Thanks for having me! It was great to see the interest in turloughs, and to have such engaging and thoughtful questions from so many people at the end

Rhodo Rangers@rhodorangers.bsky.social · 6mo ago

What an incredible turnout for this month's Green Drinks! Thanks to all who joined us and especially to @hannahmul.bsky.social for teaching us all about turloughs.

We're excited to welcome @hannahmul.bsky.social as our speaker at next month's Green Drinks! She will speak about turloughs & their importance to local biodiversity. Reg @ eventbrite.com/e/1979983195036?aff=oddtdtcreator

A lot of work to do in Ireland as we look towards Nature Restoration, with 90% of our protected habitats in bad or unfavourable condition, with 51% of these deteriorated since last report in 2018. www.npws.ie/publications...

90% of Ireland's habitats deemed in poor condition

A new report has found that 90% of Ireland's EU-protected habitats are in 'unfavourable' conservation status, with 51% showing deteriorating trends across their national ranges.

rte.ie

Wildcat bones dating back over 5,500 years ago uncovered during dig in the Burren #Ireland Marion Dowd of ATU Sligo & team found partial skeleton of a male wild cat in a cave in west of Ireland, from the middle Neolithic. #cats 🏺🦣 www.rte.ie/news/munster...

Wildcat bones found in Co Clare dated to 5,500 years ago

The first directly dated wildcat bones found in Ireland have been identified, confirming that the species inhabited the island more than 5,500 years ago.

rte.ie

Wood-name townlands of Clonderlaw barony Co. Clare Trees in the placenames are Oak (Doire/Derry); Alder (Fearnán/Fearnóg) & Holly (Cuileann) In 1655 there were 1670 acres of wooded lands recorded consisting of -Timber trees 701 a -Young Wood 304 a -Old Wood 361 a -Shrubs 324 a

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/...

Challenges, motivations, and perspectives of practitioners on forest restoration across seven European countries

Forest restoration is crucial in addressing nature degradation, enhancing climate adaptation and mitigation, supporting ecosystem services, and reducing disaster risk. Understanding practitioners' pe...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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