Botanising in the Outer Hebrides: Part Three. 

Some of the BSBI Team.
Photo: Island News & Advertiser.

Today we went along to the Howmore Bioblitz on South Uist and had a very enjoyable and productive day. 

BSBI botanists recording by the sea.
Photo: L. Marsh

Congratulations and thanks to Susy Macaulay for organising today's Bioblitz, which she hopes will become an annual event. We hope so too, because we'd really like to come back next year! 

Susy is thinking of holding next year's event on Lewis or Harris, which would suit us very well - Paul Smith, the VC Recorder for the Outer Hebrides, is already considering where to go for next year's Hebridean Recording Extravaganza and the words "Lewis or Harris" have been mentioned... 

We recorded 146 species of wildflowers during the day, including some very pretty plants like Field Pansy Viola tricolor ssp. curtisii, Stork's-bill Erodium cicutarium and Bugloss Anchusa arvensis.

It was great to meet standholders (whether from national bodies like RSPB or from local naturalists' groups) and local visitors keen to find out more about wildflowers. 

Paul Smith (left) and Bill Neil (right)
Photo: L. Marsh

A highlight of the day was seeing children's faces light up as they examined the butterflies they caught in their sweep nets. And the sun shone and there was lots of cake! 

At the end of the day, Paul told Bill Neil, Chair of Outer Hebrides Biological Recording, how many species he thought we had recorded. The Bioblitz continues tomorrow and everybody is welcome to come along and take part - see if you can add to our running total of 146 taxa.