An Amateur Botany & Photography Project by Ian Borland
Under Construction - The first job was to get the photos uploaded and into rough order (so not all plants are labelled)
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Some very helpful Plant & Wildflower Websites (click here)
Special Updates July 2013 - click to view.
SNH Orchid Count at Carsehall.
Garden Escapes
Cleish Hill Road
The old Quarry on Cleish hill road. (Excellent place!!!)
General Notes About this site below...
I hope you enjoy this website and find it interesting.
Please feel very welcome to send me feedback using the form below.
This is an attempt to combine my amateur skills in Photography and Botany to illustrate as much of the flora of Kinross-shire as I can. I do realise it is extremely over-ambitious of me, but it is proving to be a useful exercise to hone my skills in both Botany and Photography. It has, of course, been a lot of fun and continues to be a labour of love.
As an amateur "Botanist" I ask for forgiveness for favouring a pretty photograph and not paying enough attention to plant structural detail.
As an amateur "Photographer" I ask for forgiveness when I took a lousy shot and it was the only example I had to post here, but I thought still had some value Botanically. Very few of the images on this site are retouched.
Sometimes I achieved neither goal, but the exercise is helping me to learn more about both disciplines, and that is what it is all about really. It has been a marvellously rewarding exercise and I have learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed doing it. My knowledge of plants continues to expand, and I think my photography is improving too.
Botany Buddies?
I would be delighted to meet or get in touch with anyone who has any interest in wild plants for any reason, from Botanic to Foraging & Herbals. I would be delighted to go for a walk with anyone who is willing to meander the local countryside, or venture further afield to view anything unusual or interesting.
About this project.
I have enjoyed taking an interest in wild plants for a long number of years, but I appreciate I am not an expert, though I have a head full of trivia relating to many plants and their uses.
I have lived in England and Wales and only recently returned to Kinross area, so I am enjoying exploring the area and always looking for new places to visit. If you know the whereabouts of any plants I have not yet included in this site - or anything that is interesting, please contact me using the form below.
This IS an Amateur project, and is a fun hobby for me, but I will endeavour to be as factual as I can, within the limits of my skills and experience. Some details will take me some time to build up and double check. As of 6th July 2012 I have uploaded a lot of images to get started and annotated some of these. I have many still to do.
I have added very brief side notes on some pages. I hope to add much more detail to every single photograph, this may take me some time, perhaps an occupation for the long Winter nights in 2012. 2013 has been a busy year with many developments both botanical and photographic as my skills improve in both, but less time to actually upload and update the site, however, one does one's best and hopes there is something of interest to all.
I have not have captured the entire range of flora, fungi or other plants in Kinross-shire at this stage, perhaps I never will - I still find things I have never encountered before no matter how often I go plant-hunting. I simply take shots when I get the chance, and try to collect (photographically) as many examples as I can. (who knew there were so many dock hybrids?)
Most plants will be local to Kinross-shire, though some may be outside the strictest confines of the County boundary, but I have included them for sake of interest, especially if they were not too far outside. Sometimes I am fairly confident that these are probably extant in Kinross-shire, but I have not personally verfied that.
NOBODY should attempt to consume ANY of the plants on the basis of any information on this website. I wouldn't guarantee my identification of any plant is totally accurate either.
Don't pick the damn flowers, or uproot them, or damage the environment getting to them. It is possibly illegal. Leave them for everyone to enjoy - including the wildlife who depend on them. Chances are they wouldn't grow in your garden/home anyway. (Some plants have very specific requirements for soil, dampness - and even the type of fungus in the soil. Orchids in particular are extremely fussy.)
Photography
Some of the images I am very pleased with, while others I know are not as good as they might be, however, in most cases I have used the best examples I had available from my own (growing) private collection since I set myself the task of trying to record a photographic Flora of Kinross. I have realised I need to take more detailed shots of the plant structure to aid in identification, not just the pretty bits, and will now be carrying a field check list to ensure I get ALL the necessary details.
If a shot is really awful I may offer a link to other people's images that are better. The best I can do is wait another year for the plant to flower again and try to be in the right place at the right time. Sadly some things just don't come back the following year. (or they build a sewage works on top of a prime orchid site!)
Locations
I have largely avoided pinpointing plants in their exact locations, as I know full well some people will want to dig up Orchids, for example, and I wouldn't encourage that at all. On the other hand, you are probably welcome to help get rid of all the Himalayan Balsam that seems to be coming down the N. Queich to the Loch. Likewise the Japanese Knotweed which is encroaching in some areas. (Both have edible value)
Use of my Photography.
I would be thrilled if anyone was interested in my photography enough to want to re-use it, and happily give rights for usage on any images to non-commercial bodies, including government agencies or amateurs as long as my work is acknowledged. If however you are a commercial venture, then I would obviously appreciate a cut. All images are copyright I. Borland 2012/3.
If anyone would like prints of my photographs, please contact me using the form below and I will be only too happy to help.
I am trying to work out a way to "rate" individual images, but have not figured it out yet. (suggestions welcome) I use Weebly as a free website, as it is such a wonderfully simple way to create great websites and galleries, but it does have some limitations and I have not yet figured out a way to rate individual images.
Most of all, I hope you enjoy visiting my website and viewing my photographs. I would love to get in touch with anyone who is local to the area and has any kind of interest in Botany/Wildflowers/plants/foraging/herbalism.
Dedication;
Finally, I would like to dedicate this website to the late Ronnie Lee of Edinburgh, who first introduced me to basic plant identification, and opened up a whole new world for me. I am sure he would have been my most severely pedantic critic about this project (I say that fondly) and, I am certain, it would have been far better for it.
