When OZ announced his competition for this month,
https://charioteers.org/2011/05/05/9th-photo-competition-may/
I realised that there was only one photograph that I wanted to enter. It would take time but I vowed that I would do my best
Unfortunately, I live in a country where we never quite know what the weather will do next and I only had the weekends. I knew that I could set off from Embra on a glorious and sunny day only to arrive at my destination, less than 70 miles away, in a howling gale with torrential rain and zero visibility. It’s what we Jocks have to endure and it goes a long way to explain our cheery view of life.
On Saturday, as the sands of the hourglass ran out for OZ’s photo, I bit the bullet and took off northwards. Wanted to make a day of it and had identified a few other ports of call. I am an Army brat. It follows that I am proud of my father and have respect for all servicemen. So, memorials mean a lot to me.
Colonel Sir Archibald David Stirling was the founder of the SAS. His monument stands next to the B road between Dunblane and Doune. If you look very carefully, you will see that his statue is now gazing straight at a wind farm.
I found my visit there very moving. Please feel free to make up your own mind about him.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Stirling
Pressing on, I drove up through Callander, famed for being filmed as Tannochbrae for ‘Dr Finlay’ purposes. Upwards and onwards to Lochearnhead as Munros rose before me. Tight roads and nowhere to stop as the parking spaces were mainly full (Bank Holiday). I became aware of a blue sheen in the woods to the sides of the road. I knew what it was but could not find a good place to stop. Eventually found an indifferent place and took an indifferent photo.
We call them Bluebells and I am indebted to CO for the knowledge that Southrons call them Harebells. Slightly past their best but still a joy to see them carpeting the woods.
Up past the tree line and then dropping back down again to Loch Tay, Round the bend into Killin and there were the Falls of Dochart. Definitely worth a visit if you happen to be passing.
Back to that changeable weather. Two minutes drive from the Falls and looking towards Ben Lawyers, When did you last see a Belisha Beacon, by the way?
Three minutes further down the road and about to turn left over the flank of said Ben Lawyers.
Five minutes on again and here’s the view back down to Loch Tay.
Down to Glen Lyon and memories flooding back of Scout Camps past. More about that another time. But, as I passed the place where I dug latrines and lost a cartilage, I was proud to see that the local Jock sheep were still doing the hard stare at any passers by.
And so to the aged photograph. Fortingall, at the other end of Glen Lyon, has a yew tree which is, allegedly, at least 2,000 years old and which, reputedly, shaded the infant Pontius Pilate before he took off to Jerusalem to get it seriously wrong judgementally in re Jesus v Barabbas.
Whatever, the yew is undoubtedly aged. Just a shame that the weather was in grumpy mode when I got there.
And this is the entry which I know is rubbish but it is definitely on theme and I really enjoyed the day that was in the taking of it. The markers show the girth of the tree (52 feet) when it was measured in the 18th Century before the locals started chopping off bits to sell to the tourists.
Boadicea's Chariot 
Good post thanks for the reminder on the photo comp, I’d forgotten!
Those look like bluebells to me, JM, albeit not at their best. My idea of harebells is a different wild flower with a single bloom of a slightly paler hue.
Forgot to say thank you for the photos, JM. Looks like you had some decent weather. My cousin had a big tree down in his garden on the Firth of Clyde last week because of the wind.
We called them bluebells in the South – and they are quite different from harebells:
Bluebells
Harebell
Still whatever they are good pictures!
Them’s harebells as I know them, Boadicea!
Excellent photos JM, and a lovely,interesting post. 10/10
Lovely blog and images, John. Felt as thought I was doing The Trossachs And Beyond! tour. Interesting too to read about the man who gave his name to Stirling Lines in Hereford. Shame his attempt to oust Gaddafi way back then wasn’t successful!
That yew is astonishing – and right on subject. You have made me think that we should have turned right at Crianlarich instead of left… 😉
JM The pictures you show are English bluebells. IE the bells all hang from one side of the stem.
The bluebells shown by BO are Spanish bluebells, the bells hang all round the stem.
Both grow everywhere these days and can interbreed. The English are much more delicate looking when viewed side by side.
BO’s harebell is somewhat suspicious.
It is obviously of the campanula family but is doubtful whether it is campanula rotundifolia, the common upland harebell. They have multiple flowers per stem, it is very similar but only one terminal flower per stem.
JM harebells do not grow in woods, bluebells do. Harebells grow in open spaces, heaths, banks with better drainage.
The two are not the same species but I really cannot vouch for who calls which what where and how many people mistake the two!
Jesus, did nobody here have any sort of botany lesson in their lives?
In my book it is not a lot of point actually photographing things if you have no idea of what you are taking pictures.
Duly noted for the comp, JM.
OZ
CO, good evening.
So, what you are telling me is that the woods of my ain dear land are infested with bluidy English bluebells which are waltzing, or polkaing, their way up here and spreading themselves everywhere?
The sooner we rebuild Hadrian’s Wall to stop all this sort of nonsense the better, in my opinion.
It’s enough to make Jimmy Shand turn in his grave.
A UK Pop Number 1 in its time, by the way.
