Wildlife of Limestone Karst on Inishmore

The karst limestone landscape of the Aran Islands and The Burren was formed by a Glacier during the Ice-Age which cleared the land of any plant and soil material leaving the bare rock exposed with grykes between the clints (rock plates). It has characteristic flora - both Alpine and Mediterranean such as Irish Marsh Orchid, Bloody Cranesbill and Burnet Rose.

We saw quite a few butterflies including Small Blue, Common Blue and Small Heath. 

The limestone extends onto the beaches and is home to abundant Sea Thrift.

 

 

Visit to Inishmore

On Sunday, our ferry crossing to Inishmore was very choppy. It was good to see Shearwaters flying the waves together with diving Gannets but impossible to photograph with the ferry pitching and rolling. Inis Mór is the largest of the three Aran Islands and includes several ancient stone forts and churches among its antiquities. We took a minibus tour which included the impressive of the stone forts is Dun Aengus. Excavations indicated that people had been living at the hill top from c.1500 BC with the first walls and dwelling houses being erected c. 1100 BC It is semicircular, resting on the edge of a perpendicular cliff rising 100 metres out of the ocean. We also visited the Seven Churches site, which is the ruin of two main buildings, thought to be named after an inscription 'VII Romani' found on one of the stones.

Kylemore Abbey and Clifden

Kylemore Abbey and Victorian Walled Garden were originally built as a Castle in 1867 as a romantic gift by Mitchell Henry for his wife.  It became home to a community of Benedictine Nuns in 1920 and has been renowned as a place of spirituality and education. We chose a still misty morning, which suited the location and the rhododendrons well, but, unfortunately, also the midges which somewhat curtailed our visit. We spent an hour or so in Clifden, our largest town in the area.

Welcome to Ireland

I am on a family holiday near Roundstone, Galway, Eire and, after unpacking, visited Dog's Bay for a walk. Here a few welcoming images.

 

 

Toft Garden Wildlife

A quick posting mostly to record the insect activity in the garden for more yearly records. Shield Bugs very numerous a the moment and obviously gearing up for a further generation. They prefer the spinach which is fine as we have a lot of it!! Also Brown Argus, Mint moth, Garden Spider spiderlings and Red Damselfly. 

My Garden WIldflower Patch

Last year, I decided to turn some of the vegetable areas into wildflower 'meadows' and bought some seed from a recommended firm (Boston Seeds). It contained both annual and perennial species so last year was dominated by Corn cockles, Corn Marigold and Cornflowers. This year the various biennials/perennials have taken over with Red Campion, Salad Burnet and Wild Carrot dominating with other species in the gaps. The Corn cockles have seeded elsewhere so there will be plenty for seed gathering for next year.