"Scottish Snippets"

"Colour Supplement"

24 June 2006

Each week the Rampant Scotland Newsletter includes a number of photographs which illustrate the weather, flowers, animals, birds and scenery taken in the current week around Scotland. There are so many such graphics worth including that a separate "colour supplement" is created so as not to totally overload the Newsletter. Here is this week's crop!


I'm not sure why this cygnet warranted a lift on mum's back - the other four cygnets were paddling alongside. The last time I saw cygnets on a parent's back was in torrential rain and all the youngsters were sheltering in amongst the feathers.


It was after seeing the cistus shrub in flower beside St Fillan's church in Aberdour in Fife that I planted one in my own garden. Cistus is also called "Sun rose" and it certainly responds to the sunshine. Those lovely flowers (about three inches across) only last for about a day, but there are always plenty more buds queuing up to burst open the next day.


No visit to Aberdour in Fife would be complete without taking a photo of its attractive castle - and enjoying afternoon tea at the picnic tables outside - weather permitting!


Unlike the Cistus above, Abutilon flowers are long lasting. They are natives of the tropics and in Scotland are often grown in conservatories. This magnificent specimen is sheltered by a nearby a wall and coastal locations such as Aberdour tend to get less frost than inland.


A real sign that summer is advancing is the appearance of Damselflies - and the larger Dragonflies will not be far behind. This particular variety is the "Common Blue" Damselfly.




No wonder roses are popular when they come in such a range of attractive colours! This one was in the walled garden of Historic Scotland's Aberdour Castle.


The island of Inchcolm, or Island (from the Gaelic innis) of Columba, is a quarter of a mile from the shore on the coastal path between Aberdour and Dalgety Bay in Fife. It may have been an early Christian settlement, long before the 12th century stone-roofed building was preserved and given a vaulted roof by the monks of the later St Colm's Abbey. The Pentland Hills in the distance are in Midlothian, south of the Firth of Forth.

If you want to look back at earlier editions of this Colour Supplement, there is an Index Page



Separator line


Where else would you like to go in Scotland?








Separator line