2024 County Report for South Aberdeenshire

Ian Francis

2024 saw around 4,200 plant records submitted, mostly through traditional lists or spreadsheets, with, so far, fewer than 100 via the BSBI Recording App. Numerous other records within other DDb workspaces (mainly pre-2024) remain to be processed. Around 30 observers submitted botanical records during the year, and I thank them all, along with Andy Amphlett and David Elston for advice and assistance.

Highlights included a new site for Saxifraga hirculus (Yellow Saxifrage) found by Simon Thomas in upper Deeside. This basic flush held 126 flowering spikes and at 880m is a new altitudinal record (750m previous highest). Earlier VC92 records involved translocations to Donside in the 1970s and 80s by David Welch, not seen since 2008. Simon’s peatland restoration surveys also yielded records of Drosera × obovata (anglica × rotundifolia) (Hybrid Sundew), rare in the eastern Highlands, and more widely, scrutiny of Trichophorum specimens produced the first definite record in VC92 of T. cespitosum s.s. (Northern Deergrass), and several hybrids – clearly much overlooked.

Along with many new hectad and red list records, and a number of Taraxacum VC firsts from David Elston, other notable finds included Oenanthe fistulosa (Tubular Water-dropwort) found by Lizzie Bacon near Lumphanan – first VC record, far north and probably introduced, and the second vice county record by Victoria Curley of Glyceria notata (Plicate Sweet-grass) on the Aberdeenshire coast. Finally, an excellent resurvey report on Aristavena setacea (Bog Hair-grass) in several vice-counties in North-East Scotland was produced by Mike Smedley.