The other day on the telly (T.V.) the newscaster was talking about a disease mostly in sheep called Blue Tongue Disease. He said that one of the carriers could be the midge---but he did not explain what the midge is, so I had to look it up.
The midge is a very tiny insect sort of like a fly, but there are many varieties of the midge. Some are biting insects and some are not. As I kept reading the information, it became very interesting, because one variety is called the Highland Midge. This particular one is found in wet places, especially in the north-west of Scotland in the spring and summer. They are known for gathering in clouds and biting humans. In one study 5 million midges were collected from an area of only two square meters. It has been said that maybe the midge is the reason that so much land in Scotland is uninhabited!
This information told me about what Ron and I had experienced during our trip to Scotland. When we were at Loch Ness, in the southern highland area, we stopped and walked through the woods on a trail for about an hour. It was beautiful, but it was hard to really enjoy it fully because of the very annoying insects that kept biting us. The bugs were so small that we could not see them, but they certainly knew we were there! It was like getting bitten by hundreds--maybe thousands--- of tiny mosquitoes! The bites were smaller, but they actually hurt more than mosquito bites. Only a few of the bites left whelps on the skin. We were really ready to get back to our car that day! We had wondered what those insects were! The ground was soft and kind of spongy---it was an area with lots of peat, some of which is dug up to be used elsewhere. We had assumed that the bugs were "peat bugs"!
We did take some pictures of the beautiful scenery, though!
The water is not clear at Loch Ness. The ground is so full of peat that the peat gives the water a dark color.
There were so many types of trees, especially evergreen ones.
Jan is in front of some heather.
Isn't this a beautiful trail !!!
The next photo shows where some of the peat had been harvested.
In the following photo you can see how the moss has grown on an old stone fence.
Loch Ness has a more fresh water than all of the lakes in England and Wales combined.
We did not see Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster, but we did see this ox in a field beside Loch Ness!
3 comments:
We learned about the midge by taking a walk at dusk along the beach at Loch Lomond. We actually ended up running into the woods to escape the swarm. The spongy ground there is neat. In Glen Coe, I layed down in the grass and it was really comfy. And no ants or other pests to worry about, just the dampness seeping through. And I love those shaggy cows! Great pictures!
Yikes! Midges! I hate little biting bugs. We've been attacked by mosquitos in Colorado, and biting flies in Arkansas and it is no fun!
I like the photos of the old bridge!
Steve
I have enjoyed traveling along with you to Scotland. Such beautiful country. I had neve heard of those bugs--interesting.
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