mid-Perthshire for council staff to help with site assessment. It is also available in the BSBI DDb.

After a gap of 30 years, Neale spent a few days partially resurveying Moncreiffe Hill near Perth, now a Woodland Trust site. This is still a work in progress, but the spread of brambles, non-native species and ticks, and the general lack of disturbance (resulting in the apparent loss of ruderal and similar species) are notable changes to the site.

Both species of Agrimony have been variously recorded at many of the same sites over the years. Jim began a small project to systematically collect fruiting Agrimonia from each population and carefully identify them.

Neale arranged for Brian Burrow, BSBI Referee to examine Alistair Godfrey’s hawkweed collection which he has inherited, and this yielded some interesting records:

• Hieracium argillaceum (Southern Hawkweed), bridge over River Almond – 1st vc record
• Hieracium sabaudum f. bladonii in Perth – first record of the species since 19th century, but the form bladonii appears to be spreading north and is new in the vc.
• Hieracium lasiophyllum (Stiff-haired Hawkweed), Pitcairns Glen in Ochil Hills – 2nd vc record
• Hieracium fucatifolium (Painted-leaved Hawkweed), Glen Lyon - first record since 19th century
• Hieracium scotostictum (Dappled Hawkweed) near Luncarty – first record since 19th century; found close to the location of the first record.

Field work during the year, which avoided Breadalbane and Highlands, areas which have been comparatively well visited, unexpectedly yielded three possible new Hieracium species to the UK as well as H. vagum (Glabrous-headed Hawkweed) - see below.

Jim continues to organize the annual Recording Week which aims to gather records in remote areas and help train a new generation of botanists - in West Ross in 2024 with plans for Glen Lyon in 2025. Neale was an Identiplant Tutor with 3 students. Faith Anstey and Dan Watson led groups on an enjoyable field day near and on Ben Lawers for the identification of grasses, sedges and rushes.