Western Isles - Wild Flowers - Wildflowers & - Hebrides Flowers
The Hebrides has a great diversity of wild flowers - from the yellow flag irises - to the beautiful orchids which flower here. Lovely wildflowers of the Western Isles. In the late spring and summer the beautiful machair with its many types of wild flowers interwoven - a rare carpet of flowers - only to be seen in the Western Isles. |
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Western Isles Flowers - Wildflowers and Flora of The Hebrides
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Red Bartsia
Ref:RED1000 |
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Birdsfoot Treefoil
Ref:BIR9000 |
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Blotched Monkey Flower
Ref:BLO788 |
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This amazingly pretty mimulus luteus, grows here in the Hebrides almost wild. Ii is thought to have been introduced but thrives very well
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Bluebell - Wild Hyacinth
Ref:BLU9000 |
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Bog Bean - Isle of Lewis
Ref:BO9000 |
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Bog bean - aquatic plant with large leaves. Common in the bogs and lochs in The Western Isles - has white star shaped flowers in the early spring
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Bog Cotton
Ref:BOG1000 |
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Burdock - Lesser Burdock
Ref:BUR1001 |
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Butterwort
Ref:BUT1000 |
Cottongrass - bog cotton is a common sight across the Western Isles. It grows to 60cm and inhabits shallow, standing water or wet, peaty ground.
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Lovely Purple wildflowers - Hebrides Flowers. This plant has pinkish violet two-lipped flowers. streaked with deep purple on long, leafless stems.
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Sea Campion - Ghiotadail
Ref:Sea1001 |
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White Campion
Ref:WHI1000 |
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Lesser Celandine
Ref:CEL1000 |
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Common Centaury
Ref:COM1005 |
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Clover - Red Clover
Ref:CLO1007 |
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Cuckoo Flower - Lady's Smock
Ref:CUC1000 |
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These tiny pink flowers the cuckoo flowers grow wild in various places throughout the western Isles. Lovely wildflowers of the Hebrides.
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Daisies - Tolsta
Ref:D9000
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Eyebright - Wildflowers
Ref:EYE1000 |
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Field Gentiani
Ref:FIE100 |
The Daisy a familiar, native wildflower seen of course all over The Western Isles. Attractive, silver white blooms with golden-yellow 'eyes'
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These lovely compact violet purple flowers - seen at Bosta in August are a delight to see especially as they are becoming a little more rare.
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Water Forget Me Not
Ref:WATF100 |
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Foxglove
Ref:FOX9000 |
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Geranium - Doves Foot Cranesbill
Ref:GER9000 |
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This lovely pink mauve geranium molle, the doves foot cranesbill is a really pretty wildflower
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Gorse
Ref:GOR9000 |
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Hawkweed
Ref:HAW!2000 |
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Harebells
Ref:HA1000
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Gorse likes the acid soil. The yellow flowers on this spiny evergreen shrub are prolific
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The nodding blue bell shaped flowers display through the summer in the Hebrides amongst the machair's create a vision of delicate beauty
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Bell Heather -Erica Cinerea
Ref:BEL1000
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Cross Leaved Heath Heather
Ref:CRO1000
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Ling Heather -Calluna Vulgaris
Ref:LIN1000
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A paler heather with drooping bell shaped wildflowers looking slightly more straggly than the other 2 heathers that are here in the Hebrides
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Pale pink almost mauve heather with lovely dense terminal flower spikes. These tiny lilac flowers are nor bell shaped like the other 2 heathers here
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Honeysuckle - Lonicera periclymenum
Ref:HON1000
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Purple Irises - Iris versicolor
Ref:IRIS9000
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Honeysuckle, native to the Western Isles, these lovely wildflowers make quite a display. This one was a mass of flowers wedged in the rock face
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Purple irises growing wild in The Isle of Harris, near Leverburgh - here are a protected species and grow only in one place on the islands
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The wild iris or flag iris came about in the 5th century when the king of Franks, Clovis, used the Iris as a heraldic symbol on his battle flag. Very prolific here in The Hebrides
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Kidneyvetch
Ref:KID9001
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Knapweed
Ref:KNA9001
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Ladies Bedstraw
Ref:LAD9000
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Clusters of Yellow wildflowers with patches of orange or red on them creating lovely bright displays, this wildflower may be common but is still very beautiful
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These wildflowers seen all over The Western Isles, indeed throughout Scotland and the Uk look somewhat like thistles - but have no spikes. Lovely purple wild flowers.
