Why the Forest loves pine!

Red Squirrel with a cone in a Scots pine. Photo by Laurie Campbell.

The red squirrel loves pine because...

The red squirrel loves Scots pine because the Caledonian Forest is its native habitat in Scotland. It builds its drey, where it sleeps at night and shelters from the weather, in the branches of a pine, and feeds on the seeds contained in the pine cones. By one estimate a squirrel can eat the seeds from 20,000 cones in a year!

The squirrel’s reddish colour provides excellent camouflage amongst the reddish new bark of Scots pine branches, and it is highly-adapted to its arboreal lifestyle, with long hind legs and double-jointed ankles.

Red squirrels have disappeared from much of their former range in England in the past 50 years, due to the spread of the non-native grey squirrel, and the pinewoods of the Caledonian Forest are its main stronghold now.

Cock capercaillie in lekking display. Photo by Laurie Campbell.

The capercaillie loves pine because...

The capercaillie is a great lover of pine, and it spends a lot of time grazing on pine needles in the canopies of large open-grown trees. The male uses clearings in the forest as ritual display areas, known as leks. The males congregate and face off in these areas, while the females look on from the surrounding pines.

As the world’s largest grouse, the male is about the size of a turkey, but with an iridescent green sheen on its dark chest, and chocolate-coloured wings and back. It has a striking red wattle above its eye, and a tail that it can spread out like a fan, when engaging in lekking display. The female, or hen, is about half the size, and has more subdued plumage for camouflage.

This bird is impressively pugnacious, and will even chase birdwatchers out of its territory! Sadly the capercaillie is endangered, largely due to loss of habitat, so regeneration of its pinewood habitat is essential for its future survival.

Crested tit perched on a Scots pine. Photo by Laurie Campbell.

The crested tit loves pine because...

The crested tit loves Scots pine because it depends on it for food and shelter. This striking bird is only found in pine forests, where it feeds mainly in the pine canopy. It feeds on insects and spiders, eating pine seeds when they become available in April. It also likes to nest in cavities in dead pine trees.

This is a small but striking member of the tit family, with handsome facial markings, including a black eyestripe and a distinctive crest on its head. Its body is greyish-white underneath, and brownish above. Among its calls are a distinct purring trill.

The crested tit is one of Britain’s rarest birds, as its pinewood habitat has been reduced to a tiny fraction of its original extent. While rare, if you are lucky enough to encounter one, it is not particularly shy, and it is possible to get some good views of its impressive acrobatics as it forages in the canopy.

A wood ant nest beside a Scots pine in Glen Affric NNR.

Wood ants love pine because...

There are four species of wood ants in the Caledonian Forest. They love pine, because they use the needles as building material for their nests. They also hunt in the pine canopy for all sorts of prey, including the caterpillars that eat pine needles, thereby benefiting the tree.

They are the largest British ants, and while each of the species has subtle differences, they all have a red and black covering. They have a fascinating and complex social structure and live in large colonies, which they defend fiercely. In Scotland the nests can have up to 100,000 individuals living in them! The nests are specially engineered to make best use of the sun’s warmth, and the ants go to great lengths to keep the nest at an optimum temperature for the eggs and larvae.

While not in trouble globally, three of the species are threatened or endangered in Scotland, and so the regeneration of the pinewood habitat is critical for their long-term survival here.

A pine marten beside a Scots pine in Glen Affric NNR. Photo by Laurie Campbell.

The pine marten loves pine because...

This attractive member of the weasel family loves pine and pinewoods, as they afford it plenty of opportunity for hunting and finding shelter. They are skilful, agile hunters, and are able to hunt on the forest floor or in the canopy. They are largely carnivorous, mainly eating small mammals and birds, as well as eggs, insects, carrion and berries.

Pine martens are a chestnut brown colour with a creamy throat and chest. Their bodies are around 53 cm long and their bushy tails are about 25 cm. They are playful and inquisitive animals, with acute vision, hearing and sense of smell, as well as sensitive whiskers.

They were once widespread in Britain but their numbers have been decimated by deforestation and persecution. Certain pinewoods in Scotland are their main strongholds now, and their numbers are showing encouraging signs of increasing in some of these areas.

