Skye - I'm a Creep, I'm a Willow...

Made an incredible discovery yesterday, one that I'm really very excited about...the top of the hill in my square is fairly mundane cow-chomped sward with a few undulations and the crofter's house. Fairly uninspiring stuff, though plenty of flowers to be seen. These were both new additions to the tally

Sneezewort-  dotted about in the grassy sward

As Thom Yorke says, "I'm a Creep, I'm a Willow"...

I decided to venture over one uninspiring undulating slope and came to a shocked halt at the sight ahead of me...oh boy, oh boy, oh boy....I think I may have grinned somewhat!

Blody hell - I have a bog in the square!!!!

With a slight 'whoop' I ran down the slope and straight into a brand new habitat, with associated brand new species. Within moments I had recorded Carnation Sedge, Bog Asphodel, Bog Pondweed, Marsh Cinquefoil, Common Cottongrass, Marsh Lousewort, Marsh Speedwell, Star Sedge, Ragged Robin, Marsh Bedstraw, Cross-leaved Heath, Deer-grass and, best of all, Round-leaved Sundews amongst Pale Butterworts with Lesser Clubmoss alongside!!! Here's the proof

This is my favourite square foot of NG3963. AWESOME!!!

I have a thing for carnivorous plants and Pale Butterwort eluded me for many a year. You can imagine the glee on my face when I found these beauties! No idea what the Sphagnums are, I'll get back to them some other time. The whole bog is maybe only a couple of acres in extent but it kept me quiet for some time. The hopper Cicadella viridis was absolutely abundant and a stunning Volucella bombylans landed on a flowerhead nearby. It zoomed off before I could take a pic, but it was very, very smart!

Eventually I quit the boggy hollow and hit Uig Woods. Different habbo, different suite of species. Tree leaves are getting interesting at last with a few lep mines noted

Stigmella floslactella mine on Hazel leaf

Stigmella magdalenae mine on Rowan leaf

Sycamore white Spot Cristulariella depraedans on Sycamore leaf

 Also found in the woods was this monster!

Pedicia rivosa - one very smart cranefly!

All in all it was quite a successful outing. And, rather surprisingly, one that nudged me over the 800 species mark in my 1000 species in a 1km square Challenge. That bog has raised my hopes that amphibians may actually occur in my square. We shall see. Now the list, feel free to skip it!

765 - Plant - Bell Heather (simply overlooked until in flower)

766 - Plant - Viviparous Sheep's Fescue

767 - Plant - Sneezewort

768 - Plant - Creeping Willow

*discovered the boggy area!*

769 - Plant - Carnation Sedge

770 - Plant - Bog Asphodel

771 - Plant - Marsh Cinquefoil

772 - Plant - Bogbean

773 - Plant - Common Cottongrass

774 - Plant - Marsh Lousewort

775 - Bug - Cicadella viridis

776 - Plant - Marsh Violet

777 - Plant - Ragged Robin

778 - Plant - Marsh Bedstraw

779 - Plant - Marsh Speedwell

780 - Plant - Marsh Willowherb

781 - Plant - Cross-leaved Heath

782 - Plant - Bottle Sedge

783 - Plant - Round-leaved Sundew

784 - Plant - Star Sedge

785 - Plant - Bog Pondweed

786 - Plant - Many-stalked Spike-rush

787 - Plant - Pale Butterwort

788 - Plant - Lesser Clubmoss

789 - Plant - Deer-grass

790 - Moth - Antler Moth

791 - Hoverfly - Volucella bombylans

792 - Plant - Red Bartsia

793 - Plant - Short-fruited Willowherb

794 - Plant - Creeping Forget-me-not

795 - Moth - Phyllonorycter coryli 

796 - Cranefly - Pedicia rivosa - Lifer!

797 - Bug - Evacanthus interruptus

798 - Plant - Devil's-bit Scabious

799 - Fungus - Sawadaea bicornis (Sycamore Mildew)

800 - Gall-midge - Dasineura urticae

801 - Moth - Stigmella magdalenae

So, just 200 more species required to complete The Challenge. After that everything is a bonus...