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Clusters of yellow wildflowers that create a carpet on the machair or by the sea on the sandy dunes. These wild flowers are native to the western Isles - Hebridean flora in all its beauty,
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Water Lily - Garry
Ref:WHIP9000
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Lousewort - Mangersta
Ref:LOU9000 |
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Machair - Tolsta
Ref:MAC00011 |
Lovely wildflowers, white water lilies grow wild in the lochs in The Western Isles - Isle of Lewis. When they open up they are spectacular. Truly lovely wildflowers of The Hebrides
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This lovely pink flower the lousewort grows wild here in the Western Isles on the damp moorland - it just springs up everywhere - wherever the ground is damp and moist.
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Particular areas of the Western Isles - have their own machair's made up of all different types of wildflowers - sometimes some of the species being only specific to that particular region. A carpet of colourful wildflowers specific to the Islands
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Marsh Marigolds - Garry
Ref:MAR9000
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Common Mikwort - Polygala Vulgaris
Ref:HEA1000
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Heath Mikwort - Polygala serpyllifolia
Ref:HEA1000
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A plant of wet meadows, marshes , wet woodlands, grows well in shade. Bright, glowing yellow flowers of this clump forming, marginal aquatic plant appear in early spring.
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Heath Milkwort, pretty little wildflowers seen in the Western Isles - either bright pink or blue - similar to the common milkwort, flowering on marshy grass or moorland
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Water Mint
Ref: WA9000 |
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Montbretia - Scalpay
Ref: M9000 |
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Northern Marsh Orchid
Ref:MAC0001 |
This lovely mauve, pink, purple lilac plant growing near streams or wet boggy marshy land here in the Hebrides is a really pretty plant with lovly rounded flowerheads, during the summer months through to October
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Montbretia grows wild in some parts of the Isle of Harris and Lewis. In September its fringes can be seen in many places the bright copper colour makes for a stunning wildflower.
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Dactylorhiza purpurella - A robust plant 10-35cm tall, with 4 - 6 six broad green pointed stem leaves. The flower spike is dense , square topped, with 10-40 bright purple to magenta coloured flowers
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Heath Spotted Orchid
Ref:ORC9002 |
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Wild Flowers - Early Marsh Orchid
Ref:ORC9000 |
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Hebridean Spotted Orchid
Ref:ORC9008 |
A lovely orchid, the heath Orchid. A really pretty orchid that likes damp acid soil.
This orchid was seen on the damp moorland at Tolsta. This orchid loves the acid peat moorland or damp pastures
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A wild marsh orchid - Orchids brighten many a spot in the Hebrides - particularly in The Isle of Harris - this marsh orchid we saw in Luskentrye on the way down to the beach - its vibrant red spikes a real colour splash
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The Hebridean spotted Orchid - specific to the Western isles - these wildflowers are really delicate and so pretty. This orchid likes the lime that the sea shells bring to the sand - or machair here in the Hebrides
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Lesser Butterfly Orchid
Ref:ORC9060 |
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Sea Plantain
Ref:SS1000
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Primroses - Tolsta
Ref:P9000
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A tiny delicate wildflower, the lesser butterfly orchid once seen throughout the Uk, in recent years its stronghold is only on Western Scotland. Very pretty almost exotic looking with its lovely creamy yellow wildflowers
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Sea Plantain, green flowers whose anthers are yellow, these lovely yellow wildflowers, thrive by the sea. Just one of four types of plantain that grow here in The Western isles, another pretty yellow wild flower
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The Primrose wildflower, native to Britain and Europe. Seen all over The Western Isles, a small plant, typically no more than 4ins high. Its flowers which vary in colour from pale cream to deep yellow.
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Ragged Robin
Ref:RAG300 |
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Common Ragwort
Ref:RAG100 |
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Dog Rose - Rosa Canina
Ref:ROS100 |
The ragged robin wildflower, member of the carnation family, lovely pink flowers, likes damp places, readily seen on The Western Isles & Scotland. A very delicate looking wildflower of The Western Isles
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It is hard to believe - but these pretty wildflowers - are really weeds.
Common ragwort is a weed of wasteland and pasture that occurs all over the Western Isles.
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Striking bright pink wildflowers, native to the Western Isles, these flowers provide for many insects whilst the fruit or hips borne in the Autumn are food for the birds.
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Scabious - Devils Bit
Ref:Sca100 |
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Sea Rocket
Ref:SEAR2000 |
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Self Heal - Moorland Traigh Mhor
Ref:SEL2000 |
Scabious or Devils bit has lovely pinky purple flowers - was so called as the roots look like they have been bitten of - supposedly by the devil
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The wild flowers on this plant which can be seen actually growing in the sand are very delicate and pretty. Seen on many beaches here in the Western Isles
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These lovely little red and purple wildflowers Self Heal - are native to Scotland and The UK and as the name suggests are widely used in herbal medicines.
