The Tale of Ghillie Dhu

There is a man lives in the woods, Lives in the woods, lives in the woods, There is a man lives in the woods, And his name is Ghillie Dhu!

Chorus And he plays upon a whistle, A whistle, a whistle, And he plays upon a whistle, And his name is Ghillie Dhu.

Words by Claire Hewitt Illustrated by Andrew Evans There’s a magical realm on the western fringes of Scotland where damp green cloaks the valleys, and trees are draped with the flowing finery of miniature lichens and mosses – some found nowhere else on Earth. This special, enchanted place is Scotland’s rainforest.

2 The Tale of Ghillie Dhu In the middle of one such rainforest, there is an ancient oak tree. Father Oak is home to so many creatures and plants, big and small, more than you or I could count on all our fingers and toes. There’s wise old Owl, coming home after a night’s hunting and Red Squirrel leaping from branch to branch. And if you look closer at the roots of Father Oak, there’s wee Snail and Spider crawling about the springy mounds of mouse-tail moss.

Look closer still, past the glistening dark filmy ferns and delicate featherworts, and there you might spot a wee door – so small you may miss it. And if you opened that door and peeked inside, you would see a staircase running up the inside of the tree to a small room. It’s here that a wee man called Ghillie Dhu lives.

Our story begins early one morning. It was springtime and Ghillie Dhu had been fast asleep all winter long in his cosy bed of thistledown and soft moss, but it was time for him to wake up and see how his beloved forest had fared through the winter.

3 The Tale of Ghillie Dhu Sure enough, the birds were singing, the sun was shining and the And as he sat happily watching the forest spring to life, Ghillie first bees humming, so he leapt out of bed, whistling as he made Dhu gazed at the bark of one of the old hazel trees. Suddenly, himself a cup of nettle and dandelion tea, which he drank from a his eyes focused on the script lichen that only he and the Faerie hazelnut shell. Then pulling on his old coat, shoes and hat, down folk could read, and it said this: the stairs he skipped. ‘Come forest friends to the Faerie Mound, “Good morning Father Oak, Let’s feast and sing and dance around Good morning Owl, Squirrel and Snail, To celebrate the returning sun, Good morning all my friends of the forest. Come join us in some forest fun! Wake up! It’s springtime.” The Faerie King and Queen’ And off went Ghillie Dhu through the “Do you know there’s going to be a greening forest, looking here and there springtime party?” he excitedly asked all to see that all was well and calling to everyone as he went. his friends back at Father Oak. “Lichens, mosses, liverworts, “Twooooooo...,” replied Owl, “but look at In shady woodlands grow, yooooou! The Faerie King and Queen will On bark of trees, on stone and rock, never allow you in the Faerie hall dressed By gentle burns that flow. like that!” Specklebelly and forest star, “Whatever do you mean?” asked Ghillie Mouse-tail moss and earwort, Dhu, as Squirrel sniggered. Where earth is wet and air is clear, “Well,” said Spider, “look at your clothes, they’ll You bring to us great woodland cheer!” need more than a stitch and a mend, Ghillie Dhu.” The sun rose in the sky and the soft rain fell. Ghillie And the wee man went to look at himself in a puddle Dhu came to a burn and decided to take a rest on a rock by of still clear water and saw that moths had been eating holes some hazel trees. Nibbling at a hazelnut that Squirrel had kindly in his coat. And just look at his hat! Oh dear, the mice had shared with him, left over from her winter store, he listened as nibbled it while he was sleeping. Yes, indeed, he needed a new the songbirds sang their sweet spring songs, accompanied by the set of clothes and if he was to go to the party, he’d have to start humming of the bees as they danced in the sunlight. making them NOW!

