Wemyss Caves

The Wemyss Caves lie along this stretch of shoreline to the east of the village of East Wemyss. There are interpretation boards close to this point.


Although I'd been to the Wemyss Caves several times, the last visit was some years ago, so when I read that the 'Save the Wemyss Ancient Caves Society' (SWACS) was offering guided tours of the caves on Saturdays in July, I thought it was time for a return visit and it was very well worth while. I learned a lot. The caves contain more Pictish carvings than anywhere else in Britain.

Walking towards Buckhaven from East Wemyss the first cave one comes to is known as the Court Cave.  It is said to have got its name because in the middle ages the landowner was responsible for the upkeep of law and order and he presided over the ‘Baron’s Court’ which was held in this cave. The court was summoned by ringing a bell, which hung from the mouth of the Cave.

Inside the Court Cave.

Cup marks in the Court Cave. They are an early form of rock art but the purpose of these marks is debatable.

This marking possibly represents the Viking god Thor with his hammer and  his sacred goat.

There are several symbols in this portion of the cave wall. At the top a long-necked bird and next to it a double disc and rod. Lower down other symbols including another double disc and a decorated rod.

References 

Guide to the Wemyss Caves by Frank Rankin and published by Save the Wemyss Ancient Caves Society.

www. wemysscaves.co.uk - the website of Save the Wemyss Ancient Caves Society (S.W.A.C.S.)

Musk Mallow and Tree Mallow

A very pretty patch of musk mallow (Malva moschata) just by the ruined salt pan houses about half a mile East of Lower Largo village.

Tree mallow (Malva arborea or Lavatera arborea) at the back of the Temple Car Park in Lower Largo. The flowers are similar to but less showy than those of the garden hollyhock, which is also a member of the mallow family of plants (malvaceae).

Sailing Ship in Largo Bay

 Sailing ship off Lundin Links today.

Update

Thanks to an article in the East Fife Mail have identified the ship. It is the Stavros S Niarchos, one of the members of the Tall Ships Youth Trust.

A Delicate Structure - Identification

About a year ago I found the bird skull (pictured here in the first two photos), on the beach near Lower Largo Harbour. I thought it was that of a small diving bird, a tern, perhaps, but wasn't sure. The mystery was solved on a recent trip to the Isle of May. On a tray in the splendid new Visitor Centre there was a variety of objects that had been found on the island and I was surprised to see a bird skull that looked virtually identical to the one that I had found. Helpfully labelled by the Scottish National Heritage Staff as a guillemot skull, I had the identification for my find.

The guillemot skull displayed in the Isle of May Visitor Centre.

Solomon's Seal Sawfly Larvae

There is a small patch of Solomon's Seal in the garden and yesterday I noticed that some of the leaves had been stripped bare. I thought it was possibly slug or snail damage. However, today I noticed some unpleasant looking grey caterpillars on some of the remaining leaves. The internet soon provided the answer. They are not true caterpillars but the larvae of the Solomon's Seal Sawfly (Phymatocera aterrima).

Adult Solomon’s Seal Sawfly are black, 8-9mm long, and emerge in late spring at about the time the host plant is coming into flower. The female uses her saw-like ovipositor to insert rows of eggs into the leaf stems. The larvae initially make small elongate holes in the foliage (as in above photo), but as they increase in size their appetite also increases. The fully grown larvae go into the soil where they overwinter and pupate in the following spring. Defoliated plants survive but may produce reduced growth in the following year. 

Henbane

A fairly uncommon flower, which we saw on our recent trip to the Isle of May was henbane (Hyoscyamus niger). Henbane has an interesting history. In ancient times it was used as a cure for toothache. It was included by Dioscorides in his work De Materia Medica which was written around 40 to 70 AD.
The plant contains similar tropane alkaloids to the aptly named deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna) namely atropine, hyoscine also known as scopolamine, and hyoscyamine. It is therefore a useful source of these medicinally used alkaloids for the pharmaceutical industry but nowadays is considered far too dangerous to be used in herbalism.
In 1910 it featured in the murder trial of Dr Crippen, as it was the source of the hyoscine that he used to kill his wife.

All parts of the plant are extremely poisonous.

A close up of the hairy leaves and flowers which I think are quite attractive but are often described as sinister looking. It is also said to have a noxious smell.

Some Isle of May Wild Flowers

On our recent visit to the Isle of May the predominant flower was sea campion (Silene maritima) which carpeted much of the island.

Here and there large patches of buttercup amongst the sea campion.

At first sight a bit similar to buttercup, silverweed (Potentilla anserina) can be distinguished  by its characteristic leaves which have a silvery sheen.

Thrift (Armeria maritima) is another common plant, although much of it had finished flowering there were one or two pink patches.

A patch of tiny flowered forget-me-nots.