Cairngorms Wild Plants Keys Caledonian Pinewoods

Unlock the outdoors Cairngorms wild plants keys Caledonian pinewoods

An outdoor learning resource for group leaders KEYS to Caledonian pinewoods

Key The language of the Cairngorms 1 Gaelic and Scots words for plants and places Key Lines on the landscape 2 Poems and prose to inspire us Key Caledonian pinewoods through time 3 How events have shaped our forests Key How ancient is this pinewood? 4 Reading the clues from the plants and trees Key Signs of succession 5 A journey from rock to forest Key The importance of fungi 6 Explore this essential component of pinewoods Key Clothed in lichens 7 Awaken to the beauty and usefulness of lichens Key Food for life 8 Signs from wildlife that live in the forest Key What’s that plant? 9 Spotter guides with handy plant ID tips

Caledonian pinewoods keys | Contents Unlocking Caledonian pinewoods

How to use the KEYS The KEYS explore different Each KEY includes an ‘Idea’ and aspects of Caledonian pinewoods short ‘Activity’, with a ‘Discussion’ habitats and wildlife, and are section to take things further. You a learning resource for leaders don’t need to know the answers to when out with groups. the questions, they are prompts to stimulate thought and discussion. Whether you are mountain biking through the forest or on a nature Have fun with them. Choose KEYS safari, there will be something to suit your group. Fit the KEYS into in the KEYS for you to help short stops or lunchbreaks with enrich your group’s experience your group. Or take more time and of this amazing habitat. unlock more of the pinewoods. ©Gwenda Diack

Caledonian pinewoods keys | Introduction Caledonian pinewoods

Important Plant Areas are the such as twinflower and one- most important places in the flowered wintergreen. The world for wild plant and fungal ancient pinewoods in this area diversity that can be protected are one of the most valuable and managed as specific sites. habitats in Britain and one of the reasons why Plantlife identified The Cairngorms National Park the Cairngorms as an Important encompasses the most extensive Plant Area (IPA). Through these tracts of Caledonian pine forest keys, we want to raise awareness in Britain and is a stronghold of IPAs and encourage their for many rare pinewood plants, long-term conservation.

Map of Cairngorms National Park pinewood cover

Caledonian pinewoods keys | Introduction The language Key of the Cairngorms 1 Key idea Natural landscapes, and the plants and animals within them, have had a significant impact on Scotland’s cultural heritage. There are

many Gaelic and Scots words for them. Place names can tell us a Coire lot about the history and landscape features. There are also some wonderfully evocative Gaelic and Scots names for plants which describe them or their uses. Abhainn Understanding the meaning of these

Gaelic and Scots words Mullach

Ach/Auch MealCarden helps us to read the Bad Cruach cultural history of Carden the Cairngorms. Stob Allt Fearna Cuilc Craobh Giubhas Bog(l)ach Beag/bheag CraobhachCarn Creag Badan Mhor/Mor Clach Linne ruadh Cnoc Dearg/ruadh Gorm Cluan Sgurr Coille/Doille Sgor Dubh Sgorr Ban Moine Creag Dearg Reaneach aichean Geall Key Lairig The language of Cuilc the Cairngorms 1 Fearna Craobh Giubhas

Beag/bheag CraobhachCarn Badan Creag Mhor/Mor Linne ruadh Gorm KEY ActivityCoille/Doille Stop at a place that has a Gaelic or Scots name. Maps show many Gaelic and Scots words, with various spellings. If you Moine Creag Dearg have one, spread out your OS map. Discussion Use Table 1 and call out some Gaelic/ How much of the map shows Gaelic aichean Reaneach Geall Scots place names and get your names for landscape features? Cuilcgroup to find examples. Go through What changes have there been in the English definitions. Lairig the Gaelic cultural landscape through time? Table 1 – a selection of Gaelic and Scots words for landscape features

