- An occasional series of longer Reports and Studies -

EF5. “Lough Allen Spring Flowers: a sample Collection

We decided this month to highlight a wide range of Plants and Flowers that appear around Lough Allen, North West Ireland, in the Springtime. These are both common and unusual, large and tiny, but all interesting and beautiful. This will be a big Feature so we have had to plan and organise our work (Yuck!). It follows a Botanical system. As you gradually get to know what plant belongs to what group (as we are doing), such a system does help one come to terms with an amazing diversity of plants. We use both Latin and common names for Families and we follow the order of Families used in ’Wildflowers of Britain and Ireland’ (Blamey, Fitter & Fitter) _ a thoroughly excellent book and one that is quite approachable.

In the following table Plants shown are laid out as Families. Each family shares something in common. Like Primrose and Cowslip are obviously related; look at their leaves! But also Wild Strawberry and Bramble are first cousins, even though the plants are greatly different in size! Our photos come from about 20 families and the order they are presented below follows botanical guidelines to Family order. (There are other groupings of plants but we will stick with families for this project.) Several of the specimens come from Families with only one representative, so we have grouped these into an Assorted Families group.

Acknowledgements: Many thanks to 3 of the Ladies of the Boyle Camera Club (Martina, Margaret and Susan) who joined us for a day with the flowers at the end of April and some of whose Photographs are reproduced below. Also, to Emma Dunne, Student of the Sligo Institue of Technology, starting with us this week on work experience, who landed into the major challenging job in her first few days of identifying some of these specimens and preparing some of the photographs. Nice one, EMMA!


List of FAMILIES

Buttercups / Pinks / Violets / Cabbage family / Heathers / Primroses / Roses / Peas / Carrot family
Figworts / other Assorted Families / various Monocot Species (LILIES, ORCHIDS, Arums) / Curiosities


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The small pictures below are being linked to full sized Images showing much more of the plants. These thumbnails are closely cropped to reveal details of the flower at the size necessary for this summary page. Look for the Click2ENLARGE’ symbol on this Page and this Site. Where you see it, larger versions of the photographs are avalable. Click on the Thumbnails in the section below the symbol to go to a larger Image. Use your Browser BACK button to return here...

Buttercup family (Ranunculaceae)
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Wood Anemone

Marsh Marigold

Lesser Spearwort

Lesser Celandine

 

 

 

 

Pink family (Caryophyllaceae)
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Ragged Robin

Greater Stitchwort

Common Mouse-ear (Chickweed)

Common Chickweed

Bog Stitchwort

Procumbent Pearlwort

Annual Pearlwort

Corn Spurry

 

 

 

 

Violets (Violaceae)
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Common Dog Violet

Wood Violet

Marsh Violet

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cabbage family (Brassicaceae)
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Lady’s Smock

Scurvy Grass

Hedge Mustard

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heath family (Ericaceae)
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Bog Rosemary

Bilberry (Fraochá¡n )

Cranberry

Cross-leaved Heath

 

 

 

 

Primrose family (Primulaceae)
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Primrose

Cowslip

Yellow Pimpernel

Bog Pimpernel

 

 

 

 

Rose family (Rosaceae)
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Dog Rose

Downy Rose

Tormentil

Silverweed

Wild Strawberry

Marsh Cinquefoil

Bramble

Barren Strawberry

 

 

 

 

Pea family (Fabaceae)
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Bush Vetch (white variant)

Bush Vetch

Birdsfoot Trefoil

White Clover

Red Clover

Kidney Vetch

Lesser Trefoil

Broom

 

 

 

 

Carrot family (Apiaceae)
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Cow parsley

Ground Elder

Pignut

Sanicle

Figwort family (Scrophulariaceae)
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Slender Speedwell

Thyme-leaved Speedwell

Germander Speedwell

Brooklime

Lousewort

Ivy-leaved Toadflax

Yellow Rattle

Eyebright

 

 

 

 

Assorted families (The species below belong to different Families.)
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Common Milkwort

Wood Sorrel

Herb Robert

Bogbean

Dog Daisy

Coltsfoot

Butterbur

Bugle

Tufted Forget-me-not

Changing Forget-me-not

Mint

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monocot. families (Varied)
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Bluebell

Ramsons

Twayblade

Early Purple Orchid

Lords and Ladies

Hare’s Tail Bog Cotton

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cyanophyceae family (Blue/Green algae)

Nostoc pruniforme... obviously not a flowering plant but we came across this interesting ‘colony’ in very clean water in a small lake off Lough Allen during our survey work. It is a colonial organism, photosynthesising, despite being a member of the Kingdom Bacteria.

About golf ball size, these were numerous for a short while in this one location during the warm dry weather at the end of April. They are related to the ‘algae’ that can cause algal blooms in fresh water but these specimens are not dangerous or an indicator of pollution... very much the opposite! (More later.)