A rare species of liverwort which is found in only a few dozen sites across the UK has been discovered on Ben Lomond.

Autumn Flapwort (Jamesoniella autumnali) was spotted at the National Trust for Scotland property, as the conservation charity held a moss identification training event. The plant is classed as ‘nationally scarce’ and was found in the oak woodland beside the West Highland Way.

According to British moss expert Gordon Rothero, who led the training event, the find is the first in Stirlingshire for over half a century. The plant was named after Scottish botanist, William Jameson and is more commonly found in the sessile oak woods of western Scotland.

Mr Lindsay Mackinlay, Nature Conservation Adviser with the Trust said:

“As moss finds go, this is pretty special. We are lucky at the National Trust for Scotland to have many excellent naturalists and we are always working to improve their knowledge and better understand the natural treasures that live on our properties across the country. This discovery shows us that our management of these woodlands is conserving the rare species that live there.

"It was great to find such a rare specimen in our Ben Lomond oak woods after fifty years. We know that the woods there are teeming with fascinating plant and animal life and we hope we'll find even more rare species in these woodlands, to capture the imagination of all who visit Ben Lomond.”