Elderberries

Elder trees are ladened with berries here in the Highlands. The richly coloured sour berries grow from late summer to autumn and provide a tasty meal for mammals like bank voles and birds like the mistle thrush. It was said that an elder planted…

Magical Rowan

Of all the autumn spectacles, the changing colours of the rowan tree is a big favourite. The more common Scots Gaelic name is caorunn (pronounced choroon, the ‘ch’ as in loch). In the Highlands, the rowan is steeped in folklore. It was seen as…