2020 County Report for Stirlingshire

Phil Sansum & Matt Harding

After a productive final Atlas year in 2019, botanising in VC86 ground to a near-halt in 2020 due to the pandemic restrictions. One new species was added to the vice-county flora, Impatiens noli-tangere (Touch-me-not-balsam), discovered during a survey of Burghmuir Ponds in Stirling; an excellent record. Examination of an interesting patch of waste ground next to the railway line at Cornton revealed Draba muralis (Wall Whitlowgrass) and Veronica peregrina (American Speedwell), the fourth and second modern records for the vice-county respectively. Veronica peregrina appears to be spreading in the region and more records are expected. A supermarket trip to Stirling also revealed Aethusa cynapium (Fool’s Parsley) in the car park – a locally scarce species but probably under-recorded. Elsewhere, locally interesting species including Carex riparia (Greater Pond-sedge), Bidens tripartita (Trifid Bur-marigold), Eleocharis acicularis (Needle Spike-rush), Neottia cordata (Lesser Twayblade) and Lysimachia europaea (Chickweed-wintergreen) were reported as present and correct at known localities.