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u3a Botany Group - Knowes of Trotty - 21 July, 2026
by John Crossley - 11:47 on 24 July 2026
Eight of us braved the blustery conditions last Tuesday to visit the Knowes of Trotty and were well rewarded. In the end we did not quite reach the fabled Knowes because we there was so much to see along the path to them, while the weather was becoming unwelcoming.
It's quite a remote spot and has a wild feeling, with few houses in sight and the West Mainland hills rising to the east. The path to the Knowes is good, only a bit rough in places and with boardwalks placed over the wettest parts. The first part is a track through mainly dry heather moorland, with the usual moorland species and some additional variety in the track itself. White-flowered Self-Heal was in evidence and there was some discussion about the difficult, hemiparasitic Eyebrights. On this there is good news - they are about to become less difficult! Thanks to to some research into their DNA it has transpired that some plants that look different and have until now been classed as a different species are now believed to be the same: the differences are due to them parasitising different host species.
After a bit the path goes into some wetter areas with a profusion of different plants, including Common Valerian, Eared and Creeping Willows, Marsh Cinquefoil, Water Avens, various sedges, rushes and horsetails - see attached for a full list. In here we found the two star plants of the day - Marsh Fragrant-orchid and large tufted sedge that was new to the group, Greater Tussock Sedge. The Fragrant-orchid really is very sweet-smelling. It flowers from mid-July to early August.
We spotted 62 species in the course of our visit. All agreed that it was an exceptionally attractive area and that we should visit again next year and press on a bit further, perhaps 2 or 3 weeks earlier in the season to see the flora at its very best and find new plants.
Kate will shortly be sending round some photos of the highlights.
Full list on the way to Knowes of Trotty:
· Sea Plantain Plantago maritima
· Purple Moor-grass Molinia caerulea
· Red Clover Trifolium pratense
· Viviparous Fescue Festuca vivipara
· Arctic Eyebright Euphrasia arctica?
· White Clover Trifolium repens
· Heath Rush Juncus squarrosus
· Green-ribbed Sedge Carex binervis
· Bell Heather Erica cinerea
· Heather, Ling Calluna vulgaris
· Crowberry Empetrum nigrum
· Mat-grass Nardus stricta
· Self-heal (white-flowered) Prunella vulgaris
· Tormentil Potentilla erecta
· Slender St John’s-wort Hypericum pulchrum
· Yellow-rattle Rhinanthus minor
· Hard-fern Blechnum spicant
· Lady-fern Athyrium filix-femina
· Bird’s-foot Trefoil Lotus corniculatus
· Heath Grass Danthonia decumbens
· Brown Bent Agrostis vinealis
· Slender Eyebright Euphrasia micrantha
· Common Sorrel Rumex acetosa
· Marsh Thistle Cirsium palustre
· Yorkshire Fog Holcus lanatus
· Greater Woodrush Luzula sylvatica
· Heath Woodrush Luzula multiflora
· Glaucous sedge Carex flacca
· Sneezewort Achillea ptarmica
· Wild Angelica Angelica sylvestris
· Common Valerian Valeriana officinalis
· Meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria
· Scottish Eyebright Euphrasia scottica
· Tufted Hair-grass Deschampsia cespitosa
· Compact Rush Juncus conglomeratus
· Marsh Lousewort Pedicularis palustris
· Marsh Cinquefoil Comarum palustre
· Jointed Rush Juncus articulatus
· Marsh Ragwort Senecio aquaticus
· Soft Rush Juncus effusus
· Marsh Bedstraw Galium palustre
· Tufted Forget-me-not Myosotis laxa
· Meadow Vetchling Lathyrus pratensis
· Rosebay Willowherb Chamerion angustifolium
· Deer-grass Trichophorum germanicum
· Lesser Spearwort Ranunculus flammula
· Marsh Horsetail Equisetum palustre
· Water Horsetail Equisetum fluviatile
· Northern Marsh-orchid Dactylorhiza purpurella
· Water Avens Geum rivale
· Marsh Willowherb Epilobium palustre
· Bogbean Menyanthes trifoliata
· Greater Tussock-sedge Carex paniculata
· Star Sedge Carex echinata
· Long-stalked Yellow-sedge Carex lepidocarpa
· Carnation Sedge Carex panicea
· Twayblade Neottia ovata
· Round-leaved Sundew Drosera rotundifolia
· Butterwort Pinguicula vulgaris
· Cross-leaved Heath Erica tetralix
· Alpine Meadow-rue Thalictrum alpinum
· Marsh Fragrant-orchid Gymnadenia densiflora
· Bog Asphodel Narthecium ossifragum
· Water-mint Mentha aquatica
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