Abhainn – river Cruach – stack Ach/Auch – field Cuilc – reed Allt – stream, burn Dearg/ruadh – red Bad – thicket or clump, Badan (small clump) Dubh – dark, black Ban – white Fearna – alder Beag/bheag – small Geall – white Bog(l)ach, aich, aichean – bog Giubhas – fir Carden – thicket Gorm – blue Carn – cairn, heap of stones Lairig – a low traveller’s pass Clach – rock or stone Linne – pool, pond Cluan – meadow Meal – round lumpy hill, meaning bald head Cnoc – small rounded hillock Mhor /Mor – big Coille/Doille – wood or forest Moine – blanket bog Coire – corrie Mullach – summit Craobh – tree Reaneach – bracken Craobhach – full of trees Sgurr/Sgor/Sgorr – jagged peak Creag – crag Stob – small top, point or peak

Key The language of 1 the Cairngorms Key

KEY Activity – Plant names 1 Latin/scientific names are useful for identification; however, there is a rich heritage of common names that can tell us about some plants’ shapes, colours, smells, uses and customs. Find some of the plants and trees pictured here. Share the different names and uses/meanings of these plants. Do they have their own examples of common names for wild plants? ©Deborah Long Gorse/Whin (Scots); Conasg (Gaelic, meaning quarrel or wrangle –

©Deborah Long no doubt the thorns making people bad tempered!). Heather/Ling/Freuchie (Scots); Fraoch (Gaelic). Purple heather is strongly associated with Scotland, but white heather was considered lucky, meaning ‘wishes come true’. ©Deborah Long

Bilberry/Blaeberry (Scots); Caora- mhitheag (Gaelic which means ‘blue berries’, our deliciously edible native blueberry). ©Andrew Gagg ©Andrew Chickweed wintergreen/Arctic starflower/Reul na Coille (Gaelic which means ‘star of the wood’). The language of Key the Cairngorms 1 Key ©Polly Phillpot ©Dcrjsr CC BY 4.0 1 Caorann (Gaelic). This was tree ash/Chaoruin/ Rowan/Mountain flowers. orange eggs’ refers to the yellow and English common name and ‘bacon refers to the claw-like An pods. seed Taes (Scots), trefoil/Craw’s Bird’s-foot to ward spirits. evil off homes Scottish around planted the Cairngorms The language of

which are still practised today? associated with wild plants theyDo know any of customs plants still common knowledge? Are common names wild of Discussion as bridal in staffs as Scotland. (Scots). Birch brooms were used (Gaelic); Birk Birch/Craobh/Beith stems in tufty clumps. hair’, which refers to its spiky short Mat grass/Deil’s hair (Scots for ‘devil’s

©Anne Elliott/SNH ©James Lindsey Key Lines on the landscape 2

KEY Idea Poets and writers have long used the landscape as inspiration for their writing, expressing their emotional connections with wild places and the plants and animals that live there. Taking a moment to absorb the beauty of our surroundings and share our experience can deepen our appreciation of the natural world, and help connect us to nature and others.

“October is the coloured month here, far more brilliant than June, blazing more sharply than August. From the gold of the birches and bracken on the low slopes, the colour spurts upwards through all the creeping and inconspicuous growths that live among the heather roots – mosses that are lush green or oak-brown, or scarlet and the berried plants, blaeberry, cranberry, crowberry and the rest. Blaeberry leaves are a flaming crimson, and they are loveliest of all in the Rothiemurchus Forest, where the fir trees were felled in the 1914 War, and round and out of each stump blueberry grows in upright sprigs: so that in October a multitude of pointed flames seem to burn upwards all over the moor.” ©Polly Phillpot Nan Shepherd excerpt from The Living Mountain (Canongate Books Ltd 2011) Key Lines on the landscape 2 KEY Activity Stop at a scenic spot within the forest. Ask the group to describe how it feels. What descriptive words can Discussion they come up with? Share with the group some of the lines of poems/ What places do they find prose from Nan Shepherd and magical and why? Norman MacCaig. How do these How does society value and authors relate to the landscapes? connect with wild places today? How does nature enhance our wellbeing?

“Enter the dignified wood. The pine needles will give you a cloak of inaudibility.

“And you’ll hear nothing yourself unless a maverick gust of wind drags a line of surf through the tree tops.”

