A mixed bag (Days 31 - 40)

Day 36 - My Valentine Days Picture of Jim

I now seem to be getting into the swing of this and must admit to finding it a little easier with the odd day of sunshine - ok that may be an exaggeration, but it hasn't rained every day and it could be described as positively bright on occasion!

Day 31 - Snowdrops: The flower of hope

Spring is definitely on the way and my snowdrops (a topic I have previously covered) have put on a good show over the last few weeks, the daffodils are starting to poke their heads up and so are the croci.

Day 32 - Heather showing some early colour

Strangely enough my heather has also started to bloom, which I was not expecting until May or June! However these are probably confused plants as I rescued them from a B & Q store last year for 50p as they were essentially dead!

Day 33 - Clouds lift to show the snow capped mountains of Arran

For most of the last few weeks we have had snow on the mountains and when the clouds clear this looks awesome. Inviting and scary all at the same time; Arrans mountains are definitely not to be underestimated in full winter conditions.

Day 34 - A visit to the Business Gateway office

The bad days have seen me catching up with paperwork - a worthwhile exercise as the tax man has now paid me back some money - and I'm starting to get ready for the coming season.  I always find it interesting to see how other people work and am amazed at the different styles of office (good and bad).  Not everyone has a tuba sat in the corner.  But that's what you can find in Derek Shand's office.

Day 35 - Surreal steam

Thursday afternoon was another cold one, and I was running a catch up session for a couple of students where we needed to be outside, so I took the opportunity to grab a shot of the stream before returning home.

Day 37 - North Glen Sannox bridge

Friday the 14th was memorable, and not just for being Valentines day. It started bitterly cold and yet again my students turned up for their outside lesson the last one of a short course where all their skills are put into practice - hard when fingers are frozen to the core! In the final exercise I found some warmth in the Holy Isle Ferry cabin on Lamlash pier where Jim (see above) was good enough to let me photograph him.  Men with beards are very photogenic and this is my favourite picture from the last 10 days. The afternoon brought the island to a standstill with vicious snow storms and howling gales.

Day 38 - Remains of Kildonan castle 

A free weekend loomed and I was frustrated at not being able to get into the mountains due to a leg injury but shorter low level walks, just to the snow line kept me out of trouble and meant that I could take both dogs (Bowser isn't fit enough to do full mountain days).  A saunter up North Glen Sannox followed by a day on the beach at Kildonan ensured I had sufficient exercise and fresh air.

Day 39 - Watson

Monday came round quickly, and with it more of the wet stuff - it's hard to believe we were all screaming drought two years ago. Tuesday and day 40 was fine again in the afternoon, so I decided to take a walk somewhere a bit different to usual and explored a little of the coast around Imachar.  The sea was calm so it was great for bird spotting - albeit the majority were too far away for a photo.  The Eider duck seem to have survived the storms well and large flocks floated off the shore, along with smaller groups of razorbills.  Other divers were there (photo's still being looked at for id purposes) including the Great Northern Diver, Black and Red Throated divers.

Day 40 - Shags at Imachar 

Snowdrops - the flower of hope

Snowdrops in woodland on Arran

The scientific name is Galanthus nivalis, which means snowy milk white flowers This very delicate little flower is the harbinger of spring across Europe and is found both in the wild, and in gardens.  Its wild habitat is mainly woodland, but it can also be found in meadows, pastures, on stony ground and near water. 

A new Snowdrop 

One of the reasons the snowdrop is popular in gardens is its ability to survive most environments without any interference from the gardener!

Snowdrop - The head emerges and initially stands upright

Now I have to admit being a little confused by the literature on this little plant as it is described in some texts as being ‘near threatened’, yet it is easy to find in most locations and there are millions of plants sold each year in garden centres, but these are of the ‘non threatened’ variety. Overall there are 19 types of snowdrop.

Snowdrop - Drooping into the classic pendant

All snowdrops are found in CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna).  Under this convention, restrictions are put on trade to prevent over harvesting particularly from the wild. 

Snowdrop - The flower head starts to open

In most countries it is illegal to collect bulbs from the wild, although there are a few minor exceptions with a CITES permit. Horticultural nurseries tend to use stock from bulb offsets or seeds with many collected from estates around the UK in a managed way to ensure sustainability. Like most species at risk, it is due to loss of habitat from building and recreational ground.

Now I may have been confused by how threatened, or not, the snowdrop is, but that is nothing compared to trying to decipher the technical description of the flower.  Apparently it does not have petals! 

A Snowdrop has tepals and not petals

So just what are those white things that look just like petals (to me). The flower head is made of 6 perianth segments or tepals. Whatever the bits are called, it is truly beautiful inside.

The leaves are smooth and slender and nearly as tall as the flowering stalk.  Each bulb produces one single flower which initially stands tall before drooping to the classic pendant we all recognise. 

Snowdrops have an attractive centre

These little white pearls hide a beautiful centre which can only be seen if you take the time to grovel on the ground and gently lift the drooping head.  

Snowdrop - the beautiful centre is often missed

The common snowdrop does have some medicinal uses as it contains galanthamine which can be used to treat traumatic injury to the nervous system and Alzheimer’s.  But it also contains lectin which can be used as an insecticide.  So although it may have medicinal properties if large quantities of the plant and bulb were eaten it is poisonous to humans, causing vomiting and diarrhoea. But lets not dwell on unpleasant subjects.  

Gorse bush

Other plants coming into flower include the gorse bush and wild raspberry canes.

Wild raspberry cane

Oh and in doing my research I found out that some places in Scotland do starlight snowdrop walks - how lovely.