All Flowers | Page 5 of 6 | Connemara Wild Flower Diary

Pyramidal Orchid

Dune/Machair, Irregular shape petals, Pink/Purple Flowers

Jul 202015

I went to the South Connemara Gaeltacht last week, for the annual MacDara’s Island pilgrimage. We went further south, across a series of bridges, to the remote Mweenish Island, which has a spectacular example of machair habitat. Machair is a sandy grassland, found only on the exposed coasts of the western seaboard of Ireland and Scotland. It is formed when calcareous sand is blown inland and depends on low-input traditional farming practices to maintain its biodiversity.

The machair on Mweenish island is home to a wonderful array of wild flowers, the most spectacular of which is the pyramidal orchid, which is dotted all over the dunes in large numbers.

Dotted Loosestrife

5 Petals, Hedgerow, Meadow, Yellow Flowers

Jul 172015

Purple Loosestrife

6 or more Petals, Hedgerow, Meadow, Pink/Purple Flowers

Jul 162015

When these tall purple wild flowers are appear in the hedgerows, you know that summer has definitely arrived! Together with the fluffy cream flowers of the meadowsweet, they create a beautiful collage of colour bordering every road and lane in Connemara and through the West of Ireland.

Harebell

Bell-like flowers, Blue Flowers, Dune/Machair

Jul 142015

The Harebell is a delicate, blue, bell-shaped flower which grows on the sandy coastal meadows around Connemara. I photographed these in Finish Island, an uninhabited tidal Island in South Connemara, which can be reached on foot only when the tide is exceptionally low. I have also seen large numbers of Harebells at Fountainhill, near Claddaghduff and on the spectacular machair on Mweenish Island.

Sea Milkwort

5 Petals, Pink/Purple Flowers, Seashore

Jul 132015

While walking along the marshy seashore of Ballynakill harbour I almost missed this tiny little flower. The fleshy leaves are similar to those of Sea Sandwort, but the flowers are pale pink, and grow from between the leaves, where they are partially hidden, rather that at the tips of the stems. Strictly speaking, the petals are sepals rather actual petals, but for simplicity’s sake I have listed this as having 5 petals.

Lady’s Bedstraw

4 Petals, Dune/Machair, Roadside/Disturbed ground, Yellow Flowers

Jul 122015

This pretty yellow flower grows abundantly in the dunes adjacent to Connemara’s beaches. I have photographed it at the Coral beach near Carraroe, and at Fountainhill near Claddaghduff, as well as in the Connemara National Park. All of the bedstraws (most of which are white), have a pleasant smell like newly-mown hay, and were once used to stuff mattresses. Legend has it that Lady’s bedstraw was used in the mattress of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem, which is how it got its name as well as its colour!

Orchid

Bog/Marsh, Irregular shape petals, Meadow, Pink/Purple Flowers

Jun 042015

The orchid must be the most spectacular of Connemara’s wild flowers. These are an endangered species and are protected by law in Ireland, but they grow abundantly in Connemara. You can see them growing by the side of busy main roads, and dotted around the fields where horses and cows seem to leave them untouched. Some of our neighbours have hundreds of them growing in their lawns, which they cannot cut until the flowering season ends. There are many varieties of wild orchid, but identifying them precisely is a job for a professional. I think this one may be a Marsh Orchid, but I am by no means certain.

Ribwort Plantain

Irregular shape petals, Meadow, Roadside/Disturbed ground, White Flowers, Yellow Flowers

Jun 032015

The plantain, also known as “rat-tail” is a rampant weed throughout Ireland, as it virtually indestructable, pushing up through gravel, pavings, flower-beds and lawns. However, it is worth a closer look, as its delicate collar of pale yellow stamens is rather pretty. As children we used plantains for a game, similar to “conkers”, where each person tried to knock the flower head off the other person’s stalk. You can also create a kind of missile by ejecting the head from the stalk by wrapping another stalk around it and tugging sharply.

Kidney Vetch

Irregular shape petals, Seashore, Yellow Flowers

May 292015

I was back in Rosadillisk yesterday for the first time in two weeks, and the summer growth has finally taken off. This beautiful stretch of coast is home to a wonderful array of wild flowers. The latest to come into bloom is the kidney vetch, whose yellow flowers are attached to unusual fluffy structures, for all the world like cotton-wool balls! There are clumps of these clinging to the cliff-edge where they must be able to survive regular drenching with salty water.

Heath Speedwell

4 Petals, Blue Flowers, Hedgerow, Meadow

May 272015

This lovely little pale lilac flower is growing in clumps on top of the dry-stone walls along our lane. It is another one to add to the bewildering number of speedwells that grow here in the West of Ireland.

Lesser Spearwort

5 Petals, Water, Yellow Flowers

May 272015

I came across this buttercup-like flower growing by the edge of Garraunbaun Lake in Moyard. After a bit of research I have decide that it is the lesser Spearwort. Its reddish stems distinguish it from the buttercups, and the unopened flowers have a distinctive shape. Apparently the plant is poisonous.

Marsh Lousewort

Bog/Marsh, Irregular shape petals, Pink/Purple Flowers, Water

May 272015

Marsh lousewort is found in wet ground in bogs and lakesides. It is a much taller plant than lousewort, but the leaves and flowers are more or less identical. I have only come across this variety of lousewort once, beside the lake in Moyard, Co Galway.

Hawthorn

5 Petals, Hedgerow, White Flowers

May 252015

In May and early June, the hedgerows throughout Ireland are brightened by the prolific white flowers of the Hawthorn trees, also known as Whitethorn and the May Tree. The hawthorn tree is very important in Irish folklore. At the festival of Bealtaine (Mayday), people would tie rags or strips of coloured cloth to a “rag tree” to grant a wish. Most of these special Hawthorn trees are beside holy wells, although there is an example on the Killary Harbour close to Leenane that is not associated with any well. The Tree Council of Ireland has a database of heritage trees which lists the trees of religious significance around Ireland.

Cowslip

5 Petals, Dune/Machair, Meadow, Yellow Flowers

May 232015

I have fond memories of cowslips from my childhood in County Dublin, when the fields near my home were carpeted in yellow during May, and we used to put bunches of them in jam-jars. In recent years they have become very rare, due to over-picking and changing agricultural practices. I was delighted to see a field full of them once again, in the Aughris peninsula in Cleggan, where I took these photographs. they also grow wild on Omey Island nearby.

Bush Vetch

Hedgerow, Irregular shape petals, Pink/Purple Flowers

May 192015

This vetch flowers earlier than its cousin, the tufted vetch, and although it isn’t such a vibrant blue, it gives a welcome splash of colour to the roadside hedges where I live in Connemara.

Greater Sea Spurrey

5 Petals, Dune/Machair, Pink/Purple Flowers, Seashore

May 172015

I found this beautiful little flower growing at the edge of the salt-marsh by the beach in Rossadillisk, near Cleggan.

Herb Robert

5 Petals, Hedgerow, Meadow, Pink/Purple Flowers, Roadside/Disturbed ground, Woodland

May 152015

This attractive pink flower is one of the most widespread wild flowers in Connemara. It flowers right through from April to November, and can be seen in almost every hedgerow, field, and garden. It was used as a herbal remedy for toothaches and nosebleeds, although I cannot vouch for its efficacy.

Germander Speedwell

4 Petals, Blue Flowers, Hedgerow, Meadow, Roadside/Disturbed ground

May 032015

This is the second type of speedwell that I have encountered this year. The small flowers are a vivid blue with two prominent white stamens. I’m pretty sure it’s Germander Speedwell, but please correct me if you think it’s a different variety.