Norman MacCaig excerpt from poem ‘Pine Trees’ from The Poems of Norman MacCaig (Polygon, an imprint of Birlinn Ltd 2005) ©Stuart Davies

Key Lines on 2 the landscape Caledonian Key pinewoods through time 3 KEY Idea When the glaciers retreated, native forests established over much of Scotland. In north-east Scotland, the forests consisted of many pinewoods and birchwoods. There have been many changes to our forests and wildlife over the years. The extent of ancient Caledonian pinewoods is much smaller, making way for people, agriculture and moors. What we see today is still changing, with pinewoods now expanding KEY Activity in some areas of the Cairngorms. People have a huge influence on our forests. Use the timeline to walk your Learn about key events that have changed group through key events from the last ice age, 10,000 our forests through time. years ago to now. Each step represents 100 years. When you finish pacing out the timeline, look back. This activity highlights the changes in our forests through time and how recent some of these changes have been. ©Polly Phillpot

Key Caledonian pinewoods through time 3 The last ice age in Scotland to now in 100 steps!

It’s 10,000 years ago The ice age has ended – birch, willow and juniper TAKE 40 have spread across Scotland. STEPS It’s now 6,000 years ago Forests cover much of Scotland, up to 800 miles. There are bears, lynx, It’s now 2,000 years ago TAKE 40 wild boar, aurochs and Roman Britain – STEPS wolves in the forests. forests are being felled for agriculture and timber. There is a cold/wet climate. Many large mammals have TAKE 10 STEPS It’s only 1,000 years ago become extinct. Half the post-glacial forest is gone. It’s 250 years ago TAKE 7½ We still have wolves, STEPS but not many. Trees are felled for smelting and the Napoleonic Wars – two-thirds of the forest is TAKE 1 AND 75 years ago gone. No wolves left and deer ¾ STEPS numbers are increasing. More trees felled during World War I and II. Forest cover is at an all-time low at 11% of the land It’s today! cover in Scotland. The UK Forest cover is increasing TAKE ¾ STEPS Government responds and in the Cairngorms and is many trees are planted. now 12% of the land cover. Natural regeneration is encouraged. Discussion What do they think might happen to our Caledonian pinewoods in the future? Could some of the wildlife that used to live in our forests return? How would they feel if a natural treeline returned to the open hills? Key Caledonian pinewoods 3 through time How ancient Key is this pinewood? 4 KEY Idea Some pinewoods have been planted on land that has not had forest for hundreds of years. Others have had forest cover since the last ice age. Some plants and fungi only survive today in ancient woodland sites. By reading the clues from the forest structure and the plants that grow there, it is possible to tell whether you are standing in an ancient Caledonian pinewood or a much younger plantation (plantations are where trees have been planted). Learn to spot clues about the history of the forest that you are in. Discussion What clues are there to the history of the forest? KEY Activity Are you in an ancient Stop in the forest and take a woodland site? moment to look around. Why do plantations not have Then look at the photo cards some of these features? over the page. Photos marked ‘A’ show features of ancient Caledonian pinewoods. Photos marked ‘B’ show features of plantations. See if you can spot any of the features.

Key ©Gwenda Diack How ancient is this pinewood? 4 “Not much is left now of this great pine forest. Yet in the glens that run up into the mountain, there are still a few of the very old firs that may have been the original Caledonian forest. ©Gwenda Diack Old trees still stand in Glen Einich, as they do at Ballochbuie on the other side of the mountain; and by the shores of Loch an Eilein are a scatter of enormous venerable Scots firs, their girth two and a half times the span of my (quite long) arms, the flakes of their bark a foot and a half in length and thick as books, their roots, exposed where the soil has been washed away above the path, twisted and intertwined like a cage of snakes. Here and there also, notably by the sluice gates at the exit of Loch Einich, can be seen, half-sunk in the bog, numbers of the roots of trees long perished.” Nan Shepherd excerpt from The Living Mountain (Canongate Books Ltd 2011)

Key How ancient 4 is this pinewood? ©Gwenda Diack ©Gwenda Diack ©Gwenda Diack A A A of trunks and branches. pinedeadwood, ‘bones’ Standing and fallen trees or ‘Granny pines’. veteran gnarly old large, Some of height and spacing of trees. pineas avaried with structure Broadleaved well trees as

other features to find outmore. firesso check for plough lines and B A OR lines are asign of aplantation. planting clear and age same Mainly non-native trees all the B occur naturally after naturally after occur all the same age can A group of pine trees is this pinewood? How ancient Key 4