4 The Tale of Ghillie Dhu “What shall I make first?” Ghillie Dhu asked Spider. “Why, a new jacket,” replied Spider as she spun some fine thread to stitch his new clothes with. “But what shall I make it from?” asked Ghillie Dhu. “Well,” said Snail slowly, “I hear the largest lichen of the forest makes the finest coats – the brilliant green lungwort.” So off Ghillie Dhu went and found some growing on the bark of the oak, rowan and willow. “What beautiful shades of green it is,” he said to Blackbird as she sang her sweet song to the morning sun. “Indeed, it will make a fine coat.” So he carefully gathered just enough, then he cut and stitched, and soon had made the finest coat that you or I have ever seen. “You’ll be needing some buttons for your jacket,” said Hazel tree as she dropped three nuts down from her branches that Squirrel had missed last autumn. Then Ghillie Dhu took the miniature filmy ferns, pixie cups and prickly featherwort, then with the finest of stitches, decorated the hem and the pockets with them. Then when he had finished, everyone agreed it was indeed the finest coat they had ever seen in the forest.

5 The Tale of Ghillie Dhu “Now,” said Spider, “a pair of breeks is what you need.” “And with all that dancing, you’ll be needing a belt,” sniggered “But what shall I make them from?” asked Ghillie Dhu. Spider. “You’ll not be wanting your breeks to fall down!” “Well,” said Snail, as she slowly made her way towards a tasty “Try some of this hard fern,” said Snail slowly as she slid down from leaf, “I hear that oak leaves make the finest breeks.” So off a leaf. “I hear it makes the strongest of belts.” Ghillie Dhu ran to the nearest oak tree. So Ghillie Dhu took the fern fronds, then twisted and plaited them “Father Oak, I need some new spring leaves to make to make the finest belt you or I have ever seen in the forest. a pair of trousers for the Faerie King and Queen’s party. Could you spare a few please?” “And now,” said Squirrel, “you’ll be needing a hat. Try this!” Squirrel gave Ghillie Dhu an acorn cup – and it fitted perfectly. Father Oak shook his branches and down fell “How does that look?” he asked, leaping from one foot to another. some soft green leaves. And Ghillie Dhu “Ah,” said Owl as she fluttered down, “one last thing – a feather for cut and stitched, and he made the finest your cap.” And from her tail she pulled out a beautiful small feather. pair of breeks that you or I have ever seen in “Oh, thank you so much Owl. My hat is now the finest hat that you the forest. or I have ever seen in the forest!” “And now Ghillie Dhu, you’ll be needing a new And indeed it was. pair of dancing shoes,” said Spider. “Well,” said Snail slowly as she finally reached So Ghillie Dhu put on his coat of the tasty green leaf, “I hear the bark of downy lungwort and his breeks of soft oak birch makes the finest shoes.” leaves, a belt of braided hard fern “Lady of the forest,” Ghillie Dhu called to the birch, and boots of woven birch – with “may I take some of your bark to make a pair of an acorn hat upon his head shoes, please?” and his whistle in his pocket. And And because Ghillie Dhu was always so kind and he proclaimed: cheery, and would spin and dance about her roots, “To the Faerie Mound my she said: “Of course you may.” feet are bound, So he took the finest of birch bark, thanked the tree To welcome in the spring.” and made the finest pair of shoes you or I have ever Then he took a beautiful dog violet flower seen in the forest. and put it in his buttonhole.

6 The Tale of Ghillie Dhu “You are the finest Ghillie Dhu in the whole of Scotland,” all his friends cried, as he did a hop and a skip and sang a cheery song to thank them all. “Now it’s time I was going,” he said. “Hop on my back and I’ll take you there,” said Owl. And through the trees Owl glided so, so quietly. Ghillie Dhu looked down at the green, green forest below and his heart almost burst with happiness, for this was the place he loved the most in the whole wide world – Scotland’s rainforest! As they came to the Faerie Mound under the rowan tree, down he stepped and in he skipped, and everyone said: “Ghillie Dhu, what fine new clothes you are wearing, the best we have ever seen in the whole forest. Will you give us a song to welcome in the spring?”