Please feel very welcome to send me feedback using the form below.
This is an attempt to combine my amateur skills in Photography and Botany to illustrate as much of the flora of Kinross-shire as I can. I do realise it is extremely over-ambitious of me, but it is proving to be a useful exercise to hone my skills in both Botany and Photography. It has, of course, been a lot of fun and continues to be a labour of love.
As an amateur "Botanist" I ask for forgiveness for favouring a pretty photograph and not paying enough attention to plant structural detail.
As an amateur "Photographer" I ask for forgiveness when I took a lousy shot and it was the only example I had to post here, but I thought still had some value Botanically. Very few of the images on this site are retouched.
Sometimes I achieved neither goal, but the exercise is helping me to learn more about both disciplines, and that is what it is all about really. It has been a marvellously rewarding exercise and I have learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed doing it. My knowledge of plants continues to expand, and I think my photography is improving too.
Botany Buddies?
I would be delighted to meet or get in touch with anyone who has any interest in wild plants for any reason, from Botanic to Foraging & Herbals. I would be delighted to go for a walk with anyone who is willing to meander the local countryside, or venture further afield to view anything unusual or interesting.
About this project.
I have enjoyed taking an interest in wild plants for a long number of years, but I appreciate I am not an expert, though I have a head full of trivia relating to many plants and their uses.
I have lived in England and Wales and only recently returned to Kinross area, so I am enjoying exploring the area and always looking for new places to visit. If you know the whereabouts of any plants I have not yet included in this site - or anything that is interesting, please contact me using the form below.
This IS an Amateur project, and is a fun hobby for me, but I will endeavour to be as factual as I can, within the limits of my skills and experience. Some details will take me some time to build up and double check. As of 6th July 2012 I have uploaded a lot of images to get started and annotated some of these. I have many still to do.
I have added very brief side notes on some pages. I hope to add much more detail to every single photograph, this may take me some time, perhaps an occupation for the long Winter nights in 2012. 2013 has been a busy year with many developments both botanical and photographic as my skills improve in both, but less time to actually upload and update the site, however, one does one's best and hopes there is something of interest to all.
I have not have captured the entire range of flora, fungi or other plants in Kinross-shire at this stage, perhaps I never will - I still find things I have never encountered before no matter how often I go plant-hunting. I simply take shots when I get the chance, and try to collect (photographically) as many examples as I can. (who knew there were so many dock hybrids?)
Most plants will be local to Kinross-shire, though some may be outside the strictest confines of the County boundary, but I have included them for sake of interest, especially if they were not too far outside. Sometimes I am fairly confident that these are probably extant in Kinross-shire, but I have not personally verfied that.
NOBODY should attempt to consume ANY of the plants on the basis of any information on this website. I wouldn't guarantee my identification of any plant is totally accurate either.
Don't pick the damn flowers, or uproot them, or damage the environment getting to them. It is possibly illegal. Leave them for everyone to enjoy - including the wildlife who depend on them. Chances are they wouldn't grow in your garden/home anyway. (Some plants have very specific requirements for soil, dampness - and even the type of fungus in the soil. Orchids in particular are extremely fussy.)
Photography
Some of the images I am very pleased with, while others I know are not as good as they might be, however, in most cases I have used the best examples I had available from my own (growing) private collection since I set myself the task of trying to record a photographic Flora of Kinross. I have realised I need to take more detailed shots of the plant structure to aid in identification, not just the pretty bits, and will now be carrying a field check list to ensure I get ALL the necessary details.
If a shot is really awful I may offer a link to other people's images that are better. The best I can do is wait another year for the plant to flower again and try to be in the right place at the right time. Sadly some things just don't come back the following year. (or they build a sewage works on top of a prime orchid site!)
Locations
I have largely avoided pinpointing plants in their exact locations, as I know full well some people will want to dig up Orchids, for example, and I wouldn't encourage that at all. On the other hand, you are probably welcome to help get rid of all the Himalayan Balsam that seems to be coming down the N. Queich to the Loch. Likewise the Japanese Knotweed which is encroaching in some areas. (Both have edible value)
Use of my Photography.
I would be thrilled if anyone was interested in my photography enough to want to re-use it, and happily give rights for usage on any images to non-commercial bodies, including government agencies or amateurs as long as my work is acknowledged. If however you are a commercial venture, then I would obviously appreciate a cut. All images are copyright I. Borland 2012/3.
If anyone would like prints of my photographs, please contact me using the form below and I will be only too happy to help.
I am trying to work out a way to "rate" individual images, but have not figured it out yet. (suggestions welcome) I use Weebly as a free website, as it is such a wonderfully simple way to create great websites and galleries, but it does have some limitations and I have not yet figured out a way to rate individual images.
Most of all, I hope you enjoy visiting my website and viewing my photographs. I would love to get in touch with anyone who is local to the area and has any kind of interest in Botany/Wildflowers/plants/foraging/herbalism.
Dedication;
Finally, I would like to dedicate this website to the late Ronnie Lee of Edinburgh, who first introduced me to basic plant identification, and opened up a whole new world for me. I am sure he would have been my most severely pedantic critic about this project (I say that fondly) and, I am certain, it would have been far better for it.
Contact me using this formI am more than happy to receive any kind of feedback about my website, photography, or plants.
I will also try to respond fairly promptly. Suggestions about where to find specific plants that I may not have found locally are particularly welcome. Again, if anyone would like to buddy up to go plant-hunting please do get in touch. - Ian |
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