2020 County Report for North Aberdeenshire
David Elston & David Welch
Field visits were limited compared to other years due to Covid-19 travel restrictions. Whilst relatively few in number, these visits led to some notable discoveries as follows.
New records
- Alopecurus aequalis (Orange Foxtail), abundant in a seasonal pool at Sands of Forvie NNR. Discovered by David and Elsa Plant, excellent pictures taken later by Alison Peaker.
- Elytrigia × laxa, in sand dunes at the mouth of the River Ugie.
- Cotoneaster divaricatus (Spreading Cotoneaster), in an old quarry at Pitcaple, where it was probably planted.
- Vicia sepium (Bush Vetch) var. ochroleuca, along 100m of a roadside bank at Leslie, an attractive, large-flowered variety, rarely recorded in Great Britain.
Revisiting old locations
- Acer mono (Painted Maple), two trees along the entrance avenue to Fyvie Castle, confirming a 2002 NTS record.
- Chenopodium bonus-henricus (Good-King-Henry), just one flowering stem seen near Old Meldrum at a site known since 1998.
- Geranium pyrenaicum (Hedgerow Crane’s-bill), in an old quarry at Pitcaple, found here once before in 2011.
- Salix herbacea (Dwarf Willow), in rock crevices on Craigshannoch during a visit to show the colony on nearby Oxen Craig to staff from Forest and Land Scotland and from Aberdeenshire Council.
- Artemisia maritima (Sea Wormwood), on sea cliffs at Sands of Forvie NNR, confirming the continued existence of a colony last recorded in 1990 close to the species’ northern limit.
- Anagallis tenella (Bog Pimpernel), in coastal flushes at Rosehearty, substantially expanding the known population at its only 2000+ site.
