If Natural History captures your interest the Scottish Highlands offers plenty of material to keep you engaged for months. It’s something to do with the geology, the climate and relative lack of people, I guess.
Natural history isn’t something I’ve ever studied but I do know several who have, and for them the Lower Links at Dornoch is their own type of Paradise on the 58th Parallel.
In the Highlands, the land between the usable agricultural land and the sea – the links land – is typically designated as common good land. That means anybody who lives in the town can use the land, within some rules.
Typically the common good land has been used by the poorer people to graze their animals, but also for sports of all descriptions, and notably for golf. In Scotland the game developed on this links land – hence the association of the words golf and links.
The Lower Links at Dornoch is a huge mass of land which includes the Struie Golf course, the golf practice grounds and the Airfield. But mostly it’s home for species of flora and fauna rarely found in other parts of the UK.
Most of the ground is a sandy base covered in wiry “Bents” grass, and very wet, at least in the winter. And it’s a perfect place to go for a walk, getting away from it all.
By the airfield hanger there’s a story board explaining the very special natural history resources to be found here.
The text of the board tells us:
Dune Grassland
The dunes in this area are first colonised on the beach by Sea Lyme grass which trap the sand and build the higher ridges. The dune surface is then stabilised by a carpet of mosses.
Between the outer dunes and the golf practice area there is a type of grassland rich in flowering plants which has become rare throughout the much of Britain. This area at Dornoch Links is particularly valuable example and is unusual in that it contains a mixture of dry undulating dunes with Moonwort and scattered Juniper and low lying water-logged land which was once saltmarsh flooded by tidal seawater. The wet ground is particulalry rich in species such as Yellow Rattle, Ragged Robin, Grass of Parnassus, Northern Marsh Orchid, Frog Orchid, Common Twayblade, Baltic Rush, Meadosweet and Mouse-ear Hawkweed, some of which are rare in Scotland.
Natural grasslands of this type are easily damaged by heavy grazing, trampling, the use of chemicals and fertilisers or re-seeding. Light grazing or occasional cutting can be beneficial to the plants.
Enjoy looking at the many interesting plants but please also help to conserve this important habitat by not causing damage to the ground or picking flowers.
Do you have Highlands experiences you can share with our readers? Please add your comments, suggestions and memories in the Comments box. The more news and views the better!
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