Lousewort

Lousewort -Pedicularus Sylvatica - growing beside the track to St Columba's Bay on Iona.

Lousewort, not a very attractive name for such a pretty little flower! The Latin word 'pediculus' means 'louse' and the common name Lousewort may have been given to this little plant originally as it was thought that it gave lice to livestock grazing on it.  Subsequently it has been found to carry snails and possibly the liver-fluke larvae may be introduced to stock this way. 
It is a perennial wildflower commonly found growing on damp, peaty soil and bogs. It grows very low to the ground with numerous unbranched stems carrying dense little spikes of pale pink flowers from April to July. It is a hemi-parasitic plant which feeds on minerals and water from other plants, such as grasses, through tiny white suckers on its own roots.