Whatever, loads of smiley things. In seriousness, thanks for taking the time and trouble to give me both barrels of a fine and deserved rant about my lack of flora-type knowledge.
To be fair to myself, I did get 20/20 in a botany test in First Year but that was 1960 and it may well be that I have forgotten a wee bit of that which I used to know.
Excellent post, Mr Mackie, and carry on snapping, is all I say.
When CO starts to get to grips with PC’s and matters technological , then I may just may decide that further study of things botanical may be essential to my life, but probably not.
As CO has said, why keep a dog and etc, my neighbour is the fount of such knowledge should I need it!
Christina, when I was told as a child that these flowers were called bluebells and those were called harebells, I believed what I was told. All the harebells I have come across have been on heathland and have had one terminal flower per stem.I shall in future closely scrutinise every bluebell plant I see.
JM, it is indeed shocking that English bluebells have invaded our homeland, but would you prefer Spanish ones? Don’t you think Jimmy Shand looks awfy old in that clip?
Aye weel, Ara and good evening.
I really am grateful to CO for her botanical input because I did get hold of the wrong end of the stamen when I was last involved in a bluebell debate with her. Totally my fault. Frantic googling tonight has got me a bit less confused. Still struggling but I think that I am now a wee bit clearer on the Harebell/Bluebell thing.
My position at the moment is that my photograph is of the species ‘Hyacinthoides non-scripta’ or Common Bluebell which is endemic to our country, with 70% of the entire world’s population thereof being British. Google could, of course, be wrong.
So, I apologise for my reference to Hadrian’s Wall. These British bluebells have an absolute right to be carpeting the woods of Caledonia (stern and wild), in my opinion.
From one source –
From another source –
Gilbert remarks “Sussex harebells? Thems like young Boadicea’s snap.” 🙂
Well yes, of course these British Bluebells have a right. Anything, apparently, is better than the Spanish variety.
I remember the last Bluebell War, sorry post, and I wouldn’t want a re-run. 😦
CO is correct the flowers by JM are British bluebells, thin stems and thin leaves with flowers hanging to one side. The first one by BO is Spanish bluebell that now infests the Kent countryside and is slowly destroying our native bluebell by interbreeding.
The second by BO is indeed a harebell found on heath land.
CO is a star. 🙂
Botany came as part of the bundle known as ‘Nature Studies’ in primary school – and, at less than ten years of age, we were not taught the difference between English and Spanish bluebells, nor given their Latin names… thereafter it was strictly Physics, Chemistry and Biology – the two latter I gave up at fourteen in favour of languages – at the same time that I gave up Geography in favour of History.
I flatly refuse to be ‘crushed’ for my lack of knowledge about either subject, since, like others here, I’m pretty knowledgeable about other things …
My pictures were intended purely for John’s enlightenment… alas that he seems not to have seen them 🙂
Boadicea,
You are a star. 🙂
Good evening, Boadicea.
Saw them on my return from daily toil, enjoyed them and it was said pictures which first sent me off in so many different directions, google-wise. You are indeed a star.
I don’t really expect any proper botanical knowledge, just passing knowledge of our common British flowers! After all a lot of you must have seen them in your childhood.
The harebell question, I suspect that the single flowered ones are to be found in marginal sites, an economy practised by the flower to survive, it may well be a sub alpine aub species, which you would not find without a very extensive flora. I know the one on the Yorkshire moors all have 4-6 flowers per stem, but small, 15mm top to bottom.
This subspecies thing in adverse circumstances is very common here as you go up Mt Baker. At 5000′ rowan trees are 6’shrubs with pink berries but quite recognisable as rowans which are trees below. It is interesting to watch species shrink and mutate as they creep up the mountain.
Unfortunately you can rarely access all this kind of thing on the internet without paying. You get the bog standard variety and that’s it.
JK Hadrian’s Wall should definitely be rebuilt, all sorts of things can be kept in and out!!!
Last thing you want is spic bluebells! Can’t think of anything worse!!! (Foul lies and calumny!)
Keep your own triffids.
Hi, Sheona. I do indeed. I was in half a mind not to post it for that very reason. 92 when he died. I have many fond memories of him from ‘White Heather Club’ etcetera.
In re British v Spanish bluebells, I fear that the battle may have been lost.
On the evening of Friday 6th May, I drove up to the top of Holyrood Park to watch the Dear Leader’s helicopter landing at Prestonfield House as he made his triumphal entry into Embra as head of an SNP government with an overall majority.
Bad enough but then I looked down and just below me was this flower.
So, not only do we have grey squirrels and SNP MSP’s in Embra, we also have Dago bluebells. It’s a worry.
I despaired for a second or two and then watched a heron flying down to land beside the lochan below me.
Well, that cheered me up and then I got positively over exuberant when, driving back, I snapped the doorman at ‘The Balmoral’, formerly known as ‘The North British’. His happy grin as he waited to welcome guests was an inspiration.
I returned home that night, convinced that we could still do something about Salmond and the Nats and saving the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Not quite so sure about saving the red squirrels and the British bluebells, in all honesty.