Tiny and rare- my first encounter with Mudwort (Limosella aquatica) at The Gearagh, Co. Cork. Growing on freshly exposed mud, the water levels are controlled by ESB for the hydrolectric dam downstream on the Lee. This plant is protected in Ireland (FPO) and also occurs on turloughs

A treat this week to find Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) near Clonakilty, Co. Cork 🌼 With its stronghold in the south, it’s not something I often see in Clare. Sadly, this plant is has suffered larges declines in Britain and Ireland

One of my #FavouritePlant has to be Grass-of-Parnassus (Parnassia palustris). I’m lucky to see it regularly in the west of Ireland. But it was a real joy to meet this familiar plant on a trip to the Swedish Arctic, in Abisko National Park #wildflowerhour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Who else gets excited when its finally Grass of Parnassus (Parnassia palustris) season? One of the loveliest late summer flowers ✨ 📍Tullanafrankagh turlough, Co Galway

Our new paper is just out! @restorationecology.bsky.social It covers the challenges, motivations and perspectives of forest restoration practitioners in 7 European countries. Thanks to all co-authors and colleagues who contributed through the #SUPERB project onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Water Germander Teucrium scordium from Knockaunroe Turlough A gorgeous rare plant that seems to like hiding among equally purple-leaved Water-mint 📍Burren National Park

Dodder (Cuscuta epithymum) flowering on fixed dune, a wholly parasitic plant. It seems to particularly enjoy parasitising Sea sandwort (Honckenya peploides) which has turned yellow from stress. 📍Maharees, Co Kerry

Pyramidal orchids Anacamptis pyramidalis still going strong and vibrant, despite the gloomy start to August. 📍Maharees, Co Kerry

Pillwort Pilularia globulifera from Upper Lake, Killarney, Co Kerry Tiny, rare, protected, aquatic.. FERN?! This is a hard plant to find not only is it rare but it grows with its equally thread-like companion bulbous rush, both growing side by side in this photo

A great year for Spiranthes spiralis Autumn lady's-tresses in Maharees, Co Kerry.

Strawberry clover (Trifolium fragiferum) in fixed dune, Maharees, Co Kerry. Always a cheerful one to see!

Year 3 of growing a meadow in my back garden and this year I bought my own scythe - now I'm fully committed! I quickly learned rule no. 1 of scything: keep the blade super sharp and it’ll slice like butter. Then it’s a fun job and you could go forever.

I went searching for Orange Foxtail (Alopecurus aequalis) in Lough Gash, Newmarket-on-Fergus. This elegant and colour grass is only present in a handful of sites in Ireland, it is protected under Wildlife Acts. Pleased to have found it doing well! #Turloughs

Carex pulicaris Flea Sedge, Carex canina White Sedge, Carex dioica Dioecious Sedge, Carex leporina Oval Sedge. Glenshee area, Aberdeenshire/Angus. @bsbibotany.bsky.social @bsbiscotland.bsky.social

Yellow-eyed-grass (Sisyrinchium californicum) from the shores of Lough Corrib, Co Galway. Native of west coast North America, introduced to Ireland. @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

At last, I have introduced myself to the rare and beautiful Irish Lady’s-tresses (Spiranthes romanzoffiana) — found at a well-known site along Lough Corrib, Co. Galway. #WildflowerHour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

More hen corncrake and chicks from the farm!!

Ballyvaughan Turlough, Co Clare - this turlough refilled dramatically after one night of heavy rain, flooding back over flowering vegetation. Here you can see the Marsh ragwort flowers under the surface of the water.

If anyone could help me ID this orchid 😇 I thought it might be Dactylorhiza incarnata subsp. coccinea but this on the edge of my ID capabilities with only 1 flower left 😅 @bsbibotany.bsky.social @ukorchids.bsky.social

That’s how the biggest and the longest river in Poland looks like today - Vistula river. It has reached the lowest level in its history - 15cm and it practically turned into temporary river. It is not only drought due to climate change it is also lack of proper water policy and retention

These dried, felted remains of filamentous algae are known as "algal paper", left behind as turlough waters recede - a reliable sign you're standing in a turlough basin. 📍 At Coolisduff in typical sheets across the basin floor. 📍 At Lydacan the paper is unusually caught in a wire fence

Delighted to have been to the BBS Summer Meeting in Co Clare this past week. My favourites are these tiny thalloid liverworts, Riccia: • Riccia sorocarpa from Burren NP • Riccia beyrichiana at Ballyeighter Lough • Riccia cavernosa at Glenamaddy Turlough (not in Clare!)