7 The Tale of Ghillie Dhu And this is what he sang... “There is a man lives in the woods, lives in the woods, lives in the woods, Chorus There is a man lives in the woods, And he plays upon a whistle, a whistle, a whistle, And his name is Ghillie Dhu! And he plays upon a whistle, And his name is Ghillie Dhu. Chorus And he plays upon a whistle, a whistle, a whistle, And his breeks are made from oak leaves, And he plays upon a whistle, oak leaves, oak leaves, And his name is Ghillie Dhu. And his breeks are made from oak leaves, And his name is Ghillie Dhu. And his hat is made from an acorn cup, an acorn cup, an acorn cup, Chorus And his hat is made from an acorn cup, And he plays upon a whistle, a whistle, a whistle, And his name is Ghillie Dhu. And he plays upon a whistle, And his name is Ghillie Dhu. Chorus And he plays upon a whistle, a whistle, a whistle, And his belt is made from ferns, ferns, ferns, And he plays upon a whistle, And his belt is made from ferns, And his name is Ghillie Dhu. And his name is Ghillie Dhu. And his coat is made from lungwort, lungwort, lungwort, Chorus And his coat is made from lungwort, And he plays upon a whistle, a whistle, a whistle, And his name is Ghillie Dhu. And he plays upon a whistle, And his name is Ghillie Dhu. Chorus And he plays upon a whistle, a whistle, a whistle, And his shoes are made from birch bark, birch bark, birch bark, And he plays upon a whistle, And his shoes are made from birch bark, And his name is Ghillie Dhu. And his name is Ghillie Dhu. And his buttons are made from hazelnuts, Chorus hazelnuts, hazelnuts, And he plays upon a whistle, a whistle, a whistle, And his buttons are made from hazelnuts, And he plays upon a whistle, And his name is Ghillie Dhu. And his name is Ghillie Dhu.”

Sing to the tune of Aiken Drum, the traditional Scottish song 8 The Tale of Ghillie Dhu Long into the starry moonlit night, the Faerie folk danced, sang and feasted. And the forest echoed with the merry music. As the sun rose, Ghillie Dhu homeward went with a spring in his step and a whistle on his lips. So on a summer’s day, if you find yourself walking along the forest path, take a wee rest in a mossy nest – that’s best! And as you lie there, listen and you’ll hear the bees buzzing, the birds singing and the trees speaking softly to one another. Maybe if you close your eyes, you might hear the Ghillie Dhu singing his cheery song in the place he loves and protects fiercely – his beautiful green rainforest. And then maybe, when you open your eyes and look down close into the soft green mosses and secret places, you’ll catch a glimpse of him, lichen clad, as he dances from mossy rock to green, green bough.

9 The Tale of Ghillie Dhu Secret, miniature residents of Scotland’s rainforest featured in the story The ferns Wilson’s filmy fern  Hymenophyllum wilsonii The bryophytes Filmy ferns are a real gem of Scotland’s The lichens c.6 x smaller than actual size rainforest. They are so small that they are (mosses and liverworts) Lichens are grouped into three categories overlooked and mistaken for bryophytes. of shape: leafy (foliose); shrubby (fruticose); Take a closer look and you’ll find a perfect translucent fern in miniature. Only two Slender mouse-tail moss  and smooth/crusty (crustose), which are very closely attached to the substrate. species are resident in our Scottish Isothecium myosuroides rainforests, but Wilson’s filmy fern This moss grows on boulders and tree is most easily recognised by the veins trunks, particularly on oak trees in reaching right to the end of the fronds. the rainforest. Looking at it closely, Tree lungwort – Lobaria  it resembles a small tree itself, pulmonaria (a leafy lichen) being unbranched in lower parts and The lobes of this large leafy lichen look branched above. Individual leaves like the shape of human lungs, so much so have a finely tapered tip – maybe that medieval doctors used this lichen to reminiscent of a mouse’s tail? treat lung disorders. c.1.5 x actual size  Yellow specklebelly –  Prickly featherwort Pseudocyphellaria crocata Plagiochila spinulosa (a leafy lichen) (a liverwort) Lichens are good indicators of c.2.5 x actual size The featherworts, like other liverworts, air quality because they are very sensitive to air pollution, such as are moisture loving and very delicate, c.6 x actual size drying out easily and becoming dormant. sulphur dioxide. Shrubby and leafy However, like many of the mosses and lichens (such as yellow specklebelly) liverworts, they can spring back to life are the most sensitive and you see within minutes of becoming wet again. few of these lichens in urban areas. This is fun to watch under a microscope. This is another reason why Scotland’s c.actual size rainforest is so special – you’ll find c.4 x actual size many types of lichen there, meaning the air is pure.

