Alpine saxifrage revisited

The trouble with a blog is that, just when one has most to write about, one is also busiest with other things. It's 9 days since I went back up Beinn Dorain to look for the Alpine Saxifrage (Saxifraga nivalis) I found last year (see The Perils of botanical identification) and I have only just found the time to write about it.

After some hours of climbing in showery weather I managed to find the ledge in the rock again, but there was initial disappointment that the plant was smaller and hadn't produced a flower this year. My disappointment soon disappeared when I found another plant in flower a couple of yards away. There was no doubt that this flower was Alpine Saxifrage.


We hunted around for other plants of interest and these seemed to be most abundant along a narrow band of crags which were presumably calcareous. They included Luzula spicata, perched on a ledge with a view of hills to the east.

The yellow heads of Roseroot (Sedum rosea) were easy to spot and a good indicator of likely ledges as it frequently had rare species as companions. It had been growing on the ledge where I found the first Alpine Saxifrage.


Towards the end of the day we found a rather unusual Buttercup with a mixture of shiny and hairy leaves and an unusually large flower.

Further research suggests that this is likely to be a rather rare variety of Meadow Buttercup - Ranunculus acris var. pumilus - which has only previously been found on the Cairngorms and Skye in the UK. Once again, we will need to return for further verification of its identity.

Ben Dorain

Yesterday was just about the most perfect day for hillwalking - dry, warm and sunny but with a fresh breeze.

I went up Ben Dorain, which always looks rather spectacular when seen from the south as you pass it by road or on the train.

Before starting the walk, I came face to face with these two red deer which were only a few yards from the car park.

The ascent from Bridge of Orchy station to the west of the hill is nothing like as steep as the south side. Ben Dorain itself is out of view on the right.

Near the top there were many colourful patches of Moss Campion (Silene acaulis) which seems to be flowering exceptionally well this year.

In a crack in the rock I found Roseroot (Sedum rosea), Scurvygrass (Cochlearia sp.) and Alpine Saxifrage (Saxifraga nivalis)*.

The view south from the summit looks down over the road and railway to the location of the first photo above.

From the summit there is a fine ridge walk.

The view north...

...and south

At the end of the walk I explored a tiny stream and found large numbers of Sundew plants (Drosera anglica and D. rotundifolia and their hybrid, D. x obovata). This one had caught a large fly.

*Note that I originally identified this as Starry saxifrage (Saxifraga stellaris) but it has since been identified as the much rarer Saxifraga nivalis.