Spier's - Natural and Local History

Spier's - Natural and Local History A Public Park open to pedestrians 24x7. Well surfaced network of paths and a tree trail that highlights the main species in the significant arboretum. etc,

A good site for spotting fungi and slime moulds, abundant bird species and open areas for picnics, ball A site for environmental education, school visits, ecotherapy, fungal forays, dog walking, picnics, bird watching, collecting conkers, kicking a football around, looking at trees, etc.

Quite a few species have a clever way of advertising themselves to passing bees so that they ensure pollination. The rel...
11/08/2026

Quite a few species have a clever way of advertising themselves to passing bees so that they ensure pollination. The relatively large flowers around the edge of this Hydrangea are sterile and attract the bees to the small internal flowers that will produce the seeds and therefore have lots of pollen and nectar.

Pond lilys at Loch Lomond
24/07/2026

Pond lilys at Loch Lomond

An interesting piece of rotting wood. Fungi, woodlice and snails have been hard at work. The lines from left to right ar...
12/07/2026

An interesting piece of rotting wood. Fungi, woodlice and snails have been hard at work. The lines from left to right are the Medullary or Vascular Rays that carry water, minerals and organic compounds across the girth of the timber, horizontally. The xylem water carrying 'cells' are the tree rings with the annual ring itself still present as it is harder than the larger 'summer growrth' cells.

The Rusty Back Fern, Asplenium ceterach. Supposed to grow near Eglinton from an old record. This fine specimen is at Mof...
06/07/2026

The Rusty Back Fern, Asplenium ceterach. Supposed to grow near Eglinton from an old record. This fine specimen is at Moffat.

A Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina) sport, that is a mutant variety which has greatly reduced 'leaves' on a normal stem ...
03/06/2026

A Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina) sport, that is a mutant variety which has greatly reduced 'leaves' on a normal stem or rachis. This one has also produced one almost 'normal' 'leaf aka frond. Sports are quite common if you look closely and the species is very common in woodlands and verges. The Victorians were great collectors of the many 'sport' varieties and collected so many that they became quite rare at the time.

The Common Spotted Orchid is our most common orchid. You get hybrids that are tall and very robust. Dactylorhiza maculat...
15/05/2026

The Common Spotted Orchid is our most common orchid. You get hybrids that are tall and very robust. Dactylorhiza maculata fuchsii is the scientific name.

The very same False Puffball slime mold the next day. Very hot weather speeded up the process. The spores are brown and ...
30/04/2026

The very same False Puffball slime mold the next day. Very hot weather speeded up the process. The spores are brown and dispersed by wind and rain until only a few delicate threads of the sporangium remain, resembling soft foam padding.

The False Puff-ball slime mold on a pine tree stump.
29/04/2026

The False Puff-ball slime mold on a pine tree stump.

A group of Shuttlecock or Ostrich Ferns just opening. The plant has fronds without spore bodies and fronds with only spo...
22/04/2026

A group of Shuttlecock or Ostrich Ferns just opening. The plant has fronds without spore bodies and fronds with only spore bodies - the brown ones. Not native.

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Barrmill Road
Beith
KA151

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