An osprey on the branch of a Scots pine. Photo by Laurie Campbell.

The osprey loves pine because...

The osprey is a distinctive bird of prey that hunts fish by hovering over the water, and then diving for the kill. It loves pine as this tree provides ideal nesting sites, affording safety, stability and good views. In Britain, pine is its preferred tree for nesting, and the majority of British ospreys are currently found in the pinewoods of Scotland.

This large bird of prey has a wingspan of 145-170 cm. It has a dark brown back, with a white body and head, and a handsome dark eye stripe. Its needle-sharp talons have evolved for piercing and grasping its prey, and its sharp beak is ideal for tearing off morsels of fish.

This migratory bird was exterminated in Britain by 1916, but happily they have been making a comeback, with the help of conservationists – a real wildlife success story!

Creeping ladies tresses orchids amongst flowering bell heather.

The Creeping ladies tresses orchid loves pine because...

A delicate white orchid, creeping ladies-tresses loves pine and the pinewoods that form its main habitat. The tiny, fragrant flowers grow in a loose spiral, although they tend to gravitate towards one side of the plant. They were given their name because of their resemblance to neatly plaited hair – a poetic image indeed.

Like all orchids, creeping ladies-tresses relies very much on fungi to help it get started in the world. Orchid seeds are tiny, so are ideal for being carried long distances by the wind, but that also means that they don’t have the food reserves required for them to grow. They form mycorrhizal partnerships with fungi: the plant provides shelter, vitamins and sugars that the fungus can’t produce on its own; in exchange the fungus helps the plant to access the essential nutrients it needs to grow.

This flower has declined in many parts of Scotland, mainly because of overgrazing, but with adequate protection, this orchid of the pinewoods should be able to thrive once again.

The red deer loves pine because...

Red deer stags in a native pinewood. Photo by Laurie Campbell.

Red deer stag amongst pine and birches in Glen Affric.

The red deer loves pine, as it forms part of its preferred habitat – natural forest – and offers plenty of suitable food and shelter. Because of the loss of Scotland’s forests, red deer have mostly been forced out onto the open moors, where life is much more difficult for them.

The red deer is Britain’s largest surviving land mammal, with the adults standing about 105-120 cm high at the shoulder. Stags are a majestic sight, especially those with a full rack of antlers. In late September, the primal roar of rutting stags echoes around the glens, as the males posture and lock antlers in their competition for females.

Red deer numbers are currently too high, and out of balance with the ecosystem. This has come about for a number of reasons, including the loss of their natural predators. As a result, they overgraze the forest, preventing regeneration of the trees. They are in a poorer condition than they would be in a healthy woodland habitat, as the moorlands they mainly inhabit are very exposed, and lower in nutrients. The lack of predators selecting out weaker animals, combined with decades of trophy hunting (which removes strong, healthy stags) has also weakened the gene pool.

Twinflower in blossom on the forest floor.

Twinflower loves pine because...

The twinflower is an enchanting little plant – a lover of pines that is mainly found in ancient remnants of pine woodland. It has two small pinkish-white bell-like flowers branching off from a single stalk and the roundish leaves grow in pairs. As well as providing nectar for certain insect inhabitants of the pinewood, it adds an understated beauty to the forest floor, which on closer inspection is quite breathtaking.

It mainly spreads vegetatively, sending out new shoots from overground runners. The seeds, when they occur, have tiny hooks on them that can adhere to the fur or feathers of mammals and birds, helping them to disperse.

In other parts of its global range, twinflower can cover quite large areas of ground, although it is very scarce in Scotland. This is due to a combination of habitat loss, overgrazing and fire, all of which have contributed to its decline. As twinflower does not colonise new sites very readily, planting programmes will be important in helping it to regain lost ground.

The pine looper moth loves pine because...

Caterpillar of the pine looper moth (Bupalus piniaria), well-camouflaged as it feeds on pine needles.

Pine looper moth on a blaeberry plant.

The pine looper moth loves pine because the needles form a major part of its diet when it is a caterpillar. It also eats the needles of other conifers, but Scots pine is a definite favourite.

