Piri Piri Burr
Operations officer Mike Smedley discovered several patches of piri piri burr growing near a path a few hundred metres from the internationally important nature reserve. As the name suggests, the seed heads form burrs, a compact ball of seeds, each with its own hook ready to attach to the socks, fur or wool of passing people or animals.
Often unnoticed, the seed later drops out and so the plant spreads. Like many non-native plants, it was first grown in gardens from which it escaped, either by seed spread or by people dumping garden waste in the countryside.
Mike said: “We don’t know of any large areas of piri piri burr in north-east Scotland, but the island of Lindisfarne off the coast of Northumberland shows how bad the effects can be of unchecked spread. The plant grows over the ground, creating a dense carpet which can eliminate other less robust species.”
Annabel Drysdale, SNH’s reserve manager at Forvie added: “Invasive, non-native species are a worry on any nature reserve. Because of the risk, we agreed with our neighbour that prompt action was necessary, so we are pulling up the plants before they seed and using herbicide on larger patches. It’s very timely that the Scottish Government published its code of practice for invasive non-native species just last week, which explains the part we can all play in avoiding harm to our environment.”
The control of non-native species, such as Japanese Knotweed and Signal Crayfish, is estimated to cost Scotland £244 million per year.
As well as its famous terns and eiders, Forvie is internationally important for its dune and coastal habitats. Forvie is one of about 50 National Nature Reserves in Scotland. For details of a walk through the dunes at Forvie, complete with map and photos, see Walkhighlands.