Spring has come
Throughout March we spotted some brilliant signs of spring at Dundreggan.
Our aspen are in flower! Below are some photos of the flowering aspen. The smaller catkins are female, the others are male. If you look closely you can see pollen on the males.
Bottom left, a Rannoch brindled beauty moth, a rarity in the UK, only found in Scotland and quite rare here too. The female is flightless and sits about on fence posts (where trees are unavailable) and the males find her using her pheromone trail.
Middle right, is a male lichen running spider in the aspen tunnel. A UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority species, listed as in decline. A very welcome find.
Last, but by no means least, a family of badgers. With their distinctive striped faces, the badger is an unmistakable animal in the forest, but as a nocturnal species, are rarely seen. |