In years to come Hometree will be able to sustainably produce seed for these trees by extracting them from a unique habitat. Last photo show the parent trees. Learn more about our work: hometree.ie

Gathered Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus minor) seed today from the meadow in the back garden, ready to sow back into the meadow in the grassier patches First bloom was 13 May, and here we are, 49 days later on 1 July, pods rattling, season complete 🌿🌼🌾

What a turlough basin looks like in June 🌿 Meadowsweet, silverweed, mint, eyebrights, and a few special Fen Violets tucked in there too. #WildflowerHour #Turloughs

My first Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis) of the year — flowering at the base of Lydacan Castle, Co. Galway.

Bittersweet (Solanum dulcamara) is flowering now — a woody climber with striking purple blooms, and not too common here in the west of Ireland. Found this one, along with an interesting white-flowered variant, on the fringes of Termon Turlough in Co. Galway 💜🤍 #Turlough #WildflowerHour

@britishspiders.bsky.social recently digitised 15k slide 📸 from arachnologists John & Frances Murphy. Spotted that one of their Snowdon Lily 📸 was exactly same clump/angle 54yrs later. Great to see this Mountain Spiderwort clump still thriving. @bsbibotany.bsky.social @natreswales.bsky.social

Thanks @rayofoghlu.bsky.social for the write up It was great to see everyone and discuss restoration of forested peatlands in Ireland. @colinguilfoyle.bsky.social www.farmersjournal.ie/more/climate... Wild Nephin: restoration, research and rewilding - Free

Shoreweed (Littorella uniflora) — an aquatic plant that only flowers when exposed by falling water levels. Common on turloughs, but easy to miss. The flowers are tiny, but worth crouching down for a closer look 🌿💧 #Turloughs #AquaticPlants

A nod to the (semi) aquatic specialists I found this week in — the plants adapted to the rise and fall of a turlough basin: • Turlough Dandelion • Common Bladderwort • Lesser Water-plantain • Greater Spearwort #WildflowerHour #AquaticPlants #Turloughs @bsbibotany.bsky.social

One of our loveliest — and rarest — native shrubs: Shrubby Cinquefoil (Dasiphora fruticosa). It loves a habitat both damp and rocky, and is right at home in the #Turloughs in the Burren. This patch was growing right on the edge of Rockforest Turlough, nestled beside the iconic “Burren Pines” 🌿💛

Lesser Butterfly Orchid (Platanthera bifolia), Sea Wormwood (Artemisia maritima), Long-stalked Geranium (Geranium columbium) and Hoary Plantain (Plantago media) at Morgan's North, Limerick yesterday on a @bsbibotany.bsky.social field meeting! @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Beautiful Hoary Plantain (Plantago media), quite scarce in Ireland but thriving in this #GreatIrishGrasslands site in Co. Limerick (VC H8) A real treat to see it during the @bsbibotany.bsky.social field meeting with @ollysflora123.bsky.social 🌿💚 #WildflowerHour

Amazed to find a thriving population of rare Marsh Fern (Thelypteris palustris) while exploring the tucked-away #Turlough in Portumna Forest Park. This fern doesn't mind getting it's feet wet!

A few fresh orchids popping up today in Burren National Park 🌸 • Heath Spotted-orchid (Dactylorhiza maculata) • Fragrant Orchid (Gymnadenia conopsea) • Dark Red Helleborine (Epipactis atrorubens) Always a treat to see these beauties emerging! 🌿 #BurrenNationalPark

A carpet of cow-wheat (Melampyrum pratense) along Loch Lomond — is it just me, or is cow-wheat having a great year? Don’t think I’ve ever seen this much of it in Ireland before 🌼🌿 @bsbibotany.bsky.social @bsbiscotland.bsky.social

Slightly late for #wildflowerhour but I suspect this may be Flecked Marsh Orchid Dactylorhiza incarnata ssp. cruenta from a site in the Burren @ukorchids.bsky.social

Spotted these two Marsh Fritillaries getting cosy during the Burren in Bloom walk with Jesmond Harding from Butterfly Conservation Ireland. Such a cool find and special site for butterflies — thanks to @burrenbeotrust.bsky.social for organising the event🦋🌼

Tiny, tiny fern alert: Moonwort (Botrychium lunaria) found in the Burren National Park — 108 counted! Even spotted a double fronder — surely luckier than a four-leaf clover 🍀🌿 #BurrenNationalPark

Beautiful Beech Fern Phegopteris connectilis. This is a rare fern in Ireland but common in Scotland, where you can't miss it as its shouting at you with its brilliant highlighter green colour! Photos from Loch Lomond and Kinlochleven.