Collecting P. sylvestris from the mòine àrdaich.

[Michael P]

I like your conservation and natural history posts! And I would like to see the deer skull. Skulls have been used in many bonsai compositions, mostly cheesy. But Nick Lenz did some great ones.

 

[Lara_Ericacious]

And I would like to see the deer skull.

Soaked it in a tub of water for a month or two before leaving it in 6% hydrogen peroxide for a week to bleach and clean it up.

 

[Lara_Ericacious]

Bog pine #1 has some kind of adelgid infestation. Sprayed with provanto smart bug killer. Will respray in a week.

 

[TomB]

Yes we have them too, I've had thoughts on how to utilize these native species as kusamono and accent plants

I've had zero success with transplanting bilberries for use as accents. I think they rely on fungal associations in the soil.

 

[Lara_Ericacious]

Good to know @TomB
How were they transplanted and what sort of substrate have you used?

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Just a little post to keep my bogland activities up to date. No pines this time, sorry.

In June I spent a week doing conservation work on the west coast, one of the days was birch pulling in a raised bog.
Other species we removed were Picea sitchensis and Rhododendron ponticum.

Sharing some of my finds.

My first time seeing Drocera (rotundiflora... I believe) one of three species of carnivorous plants in the UK.
It would be quite interesting to try and cultivate drocera, possibly in the water which I grow my taxodium distichum.

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This little frog guy
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Some quite dehydrated Polytrichum strictum (bog haircap moss) native to sphagnum bogs. I find the colours and forms of bog mosses fascinating, but ive much to learn.
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This little lizard guy hanging out on the boardwalk as we had lunch.
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I took more photos on my 35mm which I've yet to develop.

There were also quite a few dragonflies, damsen flies etc, but very hard to photograph.

Thanks.
E.L.L

I have cultivated drosera for years, sphagnum peat moss and rain water are the best. They don't need anything else. Locally I found them growing in sand too, as long as it's soaking wet every winter and spring.
Some are in the pond basket in the water. Others I kept in black peat with a layer of sphagnum on top.

Sometimes they have a little mutation and grow heart shaped leaves, those are the best. But they never do that for a long time. You can multiply them pretty rapidly by taking one of those hairy leaves and put them in boiled and cooled sugar water (10 grams / L).
Cover it with foil and put it in a light location. Change the water every couple of days. In about three to four weeks, they should send out little clones from the center of the leaf. Usually one per leaf, but I have seen more.
Watch out though, the drosera family is wild and comes in a variety of forms and shapes, you might get hooked and leave the forum for more carnivorous pastures.
But cool as drosera are, nothing beats byblis. I hope to own a couple in the future.

 

[TomB]

Good to know @TomB
How were they transplanted and what sort of substrate have you used?

Nothing special, get as much root as possible and so on.
Substrates I've tried have ranged from the native soil they were growing in, to acidic substrates such as kanuma/akadama mixes. The plants have always weakened and died over a period of months.
If you do it successfully, be sure to share the details!

 

[oranjeaap]

The bog was quite dry and covered in Heather (unsure on species, something i will learn to ID for future posts.)

We have similar landscapes like that. Mostly covered with Calluna vulgaris and sometimes some Erica species.
We use sheep, they eat all the seedlings of the birch and other trees. The sheep are taken back to their stables each afternoon so when they poop it doesnt fertileze the soil, keeping the soil arrid and low in nutrients. When the heather blooms the smell and beauty it just something magical you cant describe.

 

[Lara_Ericacious]

Bog pine #3

Was out on the bog today.
Just got home and stuck this in a pot quick.
Will post more detailed updates about my day and hopefully better photos of the pine soon. I need to eat and bathe first.







It's a weird thing. Takes up half my balcony

 

[Lara_Ericacious]

So yesterday,
Bog I've not visited before. Though I have hiked past it a couple years ago.
It's a very well maintained raised bog, though due to our weather this year it was fairly dry underfoot.

We pretty much spread out in a line, and walked the breadth of the bog, pulling saplings as we go. Not unlike how a police body search is shown in TV programs. The saplings were few and far between, and rarely were tools needed to cut them from the sphagnum. Mostly just pulled out.
The saplings were denser around the perimeter as expected, predominantly Betula pendula, and rarely Pinus sylvestris, Picea sitchensis and Larix × eurolepis.
Its great to see a bog in good condition as this, but because there was so little work to do it felt like we hadn't done much! The hardest work was simply walking in a straight line across the bog. Often having to straddle over tussocks, minding where one steps. My ankles and calfs are sore today.


Heathers, tussocks, and I believe the lighter orange/red to be Vaccinium oxycoccos (wild cranberries)


Sphagnum subnitens.


Cladonia chlorophaea top and Cladonia portentosa below.


Sphagnum fallax.


Polytrichum commune, with reproductive capsules.


Sphagnum capillifolium.


Macrothylacia rubi (fox moth catapiller)


Knautia arvensis (common scabious) being visited by a bee.


A healthy pool.


Cladonia floerkeana. Showing red/orange apothecia.


My favorite photo of the day, Cladonia portentosa and sphagnum capillifolium.

I also saw frogs, snipe and a pheasant. A fun day!

Until next time...
Cheers.
E.L.L