The caterpillars or larvae are green with pale stripes. The adult males and females are quite different from one another: the males have a white or yellow background with a black border, while the females have much more subdued markings. The caterpillars hatch from eggs in early summer and feed through into early autumn, before overwintering as pupae. The adult moths emerge in May and June and live for 10 – 14 days, when they lay their eggs.

The pine looper moth often reaches pest proportions in commercial plantations, but in healthy Caledonian Forest, predators such as wood ants and crested tits keep the moth’s numbers in balance. This highlights the importance of having a diverse range of wildlife in an ecosystem.

Detail of the teeth or spines on the underside of the cap of the drab tooth fungus (Bankera fuligineoalba).

Pinewood tooth fungi love pine because...

As their name suggests, pinewood tooth fungi love pine. Some species are only found in native pinewoods, and many form very intimate relationships with pines, in mutually beneficial partnerships known as ‘mycorrhizas’. These occur when plant roots and the underground thread-like body of the fungus connect and share energy and nutrients.

A common feature of this group of fungi is the small teeth or scales on the underside of the mushroom – the equivalent of the spore-producing gills found on many other species of fungus. The mushroom of a fungus is only the fruiting body, and is a tiny part of the overall organism. The vast bulk of it is made up of a network of thread-like ‘hyphae’ that work their way though the soil, other rotting material, and in and around plant roots.

Some of these fungi are very rare in Scotland, while others are more common. Protection and expansion of pine and pinewoods is essential for ensuring their long-term survival.

The Scottish crossbill loves pine because...

Male Scottish crossbill in a Scots pine. Photo by Stewart Potter.

Female Scottish crossbill in a Scots pine. Photo by Stewart Potter.

The Scottish crossbill is the only bird that is endemic to Scotland (ie it occurs here and nowhere else) and it loves Scots pine because its entire life revolves around its relationship to the tree. It is distinguished by its curved mandibles that cross over when its bill is closed, and this unique adaptation enables the bird to prise open tightly-closed pine cones and extract the seeds inside – these form the mainstay of its diet.

Males and females have different colouration, with the male having a bright orange-red, brick-coloured plumage, while the female is a dull green-yellow colour. The sparrow-sized crossbill often forages amongst the trees in flocks, and it makes its nest high up in a Scots pine, usually 10-15 metres above the ground.

The number of Scottish crossbills has been estimated at just 1,500 birds, but there is some uncertainty about the differences between it and other closely-related crossbill species, so it is difficult to accurately determine the population size.

One-flowered wintergreens flowering in a native pinewood. Photo by Laurie Campbell.

One-flowered wintergreen loves pine because...

One-flowered wintergreen loves pine, and particularly damper pinewood habitats, where its shallow roots grow through the thin layer of decomposing pine needles. It is an attractive, low-growing perennial, with a single, white, five-petalled flower. It has some particularly charming alternative names, including ‘single delight’ and ‘wood nymph’.

The elegant, sweet-smelling flower appears from May to July, and is pollinated by bees. The petals are somewhat waxy, and at the base of the plant there is a rosette of pale-green leaves that are toothed and rounded. The plant itself can spread both by seed and vegetatively, from root buds. It relies on partnerships with fungi to help it access enough nutrients from the forest soil.

The one-flowered wintergreen is rare in Britain and is classified as vulnerable. It has declined so much because of the loss of its Caledonian Forest habitat, so ecological restoration is important for its long-term survival.

Blaeberry plant with ripe berries in August.

Blaeberry loves pine because...

Blaeberry is a widespread plant, and grows in both moorland and woodland habitats. However, it loves pine as it grows particularly well in the shade of its canopy, especially on well-drained soil. This close relative of the cultivated blueberry is itself loved by many other dwellers of the pinewood. Its tasty, vitamin-rich berries provide food for many species of bird, including the capercaillie and mammals such as the pine marten (and foraging humans!).

It usually grows to around 60 cm in pinewoods (compared to only 25cm on moorland). The bell-shaped flowers are waxy and pinkish-red. They appear in May, and are very popular with bumblebees! The berries, each containing about 40 seeds, ripen in July and August.

While not rare, the blaeberry’s range has contracted with the loss of native pinewoods. It is also vulnerable to overgrazing by deer and sheep, so protection and regeneration of the Caledonian Forest will help it to return towards its former abundance.

 
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