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Western Isles Flowers - Silverweed
Ref:SIL9000 |
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Sea Mayweed - Garry
Ref:Sea100 |
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Germander Speedwell
Ref:GER1004
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The underside of the leaves of the silverweed plant are silver in colour - hence the name. Another delicate looking Western Isles wildflower
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Sea Mayweed - Tripleurospermum maritimum - Garry - Beach - on the Rocks. - August 2009. A common seaside plant, commonly known as sea mayweed.
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There are six types of Speedwell that grow here and throughout Scotland. This species can be identified by the hairs on either side of the stem...
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Heath Speedwell
Ref:HEA1004
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Spring Squill
Ref:SOR000
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Biting Stonecrop
Ref:BIT100 |
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These western isles flowers are low growing and very tolerant of salt spray. The star shaped delicate blue wildflowers really are pretty.
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English Stonecrop
Ref:STO100 |
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Tansy
Ref:Tan100 |
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Marsh Thistle
Ref:Marth9000 |
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Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) a perennial herbaceous flowering plant of the aster family, has become invasive. It thrives in almost any soil
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The first of the three thistles to flower in the Western isles summers, these lovely deep purple flowers in clusters are borne at the tops of very prickly stems
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Spear Thistle
Ref:Speth9000 |
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Thrift
Ref:THR9000 |
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Wild Thyme
Ref:THY9000 |
These pretty pink flowers are very pretty. The flower heads are larger than the creeping or marsh thistle flowers, getting up to 4 cms in diameter.
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Tiny pink flowers seem to grow anywhere on the sandy coastal areas of the Western Isles as well as all over Scotland and the UK in coastal areas. Thrift was pictured on the British coins - threepenny bits.
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Tiny pink and mauve wildflowers native to the Western Isles thriving all over the islands. Great swathes of the flowers create carpets on the rocks, in the grass, very pretty and sweet scented too.
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Tormentil
Potentilla Tormentilla -TOR1000 |
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Tufted Vetch
Ref: TU9000 |
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Common Dog Violet
Viola riviniana -
DOG1000 |
These tiny yellow flowers can be seen all over the Western Isles. The tiny flowers which create a carpet along the moors really are very pretty when you take the time to look close up - so very tiny!
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Tufted Vetch - Western Isles Wildflowers - This perennial climbing herb - has blue wild flowers from May to August in The Western Isles. The lovely blue flowers are pollinated by bees and flies
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These tiny blue flowers, the common dog violets - grow wild all over the Western Isles. The flower is only tiny - a little smaller than a buttercup. THe leaves grow in a tift and are heart shaped
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Heath Dog Violet
Viola canina-
DOG1000 |
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Yarrow
Ref:YAR300 |
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Yellow Rattle
Ref:YEL300 |
Lovely deep blue violets, one of the three types of violets to be seen here in the Western Isles, appearing from May throughout the summer months on the heaths, and sany grassland
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A plant native to the Northern Hemisphere. Yarrow is a flowering plant with distinctive flat flower heads and lacy leaves. Has a common name "soldiers wound wort" as was used to stop soldiers bleeding.
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Yellow Rattle an annual seen in the Western Isles - Lovely yellow wildflowers The tube like yellow flowers appear in the summer with a violet tooth at the tip, although quite common are really pretty
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Yorkshire Fog
Ref:YOR300 |
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This grass often though of as a weed is really very pretty with its purple flower heads. It has many common names and the name Yorkshire Fog perhaps derived from the fact that it likes damp wet foggy conditions
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| Miscellaneous - Funghi - Lichen - Seaweed |
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Funghi - Mushroom/Toadstool?
Ref:MUS301 |
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Seaweed - Mangersta
Ref:SEA0001 |
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Blue Grey Lichen
Ref:GREY1000 |
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I know its only seaweed - of a type - but it really is very pretty - Spotted it growing out on the rocks at Mangersta Beach - Isle of Lewis.
Click Here for seaweed pics........
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Lichen - These oplants or organisms /funghi are really diverse. So many different types from the bright yellow lichen that covers many rocks and stones through to grey, green lichen
Click Here for Lichen Details.......... |
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Stornoway i - Autumn Crocus
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This flower I believe to be a type of Autumn Crocus was just behind the Lady Matheson Monument |
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| Should I have identified any of the wildflowers incorrectly or given information that isn't correct - or if you can assist with identification of any flowers - all comments and assistance great fully received - email chris@gcwweb.com |
Western Isles Wildflowers - Flora & Flowers of The Outer Hebrides - Hebridean Wild Flowers
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