Butterwort

Thank you so much for the love for Lotta Mignon - she was quite something! Himself has been working away like mad on the design of the book and it's looking terrific. Just the intro and end pieces to do now.

I escaped the computer for a walk along the old road into Kilcrohane hoping that that butterworts might be out - and they were. A bit of rain and the bogs have come to life and the vivid purply blue of the butterworts  are instantly noticeable, along with the lime green rosette of the flat leaves. Butterworts are carnivorous - little insects are attracted to the sticky leaves  and once they land on them they are suffocated by mucilage - a new word and I couldn't wait to use it! Things get even more disgusting and the mucilage turns a bit soupy and the mixture is somehow ingested into leaves. And they look so pretty!  Lots of bright pink lousewort in evidence too, and the first of the bog bean and bog cotton.

And the dawn chorus is really hotting up - the dunnock was having a jolly good warble at 5.45am this morning, closely followed by the doves and the thrush.