The Adventures of Karl:

Our Senior Ranger Karl got some lovely shots which show the amazing wildlife which you can see around Dumfries & Galloway in just one weekend. The shots below were taken in and around our properties at Threave, Rockliffe and Venniehill.

This wild brown trout (which was returned to the river) has fantastic markings. Brown trout are a good indicator of the health of a river or lake and play an important role in the ecosystem of the river.

Karl came across this adder basking in the sunshine. It soon made for cover when it saw Karl (who wouldn't) as they are rather timid reptiles. Adders like open habitats such as heathland, moorland, open woodland and sea cliffs, and rarely stray into gardens.

This common spotted orchid was found at our Vennie Hill reserve. This site near Gatehouse-of-Fleet is managed as a meadow and is a good place to see wildflowers.

Another good place to find wildflowers is in the meadows at Rockcliffe. Karl found this nice example of some Dyers Greenweed.