Beautiful Burren

Last weekend, we had the opportunity to visit County Clare for the annual bee recorders event held by the National Biodiversity Data Centre. This is the second such event I have attended and it is wonderful to learn more about our amazing bees as well as meet like-minded individuals who are happy to run across a meadow chasing a bee with a net! This is the bee we were searching for. The Shrill carder bee, Ireland’s second rarest bee. It’s stronghold is County Clare, probably due in part to the flora rich habitats.

Shrill carder bee (Bombus sylvarum)

I have not been to County Clare for many years. It is renowned for it’s spring flowers but it’s late summer flowers are just as amazing and brilliant for pollinators.

Exposed limestone pavement and wild flowers

This area of Clare, where we spent our time, is known as the Burren. The word comes from an Irish word “Boíreann” meaning a rocky place, and it certainly is that. It is a limestone karst region, with much exposed limestone pavement but also flora rich calcareous grasslands.

Flower meadow

There are so many beautiful meadows. Many like above photograph are dominated at this time of year with devils-bit scabious. But others like the one below are packed with knapweed and hawksbit.

Flower meadow

There are amazing limestone walls, ancient tombs, the Burren National Park and more.

Burren

stonewall

harebells

wedge tomb

But really it is the flowers (and of course the pollinators) that make it a really special place for me. We will return.

Ox-eyed daisy and other flowers

wild marjorum with bee

purple meadow

Wordless Wednesday

 

Framed – Parkes Castle

 

Silent Sunday

Wall Brown

Arable flowers

In the National Botanic Gardens of Wales, which we visited in the summer, they had an area sown with arable wheat which had all the traditional arable “weeds” – which are in fact all wonderful flowers that attract many pollinators.

I liked it so much I took photos from lots of angles.

Arable meadow

Arable meadow

Arable meadow

Arable meadow

Arable meadow

 

I would really love to replicate this is my own garden. In the summer it provides food for insects and in the autumn food for birds!

Arable meadow

Heritage Week Events

This week Ireland celebrates Heritage Week. It is a week to celebrate all the wonderful things in Ireland’s natural, cultural and built heritage. There are over 2000 events happening throughout the county. As part of the week I will be hosing two events this coming Wednesday, 21st August. See below for details.

To find out what events are happening on your area follow this link.

Heritage week events

 

 

Six on Saturday

I managed to get another photograph of a dragonfly today. I spotted this one while cutting the beech hedge. It was a little worn, possibly having been caught out in a couple of the very heavy showers we had today. I think it is the blue form of a female common hawker, but open to correction. Neil has corrected me – it is a Brown Hawker, Aeshna grandis.

Dragonfly

Finally the coneflowers are flowering, but there doesn’t appear to be many flower heads.

Coneflower

The chicks are growing and they had their first explore of the greenhouse today.

Chicks

And look what my daughter found in the garden, left over from the Easter bunny!!

And finally we have been enjoying the first blackberries from the hedgerows and bog road!

blackberries

Thank you to The Propagator for hosting Six on Saturday.

Large carder bee

This little beauty is the large carder bee or Bombus muscorum.

Bombus muscorum

While widespread in Ireland it is not common and classed are having a near threatened conservation status. I don’t get them in my garden so was real treat to find them on a visit to the north coast of Mayo earlier in the week. Here is the large carder (right) alongside the common carder (left).

Common carder

Larger carder

You will notice the large carder on the right is larger is size and has a blonde abdomen.

Lens artist photo challenge #58

This week’s lens artist photo challenge is –

Something old, something new, something borrow, something blue

Today we were introduced to some beautiful and very old elm trees. Many elms in Ireland were lost to Dutch elm disease but this is one of a few magnificent specimens that survived.

Elm tree

I haven’t yet introduced you to our new arrivals – they are just over a week old now, seven little chicks!

Chicks

Chicks

 

We have borrowed some much from nature including honey bees. All bees were originally wild bees, Apis melifera, but thousands of years ago humans thought it would be a good idea to provide bees with hives so we could steal their honey! This is an interesting article about the history of honey bees.

Honey bee

And finally something blue. Regular readers may remember a few weeks I showed you the Common blue butterfly – I managed to get a photo today of it’s wings open. This is a female not quite as blue as the male, but still very pretty, even if a little weather-worn.

Common Blue

Silent Sunday

 

Clew bay, Co Mayo

Six on Saturday

This week in the garden, the first cherry tomatoes…….

Cherry tomatoes

Last few days have been damp, with plenty rain and falling temperatures. Not sure if we will have enough heat left int he summer to get any decent pumpkins and squashes, which are still very small.

Mini pumpkin

Earlier in the season I had scattered the remains of a wildflower seed packet on a bed and some lovely (rainsoaked) cornflowers came through.

Cornflower

And some pot marigolds. These used to seed themselves all over the vegetable patch but I will have to sow some for next year as I only have the odd plant now.

Pot marigold

Also self-seeded is this chicory plant in the poly tunnel. I just love these lovely blue flowers.

Chicory flower

And finally, also self-seeded this time among the leek plants are these red veined sorrel plants. They are a nice addition to the salad bowl if harvested young.

Sorrel

Thanks to The Propagator for hosting “Six on Saturday”.