Foxgloves and Lupins on display.

 Foxgloves at the top of the Massney Braes.

 Lupins just to the south of the wooded area between the two paths in the Serpentine Walk. I always associate lupins with railway banks and these were not far from the old railway track that ran through Largo.

Bluebells amongst the Trees

 Bluebells in the trees at the top of the Massney Braes in Lundin Links.

Bluebells line the path in the Serpentine Walk.

In the Serpentine Walk in Largo an orange-tip butterfly lands on a blue or in this case pink bell flower.

Vixen with Foxcubs

Looking over the fence to the old railway track while walking down the steps leading to the Massney Braes in Lundin  Links, spotted a vixen feeding her cubs.

The vixen eventually wandered off into the undergrowth, but the cubs stayed around playing in the sunshine. I think there were 6 or 7 altogether.

Maybe the foxhole. Used to be a lot of rabbits in this area. Haven't seen any in recent weeks. Perhaps, the foxes are the reason.

Wild Weather and Rough Seas

No-one on the swings at the Massney Braes.  Two days of heavy snow showers had left around 10cms of  snow underfoot with some drifting in places.

Looking towards the West of Largo Bay, waves crashing on to the shore.

Down at Lower Largo Harbour, the sea was pounding the pier, which was already in a parlous state.

The sea was channeling behind the Crusoe Hotel and  coming onto the road, leaving behind stones and other debris.

Looking towards the East of Largo Bay

A Colourful Bank

A colourful bank of purple and gold flowers at the foot of the Massney Braes in Lundin Links. The gold comes from tansy flowers and the purple from common knapweed.

For many years, tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) was used as a medicinal herb despite its toxicity. A bitter tea made with tansy flowers has been used for centuries as an anthelmintic to treat parasitic worm infestations, and tansy cakes were traditionally eaten during Lent because it was believed that eating fish during Lent caused intestinal worms. However, it has no place in modern herbal medicine.

Common knapweed (Centaurea nigra) is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by various other names e.g. lesser knapweed, black knapweed and hardheads.
Knapweed is a good source of nectar attracting bees and butterflies. Its seeds also provide food for many birds.

Fog Bank Over the Forth

Looking towards Methil only the top of the large wind turbine can be seen above the fog bank. It looks quite eerie.

 Looking out to sea the fog bank seen from the Massney Braes ...

 ... and from the pier at Lower Largo.

From the old railway track looking over the roof tops across the Forth can just see the tops of the oil platforms.

Impressive Clouds Over Leven

Cloud formations over Leven viewed from the Massney Braes in Lundin Links. Patches of blue still visible and beneath the darker clouds the sun still lighting up the sky. Unfortunately the dark clouds soon moved overhead and a soaking ensued.

Echium vulgare

Viper's-bugloss - Echium vulgare growing amongst the ruined walls of Helmsley Castle in Yorkshire

Vipers-bugloss is a very handsome plant that makes a splash of blue. The flowers are pink in bud, but vivid blue when open. The plant was once used as a cure for snake-bite, hence its common name.

Back in Lundin Links it was growing beside the sandy path through the Massney Braes. It likes a light sandy soil so thrives in coastal regions.

The stamens of the flower are bright red and the stem is covered in rough hairs. Can also see the two lobed stigma in the open flower to the left of the above photo. (Click to enlarge)

Echium is very attractive to bees and other insects.

Tomatoes Growing on the Beach

On the beach just beneath the swings in the Massney Braes, I was surprised to see tomato plants apparently thriving - and not just one or two, there must have been at least 20 to 30 plants. They must be very tolerant to salt, because in the afternoon the high tide was only inches away from them.

Some of the plants already had small tomatoes, forming although I think it's probably unlikely that they will grow and ripen before the first frosts.

A Patch of Sweet Violets

Just above the beach at the foot of the Massney Braes in Lundin Links growing amongst the leaf-litter and tangled vegetation there is a patch of the palest pink almost white sweet violets (Viola odorata). They are the first violets of the spring.

Gabions and Coastal Erosion

At the foot of the Massney Braes in Lundin Links close to the swings There are some wire cages filled with stones (gabions - from Italian gabbione meaning big cage). These are being used to protect the bank from erosion. Gabions work by providing a strong support for otherwise weak areas of earth. Loose soil fills the spaces between the rocks and collects in front of the gabion, preventing more soil from being washed away.

Unfortunately slightly to the west of the gabions there has been a further small landslip.

In Lower Largo, east of the last house at the Temple, there are two other sites where there has been considerable erosion.

At one point a further layer of rock has been exposed at the top of the beach.

Spring Bulbs in the Massney Braes

Most of the snowdrops on the banks of the Massney Braes are almost over, but there were a few patches still flowering yesterday.

There are now numerous clumps of daffodils brightening up the braes. It was a windy day and they were 'fluttering and dancing in the breeze.'

A few bright blue patches of chinodoxa caught my eye,