Key 4 ©Gwenda Diack ©Davie Black Key 4 ©Gwenda Diack ©Gwenda Diack is this pinewood? How ancient A A A of the trees and shrubs. Lichens drip branches from lady’s-tresses. creeping and wintergreen chickweed There are pinewood herbs like bushes. juniper Frequent

A B A scree, definitely not planted. not definitely scree, and crags slopes, boulder The trees are on very steep history of woodland cover. woodland of history autumn, asign of along Many types of fungi in the blaeberry. and juniper,No only heather

©Deborah Long ©Gwenda Diack Signs Key of succession 5 KEY Idea Plants and fungi have a crucial role to play in transforming bare rock into woodland. Lichens can KEY Activity live on bare rock. They create tiny amounts of soil which mosses grow on. Fungi and small organisms Take your group on a break down dead plants and as time goes on, more short hunt to look for soil builds up and larger plants like herbs form a the different features multi-storey layer. Eventually trees can establish. of natural succession Other processes such as grazing can halt or (shown below) in the knock back succession. forest around you. Are there any missing elements? 1 2 ©Gordon Rothero ©Tim Wilkins Lichens on rocks 5 Bare ground with mosses 3 starting to cover it

4 ©Gwenda Diack A veteran tree with signs of deadwood

Herb layer

A shrub layer of juniper ©Gwenda Diack and young trees Key Signs of succession 5 Below are two examples of where natural succession is altered through environmental factors, such as waterlogging and altitude. Both result in stunted tree growth. Discussion Sometimes succession is halted or reversed through grazing, fires, floods, forestry and moorland management. What would happen to the pinewoods if there were fewer grazing animals like deer, or lots more?

Bog woodland ©Gwenda Diack

Krummholz – the upper natural treeline ©SNH

Key 5 Signs of succession The importance Key of fungi 6 KEY Idea Fungi are essential to the health of our pinewoods – 85% of our plants and trees would not survive without them as they make nutrients available. Wildlife, especially insects, need them too. The part we see above ground comes in all shapes and sizes as well as ‘mushrooms’. This is just the tip of the iceberg, the rest of the fungus lives in the soil and links up with plant roots in an underground KEY Activity network. A closer look at fungi will Late summer is an exciting time to visit open up a whole different world! pinewoods and see lots of different types of fungi. Once people see one, they often spot many others! If you do collect any to have a closer look, please replace with care those you don’t intend to use and always seek expert advice before eating any fungi as some are poisonous. ©Liz Holden

Key The importance of fungi 6 Look out for these six pinewood fungi

Chanterelle

Bolete ©Liz Holden ©Liz Holden

Bracket fungus Fly agaric ©Polly Phillpot ©Mark V Pike

Puffball Stagshorn ©Deborah Long ©Liz Holden

Key The importance 6 of fungi Clothed Key in lichens 7 KEY Idea The trees of our ancient Caledonian pinewoods are often clothed in lichens. People have used lichens to dye wool to use in early tartans and plaids. While this use of lichens is no longer common knowledge, learning about lichens can awaken us to their beauty. They are valuable for biodiversity and help to form soil. Their presence is also a sure sign that the habitat is of good quality and the air is not polluted. Lichens, which are part algae and part fungi, come in many different forms. Some hang from KEY Activity the branches of trees like beards, some form small coral-like shrubs, while others form a crust over Can your group find the rocks and the bark of trees. three types of lichens: crusty, leafy and shrubby? Which type might they see in cities? Which ones do they think are most vulnerable to air pollution?*

Crusty lichen

Leafy lichen Shrubby lichen

Key (answer: shrubby) shrubby) (answer:

* Clothed in lichens 7 Discussion ‘Beauty is in the eye

t o of the beholder.’ lp il h Do we see lichens P y l l as beautiful? o P © What do they associate with lichens? Does society value lichens less than wild flowers?

Lichens were used to dye wool used in tartans and plaids.

Key 7 Clothed in lichens Food Key for life 8 KEY Idea Pinewood plants are an essential part of the web of life, providing food for many birds, animals and insects including iconic species KEY Activity such as red squirrels and capercaillie. Wildlife is Learn to recognise signs of often shy of humans and hard to spot, but they some of the wildlife that rely can leave signs that they are around. on pinewood plants for food.