Western earwort  c.4 x actual size Scapania gracilis Pixie cups – Cladonia sp.  c.3 x actual size (a liverwort) (a shrubby lichen) This is one of the most You can easily see how these lichens  Script lichen – Graphis sp. common liverworts of get their name, as they look like (a smooth lichen) Scotland’s rainforest. It is miniature goblets. However, there are The black ‘writing-like’ marks on this medium-sized and forms many species of pixie cups found in lichen are actually the fruiting bodies compact mats with small, different habitats other than Scotland’s of the lichen. They produce spores rounded upper leaves, similar rainforest. One type is called ‘British which are ‘shot’ out into the air to to little ‘ears’. soldier’, due to its bright red fruiting assist reproduction. bodies, making the lichen look like a little ‘redcoat’ solider! The size gauges are correct when page printed at A4 10 The Tale of Ghillie Dhu Large residents of Scotland’s rainforest featured in the story The ferns continued  Hard fern The trees Blechnum spicant This leathery fern has two types of leaves or fronds. The fertile  Sessile oak fronds stick up straight and are Quercus petraea long and narrow with spores Gaelic: Darroch/Dair on the back. The sterile fronds, without spores, Oak is the classic tree of arch outwards. The fronds Scotland’s rainforest and are rigid to the touch, supports a rich diversity hence its name. of species. This includes bryophytes, lichens, ferns and fungi, which in turn provide shelter and food for invertebrates and birds.

Downy birch  Betula pubescens Hazel  Corylus avellana The flower Gaelic: Peithbhog (Beith means birch) Downy birch is found more commonly than Gaelic: Coll/Calltuinn silver birch in Scotland’s rainforest, as it The hazel has great significance is a species that can endure the damper in Celtic mythology, being Dog violet  soils in the west of Scotland. One way to known as a giver of knowledge. Viola riviniana tell these two species apart is that downy In Highland rituals, it was Historically, the term ‘dog’ birch has ‘fur’ covering its new twigs – believed that hazelnuts put on was given to wild flowers hence its name. You are most likely in the fire could provide answers that were unscented and this a birch forest if you see bright red fly to important questions by the flower is no exception. The agaric toadstools, as this fungus most way they burned or jumped. A ancient Greeks recognised commonly associates with birch, and more practical use for ground violets as a symbol of provides water and nutrients for tree hazelnuts was as a source of fertility and love, and used growth. The trees provide the fungus flour for bread. them in love potions. with sugars in return.

Illustrations by Andrew Evans ©Plantlife (evansgraphic.co.uk), except dog violet which is reproduced by permission of Philip’s from Philip’s Guide to Wild Flowers of Britain and Northern Europe, Bob Gibbons and Peter Brough, 2008. 11 The Tale of Ghillie Dhu We are Plantlife For 30 years, Plantlife has had a single ideal – to save and celebrate wild flowers, plants and plantlife.org.uk fungi. They are the life support for all our wildlife Plantlife Scotland and their colour and character light up our 64A Cumberland Street, Edinburgh EH3 6RE landscapes. But without our help, this priceless Tel: 01786 478509 Email: [email protected] natural heritage is in danger of being lost. Patron: The Duke of Rothesay From the open spaces of our nature reserves to Plantlife is a charitable company limited by guarantee, the corridors of government, we work nationally Company No.3166339. Registered in England and Wales, Charity No.1059559. Registered in Scotland, Charity No. SCO38951. and internationally to raise their profile, celebrate Plantlife, Brewery House, 36 Milford Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP1 2AP their beauty and protect their future. Tel: 01722 342730 ©Plantlife, August 2021 Design and Illustrations: evansgraphic.co.uk Where wild flowers lead... wildlife follows Plantlife Scotland @PlantlifeScot