SS2:EB, The Galloway Hills

I eagerly anticipated my time in the Galloway hills, a large, heavily forested region that is a favorite among hikers, mountain bikers, and wildlife enthusiasts. Over the past few months, I've been feverishly recording in my field notebook woodlands and nature reserves in Galloway that might offer a wealth of sampling sites. I'm happy to report that I wasn't disappointed.

A large swath of the Galloway hills are managed by the Forestry Commission in Scotland, meaning fells that were once carpeted in broadleaf trees, ferns, and bracken, are now planted with a mix of timber and native trees. Parts of the region have retained more of their wild, uncultivated charm, and it was these areas that I tried to sample most thoroughly.

The further one drives into the region, the more desolate the terrain becomes. This area reminds me of the Highlands, with its granite crags, heather, and grasses.


In the two weeks I had my car, I logged nearly 1,900 miles, many of which were from tooling around this staggeringly gorgeous area, which covers several hundred square miles of mostly uninhabited wildlands. In my explorations, I happened upon a wild goat park. Naturally, I took a crap-ton of photos.


How could you not love a bleating animal with horns and a beard?! It's like a trash-eating dog with antlers.

Not all of the Galloway hills are this stark. Cutting through one of the forests was a sizable burn, littered with the glacial till that is characteristic of the Scottish landscape.


I inherited a love of water from my mom. I see a river, a pond, or a puddle and I can't stay out of it. Unfortunately, the fifty degree temperatures prevented me from frolicking in the cool, clear waters. Instead, I wandered out to the middle of the stream, sampled algae, and snapped pictures.


Along the banks of the burn were some dense mixed conifer-broadleaf forests. In my experience, these types of habitats make for great collecting, with the range of microhabitats available. The mosses that carpet the forest floor are among some of the best site for chytrid sampling.

Scots pine, oak, and birch dominate these mixed forests, while the understory is covered with ferns, mosses, liverworts and other primitive plants.


A gorgeous, sprawling oak. I have a particular affinity for huge, expansive trees. They remind me of summer days spent crawling in the oak trees in New Orleans' City Park. Whenever we get the chance during my visits home, my sister and I traipse off to City Park to play like monkeys.

As much as I love ginormous trees, I'm also a fan of the smaller inhabitants of the forest. I'm that kid who crawls around the forest floor, digging in the dirt, catching bugs, etc. This trip, I found a great little collection of slime molds standing on a felled tree trunk.

After I finished up goofing off in the woods, I hiked up to a viewing point to take in the valley in its entirety. Two waterfalls flanked either side of the hollow between the fells, and a small burn cuts across the length of the corridor. Despite the clouds, the wind, and the rain, it was absolutely stunning.


Too bad I look like I'm abusing barbiturates. Damn that wonky eye.