Red squirrel Pine cone Chewed cone

Bark beetle on dead log

_ L

c k p h o t o .c o m Roe deer Roe deer Bramble droppings

1 s 2 a q ik w o e 3 r p ty / / iS iS t to oc ck kp ph hot oto.c o.co om m Capercaillie Capercaillie Blaeberry droppings

o t © g D n i e r b e © o h r t S a e N h H H L o id ng av ©D Feeding holes Discussion Woodpecker on Scots pine What other signs of wildlife have people seen in the pinewoods? What are the best ways of seeing wildlife without disturbing them?

Cowberry Crowberry Vaccinium vitis-idaea Empetrum nigrum

• in-rolled edges to oval leaves • black berries • evergreen, dwarf shrub • narrow leaves • red berries • evergreen, dwarf shrub

Blaeberry Juniper Vaccinium myrtillus Juniperus communis ©Andrew Gagg • serrated edge to leaves • evergreen bush • leaves turn red in autumn • spiky blue/green leaves in whorls of 3 • no leaves in winter • hard green/black berries • blue berries Key What’s that plant? 9 Creeping lady’s-tresses Goodyera repens Chickweed wintergreen Trientalis europaea

• creeping runners • broad-stalked, oval evergreen ©Andrew Gagg leaves with cross-veins between • upright the parallel ones • white star-like flowers • small cream flowers on thin stem • whorl of leaves on slender stem

Heath bedstraw Twinflower Galium saxatile Linnaea borealis ©CC BY-SA 4.0 Rosser1954 4.0 ©CC BY-SA • mat-forming herb • two bell-shaped pale pink flowers • tiny white flowers on upright stem • leaves in a whorl • small evergreen leaves • trailing mat-forming herb

Key 9 What’s that plant? Tormentil Common wintergreen Potentilla erecta Pyrola minor

©Chris Harris/Plantlife • light green oval leaves • yellow flower with four petals • pinkish white flowers • toothed leaves without stalks • straight styles shorter than petals

Wood sorrel Lesser twayblade Oxalis acetosella Listera cordata ©Andrew Gagg • clover-like trefoil leaves • opposite pair of oval triangular • white flowers have lilac veins leaves, shiny above, pale below • sharp lemony taste • brownish flowers

Key What’s that plant? 9 Ostrich plume moss Glittering wood moss Ptilium crista castrensis Hylocomium splendens ©Gordon Rothero ©Gordon Rothero • feather-like moss with curly tip • silky, branched moss with red stem

Bell heather Cross-leaved Heath Erica cinerea Erica tetralix ©arousa/iStockphoto.com Elliott/SNH©Anne • dark green leaves in threes • greyish green leaves in fours • crimson-purple flowers • pale rose pink flowers in clusters

Key 9 What’s that plant? Thank you...... to our partners SNH and CNPA who have supported the Cairngorms Author/copy: Gwenda Diack/Plantlife Scotland Wild Plants project, to all the Nan Shepherd excerpt from The Living Mountain photographers (who are individually (Canongate Books Ltd 2011) credited) for the use of their Norman MacCaig excerpt from The Poems of photographs, to the publishers Norman MacCaig (Polygon, an imprint (right) for the use of their poems of Birlinn Ltd 2005) and prose, and to Polly Phillpot Front cover photograph ©Laurie Campbell and Anne Elliott for their help Printed by Acanthus Press, Wellington, Somerset in creating this publication. Design and Illustrations: evansgraphic.co.uk

The Cairngorms Wild Plants project has been part-financed by the Scottish Government and the European Community (Cairngorms Local Action Group) LEADER 2014-2020

Programme, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Cairngorms National Park Authority. ©Lorne Gill/SNH The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe investing in rural areas We are Plantlife Scotland Wild flowers, plants and fungi are the life support for all Scotland’s wildlife and their colour and character light up our landscapes. But without our help, this priceless natural heritage is in danger of being lost. From the spectacular expanse of Munsary Peatlands Reserve to the corridors of Holyrood, we raise their profile, celebrate their beauty and protect their future. HRH The Duke of Rothesay is our Patron

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