Plants in the Northwest Scottish Highlands

Lichens

If you look closely at rocks that have a grey / white surface you will notice it is not part of the rock but actually made up of plants. These are lichens which in this area of Scotland are the first plants to establish themselves on bare rock, A rock surface is very inhospitable because it is liable to extremes of temperature and wetness, but lichens are very hardy plants and can survive even on vertical surfaces which dry out completely for long periods. This is because their structure enables them to resist drying out and yet use any atmospheric moisture by absorbing it all over their surface. For this reason they are easily harmed by pollution in the atmosphere. However, here in the northwest of Scotland pollution in the air is very low and lichens grow abundantly. Great news for plants, wildlife and of course you.

A lichen crust does little to break down rock and form soil, but it helps create the first soil pockets on bare rock by trapping wind blown particles. In this way a very shallow soil eventually builds up which can retain moisture and allows mosses and larger types of lichen to move in.

Lichens are quite a complicated plant consisting of two different kinds of plant growing intimately together. One is a tiny alga which produces food from the sunlight just like normal green plants. The other is a fungus which completely surrounds the alga and provides protection and attachment to the rock.

You will see many different lichens of varying shapes and sizes and colours as you walk around the Knockan Trail.

Mosses

Mosses survive in similar places to lichens but are less able to establish themselves on smooth rock surfaces as they need a softer material into which their roots can grow and they are more dependant on having moisture around them.

Mosses are better than lichens at breaking down rock to produce soil. Firstly, they trap more moisture in soil pockets in which they grow. This means the rock remains wetter and in the winter the moisture freezers and cracks the rock. Secondly, the roots of a moss release chemicals which have a weathering effect on the rock. Mosses therefore continue the colonising process started by lichens, and in building up the soil allow a succession of plants to inhabit what was originally a bare surface.

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